England sensation Bukayo Saka surprised with heartwarming call from his old PE teacher Mr Harvey, who says the 19-year-old representing the Three Lions is ‘one of the proudest moments’ of his career in touching moment
- Bukayo Saka was surprised with a heartwarming phone-call from his old teacher
- During media duties, Saka got to speak with his former PE teacher, Mr Harvey
- Mr Harvey revealed how immensely proud he was of England’s newest sensation
- He also told a taken-aback Saka how he is the talk of his former secondary school
- Saka’s been a revelation for the Three Lions at the Euros, who are in the quarters
- Find out the latest Euro 2020 news including fixtures, live action and results here
Bukayo Saka has been completely unfazed since becoming England’s newest footballing sensation, but the forward was caught off-guard after receiving a phone-call from his former PE teacher.
The 19-year-old has enjoyed a rapid rise since breaking through at Arsenal – where he won their Player of the Season award last year – and has been instrumental in helping the Three Lions reach the quarter-finals of Euro 2020.
Saka was thrown on by Gareth Southgate in England’s final group game against Czech Republic, with his man-of-the-match performance helping the Three Lions top the group.
Bukayo Saka was surprised with a heartwarming phone-call from his old teacher, Mr Harvey
He then starred in the historic 2-0 victory over old rivals Germany earlier this week, where he has received high amount of praise for his stunning efforts.
And while Saka is now the talk of the town, it’s the talk of his old secondary school that left the winger in shock.
During some downtime, Saka was conducting some media duties with BBC 5 Live, talking about how the tournament has gone so far before Emma Saunders added a third voice to their call – his former Greenford High School teacher, Mr Mark Harvey.
After learning his former teacher had joined the call, an excited Saka smiled and said: ‘Mr Harvey!’
Mark Harvey (centre right) taught Saka (centre left) PE at Greenford High School in Ealing
Saka’s been a revelation for the Three Lions at the Euros, who are in the quarter-finals
As the two traded pleasantries, Mr Harvey was asked just what impact the teenager has had on his life, where he responded: ‘As I’ve said when he dons that England shirt it’s one of the proudest moments of my teaching career.
‘Seeing him represent the country and slotting into that team and playing with the confidence that he’s playing is something that we as a school are immensely proud of.
‘And personally, like I said it’s been one of the proudest moments of my teaching career. So thank you, Bukayo, continue to do exactly what you’ve been doing.’
A taken-aback Saka responded: ‘Thank you, thank you for the words. I’ll never forget Mr Harvey as a teacher and helping me in school as well.
‘As a PE teacher, one of the best. Thank you so much for my time obviously in school. I’m sure I’ll come and see you soon. When I get the time I’m going to come back and say hello to everyone.’
BBC’s Emma Saunders surprised Saka during the player’s media duties this week
The offer of a return to the secondary school was something Mr Harvey couldn’t refuse, but added that he’d prefer it if he returned as a European champion.
‘It would be lovely to get you back in for some assemblies, when we eventually win this tournament,’ Mr Harvey said. ‘I heard some people saying then about some of your fans, trust me you’ve got a whole school here that regularly chant your name when they come in and as they leave school, we’re all rooting for you here!’
A shocked Saka couldn’t believe it, before Mr Harvey added: ‘Trust me, every lesson I go into now someone mentions your name.
‘I’m watching our GCSE classes and looking after some after school clubs and all of them are mentioning your name every time I walk past them. So, continue to do what you’re doing, you are literally the talk of your school.’
