Bukayo Saka Obliterates 87-Year-Old Arsenal and England Record with Spectacular Strike
Bukayo Saka has established himself as Arsenal's leading goalscorer for the England national team following his strike against Wales on Thursday night, surpassing Cliff Bastin's long-standing record that had endured since 1938.
The 24-year-old electrified the Wembley crowd in the 20th minute with a spectacular curling effort that found the top corner, securing England's 3-0 advantage in their international friendly versus Wales.
This strike marks Saka's 13th goal in an England shirt, cementing his place in the record books. The winger has now netted more times for England than any other Arsenal player in the history of the Three Lions.
The Gunners' star has overtaken Bastin, who established the previous benchmark 87 years earlier. The Arsenal icon managed 12 goals across his five-year international career with England.
Arsenal's All-Time Top Scorers for England
Rank | Player | Goals |
|---|---|---|
1 | Buakyo Saka | 13 |
2 | Cliff Bastin | 12 |
T-3 | Tony Woodcock | 9 |
T-3 | Ian Wright | 9 |
Tony Woodcock and Ian Wright both threatened to surpass Bastin's record, though neither could exceed nine international goals for England.
Saka, however, has already eclipsed all three legends despite being only 24 years old. The England international entered the October break in excellent form for Arsenal, having scored in his previous three appearances for both club and country.
Indeed, he recently received glowing praise from Thierry Henry after reaching his 100th Premier League goal contribution in just 200 top-flight appearances.
Saka will have an opportunity to extend his scoring run and widen his lead over Bastin in England's record books when Thomas Tuchel's squad faces Latvia in their 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier on Tuesday, Oct. 14.