Former Real Madrid and Arsenal playmaker Mesut Ozil have praised England teenager Bukayo Saka for his courage to take responsibility for England’s penalty against Italy in the Euro 2020 final. The Arsenal starlet had his penalty saved by the player of the tournament Dunnoroma which resulted in England missing out on the trophy.
Mesut Ozil Praises Bukayo Saka after Euro 2020 Expierence
The incident raised lots of racial abuse against Bukayo Saka and two of his teammates who also had their penalties missed. The abuse has led to a unifying message in support of the England players, who, alongside manager Gareth Southgate, brought a real sense of excitement to the country in their bid to win the championship.
Mesut Ozil once missed a crucial penalty of his own when Arsenal crashed out of the Champions League at the hands of Bayern Munich back in 2014. Because of that experience, he said he had complete sympathy for the young winger.
However, the German international has empathized with the 19-year-old over his misfortunes from the penalty spot and offered his support to Saka. Mesut Ozil said: “I felt very much for Bukayo. I know from my own experience how it feels to miss a penalty.”
He also said: “In a final, as the last one, to take on the responsibility of an entire nation as a young player – respect. Not many players would dare to do that.” “There will always be people who racially abuse and scapegoat people of different backgrounds and skin colour when they lose.”
The player said it is unfortunate to see people in this age and time still racially abusing people. He said they should focus much more on the positive messages that keep players strong instead of abusing them.
