by Hearing what Viktor Gyokeres was like as a child, it’s easy to understand how he became one of Europe’s deadliest strikers.
“He was very dedicated and focused – and he never talked about anything other than football,” Bjorn Thuresson, president of Gyokeres’ first club, IFK Aspudden-Tellus, told Standard Sport.
“If we talk about these tennis dads who push their children, I think it was the opposite with Viktor.
“And he always wanted to get straight to the point. His goal was to find the quickest way to score and finish, no matter where he was on the court.
Gyokeres has come a long way since his debut in Stockholm and he enters Tuesday’s showdown with Arsenal as the Champions League’s top scorer after his hat-trick for Sporting against Manchester City three weeks ago.
His numbers this season are remarkable. In 25 appearances for club and country – he has scored 33 goals – and he is set to become one of the most in-demand players in Europe next summer.
“I don’t like to make comparisons, but I think he has similar aspects with Erling Haaland,” David Novo, editor-in-chief of Portuguese newspaper Record, told Standard Sport.
“He’s not at Erling’s level, but he has some characteristics that remind me a bit of Haaland, in terms of power, physical strength and speed.
“It is true that Gyokeres has higher numbers than Haaland this season, but Haaland has scored a lot in recent years in England and Germany. With these two seasons, and the next one in a bigger league, Gyokeres could raise his level to something similar.
Little was known about Gyokeres in Portugal before joining Sporting from Coventry in the summer of 2023 in a deal that could eventually be worth around £21m.
Ruben Amorim, who now manages Manchester United, played a key role in this decision as he believed Gyokeres was the perfect striker for his system.
Much is made of the 26-year-old’s ability to score goals, but the Portuguese also talk about his movements and the way he drags defenders to create space for others.
“Ruben played an important role in the development of Gyokeres and now we will see, without Ruben, how Gyokeres performs,” says Novo. “I’m sure he will continue to score and be a goal machine in Portugal.”
The question is: for how much longer?
Gyokeres has been linked with almost every big club in Europe ahead of next summer’s transfer window, including Arsenal.
He has a €100m (£83m) release clause in his contract, but recent reports claim he could opt for less.
“It is common to say that nothing is impossible in football, but it is almost impossible for Gyokeres to stay at Sporting next season,” says Novo.
“I think his destiny is to play in the Premier League, La Liga or Bundesliga and I think Sporting will be ready for that and won’t be able to stop him from making a big, big transfer.
“Here in Portugal we have seen the links with United, mainly thanks to Ruben. Having Ruben there could be a huge advantage for United. But, for example, I see Gyokeres fitting in very well at Arsenal.
A potential £70 million move to one of Europe’s big clubs is a far cry from where Gyokeres began his journey in Stockholm.
It was there, at the age of 5, that his father decided that he would join IFK Aspudden-Tellus, located one kilometer from the family home.
It is a club of 1,400 players but is run by volunteers and Gyokeres’ father, Stefan, has become a coach.
Playing on a gravel court, Gyokeres took the first steps on his journey and within a few years, he attracted attention.
“He was remarkable,” says Thuresson. “Other coaches, for other groups, were like, ‘Have you seen this kid? He’s damn fast and he scores a lot.” This was evident from a young age, as he was a bit stronger and faster than many of his friends.
There is no record of Gyokeres’ exploits at this age, as at youth level in Sweden there are no rankings until players are older.
“We don’t count until he was 14, but it was clear that he was the one who scored the most,” says Thuresson. “I can be quite sure he kept his own score – we can be quite certain of that.”
Gyokeres remained at IFK Aspudden-Tellus until he was 16, avoiding the usual route of joining a top academy. His father Stefan believed his development would be better served that way, with Gyokeres having to adapt to different teams and levels.
He joined IF Brommapojkarna at the age of 16 after the club spent almost two years in talks with Gyokeres and his family.
It was there that he became a full-fledged striker after also spending time playing outfield.
Unsurprisingly given their scouting network, it was Brighton who spotted Gyokeres and they signed him in 2018.
But he failed to take off there and loans to St Pauli, Swansea and Coventry capped a frustrating period in his career.
A permanent move to Coventry in 2021 was a turning point.
Gyokeres scored 18 goals in his first full season and 22 in his second, as Coventry were beaten in the Championship play-off final.
Gyokeres joined Sporting that summer and his recent exploits have made him a big star in Sweden.
Children began imitating his celebration, which sees him intertwining his hands to make a mask and covering the lower half of his face.
“Six months ago the kids weren’t doing it, but now they are,” says Thuresson. “This is a very recent and rapid development. The interest in him since Manchester City’s treble is ridiculous.
For years, no one knew what the celebration was about until Gyokeres posted on Instagram last year and revealed it was an acknowledgment of Bane, a DC Comics supervillain from the series Batman.
“No one cared until I put the mask on,” Gyokeres wrote, citing Tom Hardy’s character Bane from the film The Dark Knight Rises.
However, everyone knows who Gyokeres is now, and more heroics against Arsenal will only make the fight for him even bigger next summer.
