Viktor Gyökeres is a top club sausage – he's Sweden's wonder striker

He's currently one of the best strikers in the world, but still doesn't stand out. This is 26-year-old Swedish Viktor Gyökeres.

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He just couldn't stop scoring goals. In eight games last month, Victor Guikres scored 16 goals and failed to score just once. Just yesterday, Tuesday night, he set a new record in the Nations League by scoring 4 goals in a 6-0 win over Azerbaijan. Two weeks ago, he stunned City with a hat-trick in a 4-1 win over Sporting Lisbon in the Champions League.

Overall, the Swede has scored 32 goals and prepared eight goals in 24 games for club and country this season. In his home country, the center forward is already being hailed as the new Zlatan Ibrahimovic. That's not surprising considering his shooting percentage. Looking at his career to date, comparisons to Luca Toni might be more appropriate.

Because like the former Italy national team striker who has hunted for goals for the likes of Bayern Munich, Juventus and Fiorentina, Guikres' breakthrough came late. At the age of 24, he was still playing for Coventry City in the English Second Division. He was there on loan from Brighton. A common practice among Premier League clubs is to sign talent early at a reasonable price and then let them practice in matches at other clubs.

failed at brighton

The then 19-year-old Guikres was introduced to Brommapojkarna in January 2018 for a fee of 1 million euros. The club from Stockholm is considered a major talent factory with its unique youth training system – with 260 teams and about 4,000 active players, it is the largest club in Europe. However, the attacking genius failed to truly come into his own at Brighton, St Pauli and Swansea. That's why he was sent to Coventry.

Victor Guikres has finally made his breakthrough at second division club Coventry City.Picture: www.imago-images.de

After an uneventful six months, the knot begins to unravel in the 2021/22 season. He scored 18 goals in 47 games and returned to the national team two and a half years after his debut in January 2019. Since then, things have been looking up for Gyökeres. He almost helped Coventry advance to the Premier League with 33 points, but lost to Luton in the play-off final on penalties.

But at age 25, Gyökeres is finally ready for a bigger stage. Sporting CP signed the Bulls forward who weighs 90 kilograms and is 1.87 meters tall for 24 million euros. Guicres also earned a reputation in Portugal for his strength, speed and physical ability against defenders.

YB also felt its impact

In his first season, Guikres became the top scorer with 29 goals and 10 assists and became an integral part of winning the championship. In the Europa League, Sporting Lisbon faced the eventual champion Atalanta Bergamo in the round of 16, and YB and others felt the power of the Swedes. Guicres scored in Bern (3:1) and Lisbon (1:1). The record purchase has paid off with 43 goals in all competitions.

Despite interest from several top clubs, he decided to forego a move in the summer and simply continue this season as before. He scored 16 goals in 11 league games, twice as many goals as his opponents in the first two games. In the Champions League, he also tied for the top scorer with 5 goals after 4 game days. After his hat-trick against Manchester City, Guikres, who is considered a hard-working player, said something that is indicative of his mentality: “When you face better opponents, you just have to improve your level.”

The fact that he almost single-handedly dealt with Croesus in the Premier League will only increase interest from England's top clubs. Arsenal and, at the latest, Manchester United since the arrival of former Sporting CP boss Rúben Amorim are believed to be very interested. Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain are also said to be keeping an eye on Guikres. Although he is now 26 years old, he is in no rush to move to the top league.

Sports can expect a lot of money

When asked about the rumours, he said during the international break: “I haven't thought about it and I don't care.” He then made it clear: “Of course I want to finish the season at Sporting Lisbon and I'm enjoying my time there.” It is foreseeable that the striker cannot withstand the call of top clubs forever. But for now, he said: “I'm not stressed about future changes. We'll see when the time comes.”

Victor Jackres celebrated three times against Manchester City.Picture: www.imago-images.de

If that's the case, the 20-time champion can expect a lot of money. According to Transfermarkt, Gyökeres has a market value of 70 million euros and the contract is valid until 2028.