Gyokeres: Europe’s new goal machine

Sporting CP’s 26-year-old Swede forward Viktor Gyokeres has become a name synonymous with goalscoring in recent times. Although not a young prodigy, the forward’s rise is quite intriguing as he is blossoming at a late age; safe to say, at 26, he is at the peak of his powers.

Singed from Coventry City ahead of the 2023-24 season for €21m, Gyokeres’ performance in his one-and-a-half-year stay in Portugal has repaid the trust Sporting CP’s recruitment team showed in him to splurge the cash.

His performance in Tuesday night’s Uefa Champions League tie against Manchester City, has the forward attracting suitors all over Europe.

At the moment, he is well sought after, with teams like Arsenal, Barcelona, Manchester United, and Chelsea, not ruling out potential moves for his service.

But how did Gyokeres burst onto the scene without anyone taking notice of his talent, where did his story begin, and how did he end up in Sporting CP?

The coldest Viktor Gyokeres vid you will ever see 🥶pic.twitter.com/Mc0GolkjwF

— 𝑪𝑯𝑹𝑰𝑺 (@Rockoldcfc) November 5, 2024

Gyokeres’ rise to Sporting CP

Gyokeres began his career with Swedish club Brommapojkarna in 2013, where he joined the club’s U-17 side. He came through the ranks and joined the senior team two years later.

After bagging a brace for the club in August 2015 in a Cup game, the team failed to turn around its woeful league run as they were relegated at the end of the season. But the young Gyokeres scored seven times in the season after dropping to the lower tier of Swedish football to secure promotion for the club before departing to England to begin a new journey with Brighton and Hove Albion.

The striker officially joined Brighton on January 1, 2018, where he began training with the club’s U-23 side. He was not handed a first-team opportunity until August 28, when he started the team’s EFL tie against Southampton.

His time with the Seagulls was characterized by loan spells at German second-tier side St. Pauli and English Championship side Swansea City, as he struggled to nail down a spot in the Seagulls’ team.

After the completion of his loan spell at Swansea, he was recalled by his parent club (Brighton) and then sent out on loan once more to Coventry City – it was there Gyokeres’ potential was truly discovered. In his debut home game, the Swede forward found the back of the net as Coventry beat Sheffield Wednesday 2-0, recording his first league goal in English football in the process.

In the summer of 2021, his loan move was made permanent after impressing Coventry bosses with his brief stint, tying down the striker to a three-year contract.

At the end of his time in England, Gyokeres had endeared himself to Coventry fans, providing 55 goal contributions in 94 league games, leading them to fifth-placed league finish and putting them in contention to secure Premier League promotion, although they lost out in the playoff rounds. At the end of his stay with Coventry, Gyokeres managed to score 43 goals and provide 17 assists in 116 games.

The striker proved to be a faithful servant for Coventry, who bagged a club-record fee (€20m) when Sporting CP came calling for the services of the forward. Additionally, on the promise they had witnessed, Coventry reserved 10% – 15% from any future sale.

In Portugal, Viktor’s unending love story with goals continued and even rose to an all-time high. On his debut, he scored twice as Sporting CP beat Vizela 3-2. His first season ended with the Portuguese league trophy as the forward scored 29 times (the most in the division) in 33 games, providing 10 assists.

In the current season, the 26-year-old has scored 16 times in 10 league games and five times in four Uefa Champions League games.

3️⃣ more goals, 3️⃣ more points and another prize for @viktor_gyokeres 😎 #SCPMCI #UCL pic.twitter.com/lsyjwwwXQW

— Sporting CP (@SportingCP) November 5, 2024

Gyokeres’ stunning numbers

With his hat-trick on Tuesday night, the striker has scored 53 goals across all competitions in 51 games in 2024, providing 15 assists as well.

In the Champions League, his five-goal tally is the most scored by any player. He also became the fifth player to score a hat-trick against a team coached by Pep Guardiola and the first since Nkunku did so in 2021.

Last season, Viktor bagged 43 goals and 15 assists in all competitions, placing him above elite finishers such as Mbappe and Haaland in last season’s goal-scoring charts.

Since signing for Sporting CP, the lethal striker has 62 goals and 19 assists in 64 games. With his insatiable desire for goals, the striker can only get better.