Bukayo Saka may be known “Little Chilli” but believes his recipe for success this summer is down to a more homely Swede.
The Arsenal winger was nicknamed “Petit Piment” by club skipper Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in July 2020.
“I call him ‘Little Chilli’ but in French, so it is ‘Petit Piment’.
“It’s because he is like a little chilli, so much energy, so much power and is quite small so it’s funny.”
And when Saka helped the Gunners to success in the FA Cup final, he even got made a jewel-encrusted piece of chilli bling with “SAKA” written across it, which he gave to the Arsenal prodigy.
“We were doing one finishing drill one time in training and he kept staying it, and I kept scoring,” Saka recalled.
“I was shooting with so much power and he was calling me “Little Chilli’ in French.
“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, and make it my nickname.
“Of course, he got me the nice chain he promised he would get me if we won the FA Cup.
“It started from Auba, it’s a show of how great a character he is and how important he is for me and I’d say for the team in terms of the happiness and the vibes in the dressing room.”
However, the more practical advice Saka is using this summer came in a text from Arsenal’s legendary former player Freddie Ljungberg after he scored against Austria last week at the Riverside.
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