Bukayo Saka or Vinicius Jr? Who is the better player?
The new young generation of football is highly promising and convincing each football fan that the end of Cristiano Ronaldo, Messi and Neymar will not be the end of football. In the last few years, we have been blessed by some of the most extraordinary talents such as Haaland and Mbappe who are serial scorers. In Spain, there has been only one dominant young force in the face of Vinicius Jr as he delivers what he promises. We all know that Premier League is the best league in the world and there is always abundant talent available in this league every season.
Arteta and Arsenal want to heavily rely on the young talents of his team and to everyone’s surprise, it has been working very well. Arteta is doing wonders with Arsenal and has maintained a good track in the season of 2022/23.
One of the key players that contributed to this achievement is the wunderkind Bukayo Saka.
Bukayo Saka Vs Vinicius Jr
1: Player Stats
If a young player wants to make a name for himself in the world of football he must get his name on the score sheet and get as many G/A as he can. In the case of these two players, both of them try their best to help their team and be on the score sheet at the same time.
Real Madrid was unstoppable in the last season as they won both the La Liga and the Champions League in the same season. It would not have been possible without the help of the Brazilian wunderkind Vinicius Jr.
Comparing based on 2021/22 stats:
| Saka | Vinicius Jr | |
| Matches | 38 | 35 |
| Minutes | 3166 | 2837 |
| Goals | 11 | 17 |
| Shots | 97 | 80 |
| Assists | 7 | 10 |
| Passes | 1088 | 1255 |
| Pass Success % | 80% | 86% |
| Offsides | 17 | 28 |
It’s clear that Vinicius is much ahead of Saka and has been a star for the last season. One thing we must also consider is that they play for different leagues and some people might think Premier League is more difficult than La Liga. In this case, such a notion would not be valid as he conquered Europe by defeating big Premier League teams during the journey.
2: Titles Won
Bukayo Saka plays for Arsenal in England. This team has not been so fortunate in recent times and he does not have a lot of titles under his belt.
Meanwhile, Vinicius enjoyed great glory in the season 2021/22 with Real Madrid as he helped them win the La Liga, the Champions League and the UEFA Super Cup. These are titles in which there is his major contribution and he needs to get the credit he deserves.
| Saka | Vinicius | |
| Champions League | 0 | 1 |
| La Liga | N/A | 2 |
| FA Cup | 1 | N/A |
| Others | 1 | 4 |
It is easy to say that Vinicius Jr is the clear winner.
3: International Career
The England National Bukayo Saka was an important team member in the Euro 2020 where England lost to Italy in the finals. It is clear that Southgate relies on talents such as Saka and in the future Saka will make his country proud by winning them an international title.
The young Brazilian national has achieved more for his country, especially in the youth team (U-20, U-17 and U-15). The player won the South American Championship twice with the youth squad and was the highest scorer for them in 2017. Vini is expected to make more appearances for them as he is starting to form good chemistry with his Brazilian teammates. The Brazil national team is looking very sharp with several young talents ready to play for their country.
The upcoming World Cup 2022 Qatar will be a big competition for Brazil to prove their dominance once again to the world.
4: Personal Life
Saka is very young and has a whole career ahead of him. The player is loved by all his team members including the coach Mikel Arteta. Saka is motivated to bring the best out of what he got and works hard to achieve it. He likes to swim, watch movies and travel just like a common teenager but one who possesses extraordinary talent.
Vinicius is just 22 years old and is yet to see a lot of things in life and be a part of big controversies. The player is a fan of Neymar and would love to follow his steps. At this moment he is just focused on his career and maybe later he can follow his idol indulging in the riches.
5: Individual Honours
It is suggested by all the pundits of English football that the best way to compare two players is to compare their glories. If a player is genuinely good then he will surely be rewarded for his performance.
Honours of Vinicius Jr:
- Copa São Paulo de Futebol Júnior Best Left-Winger: 2017
- South American U-17 Championship Best Player: 2017
- UEFA Champions League Team Of The Season: 2021-22
- UEFA Champions League Young Player of the Season: 2021-22
- La Liga Team Of the Season: 2021-22
Honours of Bukayo Saka:
- England Men’s Player of the Year: 2021–22
- Arsenal Player of the Season: 2020–21, 2021−22
- IFFHS Men’s Youth (U20) World Team: 2021
At this point, Vinicius Jr is the winner in this category.
Who is the better player?
Vinicius Jr is faster and more skilful compared to Saka. Both of them try to get the end product for their team but Vinicius does it better and more. Saka may be good on the wing but Vinicius can even get inside the box as a striker and score a goal.
People might claim Premier League to be more physical but little do they know what Vinicius goes through in La Liga. The immense amount of pressure on Vinicius Jr since the start of his career in Real Madrid can lead to the collapse of any young player’s career. Vinicius has fought hard to achieve his spot in Real Madrid and now he is among the best talents in the world.
Saka is a year younger than Vinicius and has some time to catch up with the stats. In the upcoming years, the debate might change but the chances of that happening is very low.
It would be completely fair to add Vinicius among the likes of Haaland and Mbappe as there are very few young talents who come close to this Brazilian talent.
