Arsenal soccer star and England international Bukayo Saka joined hands with the BigShoe charity organization to foot the bill for life-changing surgeries for 120 children in his native Nigeria. According to Goal, the surgeries were done for children in Nigeria’s northern state of Kano.
And the children were said to have undergone the surgeries in October. The medical conditions the beneficiaries were suffering from included inguinal hernias, umbilical hernias, and brain tumors.
Touching on the partnership and kind gesture, Saka, whose parents are from Nigeria, said he feels “blessed to be in a position where I can contribute to making the children’s lives easier and better through these surgeries.”
“I still feel very connected to Nigeria,” he added. “For me, it is very important to use my abilities to have a positive impact where I can and I have to say a big thank you to the whole BigShoe team for making this possible. For me it is important that every child has the same opportunity to achieve their dreams.
“If I can do anything to help then I really want to do this, it was very important to me. It makes me happy when I can see the kids happy and their parents happy. I want to do more and more and help as many children as I can. This isn’t about me, it is about the 120 children.”
Away from his charitable endeavors, Saka and his England teammates are in Qatar ahead of the 2022 World Cup that officially kicks off on Sunday.
The 21-year-old isn’t also the first soccer star to partner with BigShoe to provide financial support for children in need of medical treatment, talkSPORT reported. Germany international and Real Madrid star Antonio Rudiger also worked with the organization to offer financial assistance for surgeries in Sierra Leone. Rudiger, whose mother is from the West African nation, used his Germany World Cup bonus to fund the surgeries.
