Bukayo Saka has declared he is ‘friends again’ with Robert Pires after the Arsenal legend brutally snubbed him for a Premier League rival earlier this year.
Saka, who scored again during the 2-0 victory against PSG in the Champions League last night, was overlooked by Pires during a game of ‘winner stays on’.
Tasked with choosing between several of the top-flight’s best wingers, Pires stayed loyal to Saka for much of the light-hearted round before selecting a surprise winner when asked to separate the Arsenal man and Manchester City’s Jeremy Doku.
After stalling, Pires then picked Doku, believing he held the edge in several areas.
But Saka appears to have buried the hatchet once and for all after sharing a photo of himself alongside Pires and accompanying it with a tongue-in-cheek caption.
Bukayo Saka jokingly declared he was ‘friends again’ with Arsenal legend Robert Pires
Saka took to social media to share a photo of him with Pires despite being snubbed by him
Pires chose Manchester City winger Jeremy Doku over Saka in a game of ‘winner stays on’
‘Friends again,’ the smiling forward wrote before adding a crying laughing emoji.
Delivering his verdict on the match-up between Saka and Doku, Pires said: ‘Bukayo still lacks a certain level of consistency and experience, especially in the big games.
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‘Perhaps this season, especially in the Champions League, he will show a more convincing face than last season when it counts.
‘For example, in my opinion Doku from Manchester City is a bit better because he is technically stronger, has better dribbling skills and is more imaginative.’
However, ahead of the north London derby in September, Pires, 50, appeared to have performed a screeching U-turn in an Instagram post dedicated to Saka.
‘I want to clarify that I think @bukayosaka87 is an amazing player and I have huge respect for him,’ the Gunners icon wrote.
‘A while ago I was asked to compare him to another player. I said the other player had better skills in some areas. This does not mean the other player is better than @bukayosaka87. I genuinely think Saka is better and a fantastic number seven.’
Pires joined Arsenal in 2000 and went on to make 284 appearances over a six-year period. He also helped the club win two Premier League titles and three FA Cups, scoring 84 goals and 62 assists to write himself into Emirates folklore.
Pires (left) joined Arsenal in 2000 and was part of their famous Invincibles side
Also an Arsenal ambassador, Pires has spoken glowingly of Saka on several occasions
He has spoken glowingly of Saka on a number of occasions and once claimed he was one of a handful of players who could have turned out for the Invincibles.
In an interview with The Telegraph, he revealed there were just three players who would have broken into the team: ‘I feel sorry for the kids now, but I’ve no doubt.
‘I think the fans will give you the same answer: [Jens] Lehmann, Lauren, [William] Saliba, [Sol] Campbell, [Ashley] Cole, [Patrick] Vieira, Gilberto Silva, [Martin] Odegaard, Saka, [Dennis] Bergkamp and [Thierry] Henry.’
