Bukayo Saka will reach another landmark today when he takes to the field to face Crystal Palace - it will be his 250th appearance for the first team.
He becomes the 75th player in our history to amass the number, and the third youngest - behind Cesc Fabregas and David O'Leary. Saka turned 23 in September, so he is two months younger than Cliff Bastin was when he reached 250 appearances back in 1935, making our winger the youngest Englishman to the milestone.
Fabregas went on to play 303 times for us, Bastin played 396 in total, while O'Leary eventually racked up 722 matches in Arsenal colours, making him our all-time highest appearance maker.
Saka made his Gunners first-team debut as a 17 year old, away to Vorskla Poltava in the Europa League, on November 29, 2018.
The breakdown of his appearances so far is as follows: Premier League 186, Europa League 25, Champions League 14, Carabao Cup 12, FA Cup 11, Community Shield 2. He has started 221 of his 250 games, and come on as sub in the other 29.
He's also played 57 times for our full-time youth teams (U18 and above) as well as 31 times for England youth and 43 times for the England senior team.
Saka is chasing another potential landmark today, he is just three away from reaching 100 combined goals and assists in the Premier League. He's on 52 league goals and 45 league assists, with 67 overall goals and 64 overall assists from his 249 matches to date.
| Date | player | Opposition | Age at 250th appearance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 05/12/2009 | Cesc Fabregas | Stoke City | 22 years 215 days |
| 07/02/1981 | David O'Leary | Stoke City | 22 years 281 days |
| 21/12/2024 | Bukayo Saka | Crystal Palace | 23 years 107 days |
| 03/09/1935 | Cliff Bastin | Grimsby Town | 23 years 173 days |
| 18/08/1979 | Liam Brady | Brighton and Hove Albion | 23 years 186 days |
| 21/10/1970 | John Radford | SK Sturm Graz | 23 years 241 days |
| 01/05/1980 | Frank Stapleton | Liverpool | 23 years 296 days |
| 09/02/2013 | Theo Walcott | Sunderland | 23 years 330 days |
| 16/11/1968 | George Armstrong | Nottingham Forest | 24 years 099 days |
| 06/02/1982 | Graham Rix | Sunderland | 24 years 106 days |
| 09/03/1991 | Tony Adams | Cambridge United | 24 years 150 days |
| 02/11/1991 | David Rocastle | West Ham United | 24 years 184 days |
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