Arsenal winger and England national team rising star Bukayo Saka has burst onto the football scene in recent years, becoming one of the Premier League’s top players. While the young midfielder garners praise for his scintillating skills and goals, much credit is also due to Bukayo Saka’s parents.
Nigerian immigrants Adenike and Yomi Saka have shaped their son on his journey to football stardom.
Yes, Bukayo Saka’s parents hail from Nigeria. He was born in 2001 in Ealing, West London to Yoruba Nigerian parents who had immigrated to England. His mother Adenike and father Yomi Saka left their home country of Nigeria in search of greater economic opportunities abroad.
As Nigerian immigrants, the Saka family remains closely connected to their roots. They speak Yoruba at home, and Bukayo visits extended family back in Nigeria. His parents also raised him with traditional Nigerian values of education, morality, and family unity.
These Nigerian roots drive much of his upbringing.
Is Bukayo Saka from Kwara State?
While some reports link Bukayo Saka’s family origins back to Kwara State in central Nigeria, his parents actually hail from southwest Nigeria. The Sakas belong to the southwest’s Yoruba ethnic group, one of the major cultural groups in Nigeria.
The Yoruba heritage has left its mark on England’s rising football star. Bukayo himself bears a Yoruba first name, as Bukayo means “adds to happiness” in the language. Beyond that, the Yoruba emphasis on community, family, and spirituality shape both his parents and Bukayo’s worldview.
His parents are devout Christians.
Faith serves as the bedrock for Adenike and Yomi Saka. The two raised Bukayo with Christian values in London’s religious melting pot. His father Yomi is also a lay preacher.
The Sakas regularly attended Sunday services together at their local church. Here, Yoruba Christian traditions blended with the family’s English upbringing. Throughout Bukayo’s journey, religious faith grounds the Sakas with a sense of purpose.
His father is a huge inspiration to his football career
As an avid footballer himself, Bukayo’s father Yomi played a pivotal grassroots role developing his son’s passion for the sport. Yomi served not just as father but manager and coach during Bukayo’s youth career.
He drove him to training, watched game film together for feedback, and pushed him to realize his potential.
When asked about his biggest inspirations, Bukayo Saka always points to his father first. He credits Yomi’s guidance and training for getting him to an elite level. Their tight bond goes beyond just football as well. But Bukayo clearly inherited both talent and love for the sport from his dad.
Adenike Saka is an accountant
While Yomi Saka influenced their son’s football journey, mother Adenike also provided integral support. Professionally, she has worked for years as a chartered accountant in London.
Having a finance professional as a mother proved helpful as Bukayo’s fame and fortune began rising rapidly. Despite his English stardom, Adenike also reminds Bukayo to stay humble and disciplined through every step.
Her motherly guidance keeps him grounded.
Little is known about Bukayo Saka’s father
Compared to his mother, relatively little about Yomi Saka is known publicly. A private figure, he avoids the spotlight as his son grows into a national star. While proud of Bukayo’s feats, Yomi seems more comfortable supporting from the sidelines rather than public appearances.
What journalists have uncovered though is Yomi Saka’s dedication to both Nigerian culture and Bukayo’s career. He enrolled his children in London’s Nigerian Scouts association to deepen their cultural roots.
And much of Bukayo’s work ethic comes from trying to impress a father who was once his toughest trainer and critic.
Bukayo Saka’s siblings
Bukayo also has two older sisters, whose ages remain undisclosed publicly. Like with his father, Bukayo Saka tends to keep family life private outside of football. His sisters both graduated university prior to Bukayo rising to fame with Arsenal.
But as the only boy in the family, Bukayo leaned heavily on his sisters growing up for friendship and competition alike. They attend local London games together when possible, staying close as only siblings can over the years.
Bukayo’s parents are still married
While the football world watches Bukayo blaze across European pitches, his parents Adenike and Yomi live more anonymously back in London. The two remain married over 25 years later after immigrating.
In a culture full of young football stars descending into vice off the field, the Saka family structure provides stability. Bukayo takes after his parents’ humility and discipline rather than flashiness. And both mother and father instilled this moral foundation from Nigerian roots.
While Bukayo Saka flies England’s flag under the rising spotlight, the depth of his Nigerian lineage still runs deep. Parents Adenike and Yomi Saka gave their son the soccer obsession. But they also planted the seeds of faith, community, and humility that grade Bukayo as both exceptional footballer and grounded individual.
For the England wunderkind, family extends far beyond football.
