Bukayo Saka has been compared to players like Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, and Neymar by Arsenal fullback Oleksandr Zinchenko, who contends that such elite athletes require more protection from referees. Three of the most fouled players in the last decade and before that have been Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, and Neymar.
Throughout their careers, they have received harsh treatment from opponents who have employed every conceivable tactic to halt their progress. In the same vein, Saka is being ‘provoked’ continuously throughout the game, according to Arsenal defender Oleksandr Zinchenko, who believes the Englishman should be considered in the same bracket as Messi, Ronaldo, and Neymar.
Zinchenko demands protection from referees for Arsenal starboy
According to Zinchenko, Saka is being unfairly targeted by opposition supporters, and authorities need to take action to stop this abuse. After Arsenal surpassed Manchester City at the top of the table on Saturday with a 4-2 victory at Aston Villa, Saka was the victim of some forceful challenges.
The 21-year-old rather received a booking as a result of reacting aggressively after being tackled from behind by Villa attacker Philippe Coutinho. Zinchenko demanded that the officials do a better job of shielding Saka, as he told the Evening Standard:
“Bukayo is an unbelievable player, all the full backs from the other teams they know he’s so dangerous, so they try to provoke him, tackle him and the referees should know this.
“We can speak about [Lionel] Messi, Cristiano [Ronaldo], Neymar and players like this. The referees need to protect this kind of player.
“Apart from Bukayo, we have other forward players who are so dangerous and the referees need to be careful, they need to look after them of course.”
Like he has done numerous times already this season, Saka was forced into a physical confrontation, this time with almost half the Villa team. The 21-year-old was brought to the ground many times, but referee Simon Hooper handled the situation reasonably leniently. Only two yellow cards were given to Villa, but Saka was also given one for yelling and slamming the ball to the ground.
Zinchenko believes that referees should exercise more caution when keeping an eye out for a targeted player like Saka, one of the league’s in-form stars and trickiest clients. Meanwhile, Saka keeps getting better and better, building on his stellar World Cup performance with England to keep the Gunners in peak form. With 17 goals contributed in 23 league games this season, he is currently Mikel Arteta’s go-to player.
After joining from Manchester City in the summer, Zinchenko has also made a big impression. At Villa Park, he scored his first Premier League goal in 92 appearances. Despite the momentous achievement, which brought the score to 2-2, the 26-year-old’s fighting spirit emerged as he seized the ball and sprinted back to the centre circle for kickoff. Arsenal had to be then helped by two thrilling stoppage-time goals to go on to win the game 4-2.