Bukayo Saka reached another landmark in our Carabao Cup victory over Crystal Palace, making his 250th Arsenal appearance.
He became 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 was 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. He made his Premier League debut at Emirates Stadium against Fulham on New Year's Day, 2019.
The breakdown of his first 250 appearances was as follows: Premier League 186, Europa League 25, Champions League 14, Carabao Cup 12, FA Cup 11, Community Shield 2. He started 221 of those 250 games, and came on as a substitute in the other 29.
He's also played 57 times for our full-time youth teams (U18 and above), as well as making 44 appearances for England, scoring 12 goals for his national team.
Saka racked up 67 goals and 65 assists in his first 250 Arsenal appearances, with 52 goals and 45 assists coming in the Premier League.
| 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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