Bukayo Saka’s 300-game Arsenal record compared to Marcus Rashford’s Man Utd milestone
Bukayo Saka has reached the milestone of 300 appearances for his boyhood club Arsenal – and he marked it in style, scoring the match-winner as the Gunners produced a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Brighton, keeping them in the driving seat in the Premier League title race.
But how does Saka’s prodigious rise compare to a fellow wunderkind of the modern era? Marcus Rashford went on a similar journey at Manchester United. Which of the two England internationals was the more impressive at this stage of their careers?
That’s the question we’re answering here.
Rashford is a few years older than Saka and started his journey a few years before. He burst onto the scene back in 2016, scoring on his debut on seemingly every competition he featured in, and never looked back from there.
The forward from Wythenshawe spent 10 years honing his skills in Manchester United’s world-famous academy before breaking into the first-team set-up, under Louis Van Gaal, at the age of 18.
As with any young player, there were ups and downs – particularly latterly in his time at Old Trafford – but he went on to become the third-youngest player in Red Devils history to reach the milestone of 300 appearances for the club.
Class of 92 icons like David Beckham, Paul Scholes and Gary Neville were all older when they played their 300th match for the club. Only George Best and Ryan Giggs hit 300 games for United at a younger age.
Rashford marked his 300th appearance as a substitute in a 3-2 victory over Norwich City in April 2022. He was 24 years of age at the time.
Saka is almost exactly the same age (24 years and 180 days) as Rashford was (24 years and 169 days) when he made his 300th club career appearance.
Only David O’Leary, Cesc Fabregas and Liam Brady reached 300 Gunners appearances at a younger age than the club’s current ‘Star Boy’.
“Yeah I’m very proud, very happy,” Saka said after marking his 300th appearance with a goal.
“I feel very blessed. It’s a beautiful day for me and my family. To top it off with a massive win and a goal, I’m so grateful.
“Let’s just keep going like this. Let’s keep enjoying this journey and continue like this.”
We’ve broken down the stats behind Saka’s 300 appearances for Arsenal and compared it to Marcus Rashford’s at the same milestone at Manchester United.
Bukayo Saka – 300 Arsenal appearances
Goals: 79
Assists: 78 ⭐
Goal Contributions: 157 ⭐
Penalties scored (taken): 14 (16) ⭐
Free-kicks: 1
Hat-tricks: 0
Minutes per goal: 285
Minutes per non-penalty goal: 346
Minutes per goal or assist: 143
Marcus Rashford – first 300 appearances for Man Utd
Goals: 93 ⭐
Assists: 58
Goal Contributions: 151
Penalties scored (taken): 9 (11)
Free-kicks: 4 ⭐
Hat-tricks: 1 ⭐
Minutes per goal: 210 ⭐
Minutes per non-penalty goal: 232 ⭐
Minutes per goal or assist: 129 ⭐
READ NEXT: Where are they now? The 10 youngest debutants in Premier League history
TRY A QUIZ: Can you name Arsenal’s XI from Bukayo Saka’s debut in 2018?