Bukayo Saka is England’s LIONHEART: He’s Stuart Pearce and Bryan Robson rolled into one, would walk into any team in Europe and rose above the abuse he faced after missing a penalty last time

Bukayo Saka retreated to his favorite spot in the burning sauna at the English base in Weimar to reflect on the events of the previous evening.

Burning is the key word here. Burning with excitement. Burning with passion. Burning with pride.

England’s new Lionheart. Think Bryan Robson. Think Stuart Pearce. Saka appears in a different guise, but no less iconic. The embodiment of the kind of culture that English football has traditionally thrived on. Courage, bravery, tenacity.

But there is so much more to Saka than heart. He is an extraordinarily talented technician who would step into almost any team in Europe — talent backed by an indefatigable will to progress, no matter the obstacles.

England’s modern-day hero. Robson and Pearce are among the most revered English players in recent history. But Saka is different. He has Pearce’s drive, Robson’s determination, all tied together with a technical ability that, with all due respect, the aforementioned duo lacked.

After Saturday night, Saka’s legacy is secured and at the age of 22 he will add more chapters to his English story.

Yet the story of redemption unfolding at the Merkur Spiel Arena would hardly have gone unnoticed by this laid-back lad from Ealing, West London.

The story was inevitable, of course. As he stepped up to take England’s third penalty, you couldn’t help but think back to the Euro 2020 final.

The heartache of that night – Saka, Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho were missing from the penalty shootout and Italy left Wembley as European champions – will never completely go away.

The aftermath has been well documented and rather disgusting. Racist abuse on social media followed as the ugly side of the game reared its ugly head as one of its most prodigious talents was on his knees.

“Saka suffered the kind of setback that few people recover from,” said former Chelsea defender Paul Elliott, now an equality adviser to the FA and UEFA.

“That’s a measure of the man. Of course he’s got a tremendous talent. But it’s his mental application and how he uses his talent to outshine everything else. The belief, the confidence. He has an innate belief that takes over — it drives him forward.

“It’s like the penalty at Euro 2020 was just a passing moment. I’m convinced nothing entered his mind (against Switzerland). There was no psychological hangover. He showed courage in adversity.”

You couldn’t help but be amazed by the way Saka determined the score on Saturday night, not only putting in a man-of-the-match performance, including a stunning 80th-minute equaliser, but also sending England through to the semi-finals of Euro 2024 with a penalty.

Not that you would have known the gravity of what he had just achieved from the way Saka celebrated. There was no outburst of emotion like Pearce famously exorcising his Italy ’90 penalty demons by scoring in the shootout win over Spain at Euro ’96.

With his arms outstretched, Saka looked straight ahead and covered his ears as if to ask, “Do you have anything else to say?” And then, of course, came that unmistakable smile.

“I try to focus more on success than failure,” Saka said Saturday. “When I think about failure or missing, I get down and I worry and I get tense. I was quite relaxed when I walked to the penalty.

‘I’ve taken a lot of penalties this season and scored them all. I was confident, I trained well and it was a good feeling to save them.’

The meaning of his punishment may one day become clear to Saka, but he is not the type to get caught up in such symbolism.

Recovery. Execution. The future. That’s Saka’s focus.

That’s not to say his journey to redemption hasn’t been tumultuous, but perhaps Saka’s most impressive attribute is his ability to maintain a balance. Never too high, never too low.

There was pain after Euro 2020, but not to the extent that the aftermath might have led you to believe. Returning to the bosom of Arsenal’s London Colney training ground helped Saka refocus his mind.

Just as Sir Alex Ferguson did when David Beckham returned to England after the 1998 World Cup amid an outpouring of hatred, Mikel Arteta took on the role of Saka’s commander-in-chief.

Former Arsenal captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who nicknamed Saka ‘Little Chilli’, is also said to have played a key role in Saka’s return to training after his missed penalty was carefully handled.

Gareth Southgate also kept in touch with the player who unexpectedly conquered the tournament. The English manager has indeed developed a special bond with Saka. Of course, Saka’s advantages to his team are obvious. But Southgate’s admiration for the Arsenal winger goes much deeper than football.

Southgate admires Saka’s humility, his respectful nature, his cheerfulness and intelligence.

The outpouring of support from the football community was also a comfort to Saka. Arsenal were inundated with letters from fans, young and old, of varying allegiances, wanting to show their support for Saka.

There was even a sign of support from Tottenham fans at a pre-season friendly in a North London derby, which read: ‘North London stands with Saka and all the players in their fight against racism and discrimination.’

Further afield, Pep Guardiola was keeping an eye on Saka’s performances and instructed City’s recruiters to keep a close eye on the boy who had captured the hearts of the entire nation.

There is no greater sign of support for a footballer than hearing that Guardiola wants you. That would have convinced Saka, in a way, that his value is still rising, despite the painful events of that summer.

Of course, there were those who wanted to emphasize Saka’s suffering. “You have abandoned your country,” Saka often heard from opponents. But Saka, who is deeply religious, always had faith. The storm passed and now we are here.

His long-held wish to play Champions League football has been fulfilled and given the way Arsenal are developing under Arteta, winning the competition will be a goal in the not too distant future.

Domestically, Saka will be looking to end Guardiola’s dominance in the Premier League next season after Arsenal came so close to edging out Manchester City in the previous two campaigns.

But there is only one trophy on Saka’s mind right now. And as sweat trickled down his brow in the sauna he has become such a fan of in Weimar, he would have been thinking about England’s chance of glory, not his own personal redemption.

But that’s Bukayo, the lionheart of England.