The devil at Euro 2020 was racist, nasty and vile. Saka, along with Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho, received the most horrific abuse after their missed penalty shootout against Italy.
Saka, then 19, took England’s fifth kick but it was saved by Gianluigi Donnarumma and he was left in tears on the pitch.
Three years later, the situation could not be more different.
Saka, no longer a teenage international but key to England’s hopes, pulled his team back into the match with a brilliant shot from 18 yards just five minutes after Breel Embolo had put Switzerland ahead.
And finally, in the jubilant scenes after the penalty shootout, he was on the pitch celebrating with his teammates, smiling.
“Saka’s smile in that penalty shootout was incredible,” former England defender Izzy Christiansen told BBC Radio 5 Live.
“you, [Euro] It was amazing to see him win the 2020 Finals.”
Southgate, who held a sobbing Saka tightly at a flooded Wembley Stadium in 2021, suffered the ordeal of a penalty shootout as a player, his shot being the only one saved as Germany beat England in the Euro 1996 semi-final.
“It was a really brave move from Bukayo, he’s one of our best players and there was no doubt he would score,” Southgate said, “but we all knew how it felt for him.”
“I love all of them, but I especially wanted to give him a hug. I know experiences shape you, and he came back stronger, more tenacious and loved. Tonight’s tournament lit a little fire in his heart.”
Of course, it wasn’t just his composure in the shootout: Saka was England’s liveliest attacking force throughout the match, the highlight of which was a magnificent goal he scored just when it looked like England were going to lose.
Switzerland defender Michel Aebischel probably never wants to face Saka again: the England winger successfully dribbled past him four times in the first half, the first time that one player had ever beaten another in any Euro 2024 match to that point.