Rio Ferdinand has completely reversed his stance on an Arsenal star following his standout performance in the Gunners’ 2-1 (5-1 aggregate) victory over Real Madrid on Wednesday night.
Arsenal advanced to the Champions League semi-finals with a composed display at the Santiago Bernabeu, setting up an exciting clash with PSG. Despite efforts from stars like Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Jr, Jude Bellingham, and Rodrygo, Real Madrid couldn’t overturn Arsenal’s commanding first-leg lead.
The spotlight, however, was on Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka, whom Ferdinand now calls “world-class” after his impactful showing.
Speaking on TNT Sports, Ferdinand said:
“Saka, when it comes to being decisive—I’ve debated this a lot over the years—whether he’s world-class. Now, 100% yes. He’s a world-class player who’s going to define big matches for the rest of his career. Tonight showed he belongs at the top, even outshining those considered superior. It’s a huge confidence boost.”
This marks a shift from Ferdinand’s earlier comments in February 2024, when he questioned whether Saka had proven himself consistently at the highest level. At the time, he stated Saka needed regular performances on major stages to be seen as truly world-class.
Since then, Saka has been a standout for both England at Euro 2024 and Arsenal this season, racking up 11 goals and 14 assists in 29 matches.
After Wednesday’s match, Ferdinand addressed Arsenal fans directly on X, posting:
“There you go Arsenal fans… You can stop tweeting me about it now. I’ve always loved Bukayo, especially in an England shirt. I just needed to see him deliver on the biggest stage—Champions League nights like this. Respect.”
Saka’s night began shakily with a missed penalty saved by Thibaut Courtois, but he redeemed himself with a composed chipped goal to open the scoring for Arsenal.
Manager Mikel Arteta playfully expressed frustration over the penalty miss, saying:
“I didn’t want to die, but maybe I wanted to slap him. But the courage he showed—his personality at his age, in a stadium like this—is incredible.”
Arteta added: “This is one of the best nights of my football career. To beat the team with the richest European history in the way we did—it’s something to be truly proud of.”
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