Bukayo Saka, Arsenal’s beloved “starboy,” has quickly risen to the top of football, becoming one of the club’s brightest stars.
Last season, Saka solidified his status with 20 goals and 14 assists in 47 games, playing a pivotal role in Arsenal’s resurgence.
However, no matter how impressive a player’s performances are, they cannot escape the never-ending scrutiny of the football world, especially online.
There’s always criticism, and in the age of social media, even the best players become the target of so-called “keyboard warriors” and Twitter trolls.
One such troll took it upon themselves to focus on a particular aspect of Saka’s game — his lack of free-kick goals. The account on X (formerly Twitter) named “Has Bukayo Saka Scored a Free Kick?” and with the bio, “Counting the days till Saka scores a free kick”.
The account was created to highlight what the admin saw as a deficiency in Saka’s otherwise stellar repertoire, his zero free kick goals, or atleast what was zero up until Wednesday.
It took Saka only a few days to hilariously shut down the account’s premise, showing the power of poetic justice in football.
In a second-half set piece, Saka, standing near the corner flag, curled in what appeared to be a cross. The ball bypassed Gabriel Martinelli and Thomas Partey, both trying to get a touch, and stunned PSG’s goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma as it found its way into the back of the net.
While some might argue that the goal was accidental, there was no denying that it came from a free-kick. And with that, Saka had put the troll account to bed.
As the ball sailed past PSG’s Donnarumma and into the net, it wasn’t just a goal for Arsenal; it marked the death knell of a troll’s ill-fated attempt at humor.
The timing couldn’t have been more poetic — Saka had silenced his critics in one fell swoop, exposing the absurdity of football’s knee-jerk culture of online hate.
For Arsenal, Saka’s free-kick against PSG wasn’t just his first from a direct set piece; it was also the club’s first in over three years, with the last one coming from Martin Ødegaard in September 2021 against Burnley.
One fan on X reacted, “Saka’s set piece quality has been unreal,” while another said raised the irony of the account getting shut down so quick even-though he doesn’t take direct free kicks, “it’s so ironic cuz we all said saka doesn’t even take direct fks.”
What followed was a desperate attempt by the account admin to pivot the narrative. First, the individual changed the handle to “Has Saka Scored a Premier League Hat-Trick?” When that probably didn’t gain the desired traction, the account was rebranded again as an “Arsenal Hate Account.”
These changes only amplified the troll’s failure, turning them into the laughingstock of football Twitter.
Football fans, especially Arsenal supporters, thoroughly enjoyed this turn of events. It wasn’t just about Saka scoring a free kick; it was the karma that came with it.
The idea of a troll dedicating their time to undermining a player, only for that player to prove them wrong, struck a chord with fans.
This brief saga on X serves as a reminder of football’s unpredictability. Saka’s rise continues, and while haters will always exist, his performances on the pitch speak louder than any troll account.
The “Has Bukayo Saka Scored a Free Kick” troll account may have had a short-lived life, but it provided football fans with a bit of humor, a touch of karma.