Bukayo Saka scored Arsenal’s third goal in their 3-0 win against Lille at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday night.
The 25-year-old didn’t start the game, but came on along with Martin Odegaard and Kai Havertz at the 65-minute mark, and it took him just under six minutes to register an assist and a goal.
First, he set up Eberechi Eze with a quick cutback across goal, before slotting in a tidy finish into the bottom corner after some nice combination play inside the box.
It took Saka’s tally of goals for Arsenal in major European competitions to 19, second only to Thierry Henry, who sits a long way in front on 42. In the Champions League specifically Saka now has 14 goals, which of course includes the winner in last season’s semi-final second leg against Atletico Madrid, the goal that sent Arsenal to their first Champions League final in 20 years.
Bukayo Saka’s Champions League record for Arsenal
Saka has now moved into fourth place in Arsenal’s all-time Champions League scoring list, overtaking both Cesc Fabregas and Freddie Ljungberg in the process. Theo Walcott sits one goal ahead of him in third, having played roughly twice as many Champions League games to get there. Robin van Persie is four goals ahead in second, but needed 15 more appearances to reach that tally.
Those are incredible numbers. As much as we would hate to admit it, Van Persie is one of the best strikers this club has seen. The fact that Saka is scoring Champions League goals at a higher rate — as a winger — shouldn’t be overlooked.
He’s doing it in the biggest games too. He scored at the Bernabeu in 2025 and his first statement goal in the competition came against Bayern Munich in 2024, who of course Arsenal face at the Allianz Arena next week.
Saka has now made 321 appearances for Arsenal at the age of 25, the 37th most in the club’s history, and he has done all of this despite missing a lot of minutes through injury across the past two seasons. When fit and at his best, the numbers he produces are extraordinary, and as good as almost anyone who has ever pulled on an Arsenal shirt.
Only Thierry Henry has scored more European goals in that shirt. That is the company Bukayo Saka now keeps.