Madueke's remarkable season - from petition to World Cup starter

Despite fighting for game time, Madueke and Saka are close away from the pitch too with Saka calling his team-mate his "brother". Arsenal boss Arteta found ways to get both wingers on the pitch at the same time in 2025-26, which may be something Tuchel opts to do as the World Cup goes on. Madueke was utilised on the left wing by Arteta, while Saka also featured in the number 10 role as the Gunners lifted the title. Madueke made 43 appearances last season - scoring eight goals and registering four assists in all competitions - as Arsenal ended their trophy drought. However, Madueke only started 16 times in the league. Competing with Saka and a knee injury limited the number of times he was picked from the off. He provided a bright spark for Arsenal in the Champions League final when replacing Saka from the bench in their loss to Paris-St Germain on penalties last month. And he may have a similar role for his country, if England progress to the latter stages of the World Cup. Saka continues to recover from his Achilles issue and is not expected to start until the final Group L game against Panama in New Jersey on Saturday (22:00 BST). And with another start for Madueke likely against Ghana on Tuesday (21:00 BST), he has another chance to stake his claim that he is not just a back-up to Saka.