From Stockholm to Sporting: The stunning rise of Viktor Gyökeres
Wednesday, November 20, 2024
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As he impresses in his debut season in the UEFA Champions League, we chart Viktor Gyökeres’ journey from grassroots football in Sweden to becoming one of Europe’s most prolific strikers.
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Viktor Gyökeres: The name currently on the lips of every European football fan.
A hat-trick against Manchester City in the UEFA Champions League and four-goal haul in the Nations League are just the latest highlights in the flourishing career of one of Europe’s most in-form attackers, one which has taken the 26-year-old from the grassroots game in Sweden to the top of European football.
Starting out in Sweden
Gyökeres’ footballing journey began at the age of five on the gravel pitches of his local grassroots club in Stockholm, IFK Aspudden-Tellus.
"It was my parents’ decision, not mine," remembers Gyökeres. "They thought I should train with a team, which I didn’t like at first."
His father, Stefan, also joined the club as a coach.
"Making that journey together helped me a lot," he says. "We’d share good and bad moments."
Björn Thuresson – President, IFK Aspudden-Tellus
"It’s amazing. I recognise him as if it was yesterday. It’s absolutely magical that this little boy that played on our gravel field all those years ago can score a hat-trick against Manchester City in the UEFA Champions League."
Hard work to make the grade
Gyökeres got his first taste of the professional game when he joined Brommapojkarna, a club famous for its youth development, at 16.
It was a move that brought about a big change – one that has defined his career since.
"He was more of a winger when he joined us," explains former Sweden international and Brommapojkarna head coach Olof Mellberg. "The biggest difference we made was changing his position and playing him as an out-and-out striker.
"That also required a change in his style of play."
For Gyökeres, that required a lot of hard work on the training pitch.
"It wasn’t fun," he recalls. "Whilst everybody else had normal training, I was training by myself on the other side of the pitch honing something so basic. It was incredibly tough, but it took me to the next level."
Finding his feet
A breakout season in 2017 saw an 18-year-old Gyökeres register 21 goal contributions as Brommapojkarna earned promotion back to Sweden’s top division.
Premier League side Brighton came calling, but after just eight first-team appearances and a few uninspiring loan spells, Gyökeres dropped down to the English Championship with a move to Coventry in the summer of 2021.
"It didn’t feel like it was a step back because it was a league where I could establish myself," he explains.
Establish himself he did, with 18 goals in his first full season and then 22 in his second putting Gyökeres on the radar of some of Europe’s top clubs.
Former Coventry City manager Mark Robins on Gyökeres’ instant impact
"At that stage, he’d not played for about five or six months. He wasn’t ready to come in and play from the start, which you could tell irked him. I said to everybody, ‘You can see he’s in a rush for his career to take off,’ which was great for us, and it was great for him."
"In his first full season he scored 18 goals. Second season he got 22 goals. If he didn’t score after a game he’d be in a foul mood."
Scoring for Sporting
His incredible scoring record hasn’t let up since his transfer to Sporting in 2023. Not only have his goals propelled the club to their first league title in three years, but they’ve also earned Gyökeres his Champions League debut this season.
"I’ve always dreamt of playing in the UEFA Champions League," he says. "I used to watch it on TV and desperately wanted to be there."
"It can be difficult to just take a step back and enjoy it. I’ve only played a couple of Champions League games, so I don’t feel like I’ve made my mark just yet."
But after five league-phase goals in four games, Gyökeres is the competition’s joint top-scorer – and there’s a lot more to come.
