BUKAYO SAKA just loves his ‘Little Chilli’ nickname — and hopes to be red hot at Euro 2020.
The England winger was given the name at Arsenal by forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang due to his explosive finishing.
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And skipper Auba gave him a jewel-encrusted chilli inscribed with his name after winning the FA Cup final against Chelsea in 2020.
Saka, 19, said: “It started from Auba. He said the name in French.
“We were doing one finishing drill one time in training and he kept saying it, and I kept scoring.
“I was shooting with so much power and he was calling me little chilli in French.
“I didn’t know what it was. I asked him after and he told it meant little chilli.
“From then on he kept calling me it and then it became a thing, and now it’s a big thing, a lot of people call me it.
“You’ve not seen my chain? It’s on my Instagram.
“He did a good job with that. I’m grateful. I love it. It’s unique.”
Saka landed a place in Gareth Southgate’s 26-man squad due to an impressive season at Arsenal.
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And the teenager thanked the role played by former club coach Freddie Ljungberg.
Saka said: “He has been really good with me.
“From 14, when he took over my development, he challenged me in a way other coaches did not.
“He pushed me and saw my potential in a way other coaches did not.
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“All the way to the Under-23s he was still pushing me and even in the first team he was still helping me.
“Even until today. He has had a big influence on my career.
“He says different things. Because he was a winger himself he had a lot of experience himself and learning points to give me.”
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