“Helps me with daily challenges” - Arsenal superstar admits reading the Bible has changed his mindset

Arsenal star Bukayo Saka talked about dealing with pressure on the big stage in a recent interview.

Saka isn't a stranger to pressure. At the age of 19, he was brought on in the 2020 UEFA Euros final against Italy and was tasked with taking a huge penalty in the shootout. He missed, leading to the Azzurri getting crowned European champions.

Manager Gareth Southgate going up to console Saka after his miss showed that he appreciated Saka stepping up to take one of the five spot-kicks. The miss hasn't deterred the Gunners man from taking penalties.

Since then, the English winger has taken five spot-kicks in regulation time for Arsenal, scoring four. He's arguably Mikel Arteta's main outlet for goals and assists, which is a big compliment for a 21-year-old playing for one of the biggest clubs in Europe.

Saka, a committed Christian, has said in the past that he regularly likes to read the Bible. In a recent interview with France Football (h/t GetFrenchFootballNews), he said that reading the holy text helps him handle pressure:

"Yes that counts a lot for me. I have several different verses in my mind, not necessarily just one, so I wouldn’t know which one to tell you that I prefer. They help me with challenges in my daily life. Reading the Bible has changed my mindset. It helps me. It is positive."

Saka is coming off a career-best season in 2022-23 for Arsenal, bagging 14 goals and 11 assists in 38 league games as the Gunners finished second, five points behind Manchester City.

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Bukayo Saka is pleased with Arsenal's progress

In an interview with Ian Wright in late May, Bukayo Saka admitted that he was hurt with Arsenal missing out on the Premier League title.

The Gunners led the standings for 248 days before surrendering their lead to Manchester City at the business end of the season. Saka told the Gunners legend after penning a new four-year deal (via the Mirror):

"Obviously, speaking about this season, it hurts a lot, it really hurts so much to even think about how we've ended this season and what could have been ... One thing I can say is, since the last two or three years I've been playing, I've seen this team and club grow in the right direction."

The new contract reflects Saka's importance at the Emirates. He's reportedly paid £195,000 a week and is the fifth best-paid player at the club, behind Kai Havertz, Gabriel Jesus, Declan Rice and Thomas Partey.

The first three names on the list have all been signings made in the last 12 months while Partey is linked with an exit.