Behind every major sporting moment, there are conversations the public does not see. Messages of support, short sentences after defeats, words that stay with a player longer than the applause from the stands. It is precisely this private side of Bukayo Saka’s career that is at the center of the new documentary film “Bukayo Saka: The Time Is Now,” presented by WhatsApp in cooperation with the agency Modern Arts.
The film arrives in a year in which football will once again attract huge attention from American audiences, ahead of the World Cup summer. For WhatsApp, this is not only a sports story, but also a story about connections that remain important when the pressure is at its highest.
The documentary follows Saka in the period after a season in which Arsenal won its first English Premier League title in more than two decades, but also came close to winning its first Champions League trophy. Instead of focusing only on results, the film turns its attention to the people who have been with him from the beginning and to private WhatsApp messages that appear as the emotional thread of the entire story.
One of the important moments in the film is a message that Thierry Henry sent to Saka after Euro 2020, a period the documentary presents as a turning point in his development. Henry and Saka meet in the film for a conversation about pressure, setbacks, growing up and the moments that first connected them to football.
The film is directed by Robert Alexander, an Emmy-winning director, who takes Saka and Henry back to Ealing, the neighborhood in west London where Saka grew up. This return gives the film a more intimate tone, as the story about elite sport also becomes a story about roots, family, friends and the people who keep an athlete firmly grounded.
“This is a defining year in Bukayo’s career, and the film shows what it really looks like, not only on the pitch, but also in private moments with the people who keep him grounded,” said Jennie Morel, head of brand marketing at WhatsApp. “We are incredibly glad to be part of the way he stays connected with those closest to him and to help him share this story with the world.”
For WhatsApp, the film is also a reminder of the role the app plays in sports moments shared in real time. From organizing match viewings and predicting results to reacting after major plays, the platform is positioned as a space where fans and players stay connected even when they are not in the same place.
