Thibaut FalconnatNovember 24, 2024
Viktor Gyökeres is Europe’s top scorer this season. Whether in the Champions League, the Portuguese championship, or in the selection, the Swede is increasing his score. He will be the main threat to watch for the Arsenal defense this Tuesday, November 26. 5 things to know about the Sporting phenomenon.
It’s hard to miss the irresistible Viktor Gyökeres this season. For those who have even cut ties with football in recent months, a slight reminder is in order. Since the start of the 2024-2025 financial year, the Swedish striker has been running at 200 miles an hour. In the Portuguese championship, the Sporting Portugal center forward has already scored 16 goals in just 11 days. In the Champions League, it’s the same story: 5 goals in 4 matches as he discovers the competition. Arsenal, which travels to Lisbon this Tuesday for the 5th day of this C1, has been warned.
The current top scorer in Europe
Forget Erling Haaland, Harry Kane or Robert Lewandowski, the top European scorer this season is called Viktor Gyökeres. In total, the Scandinavian goalkeeper has scored 23 goals in 17 matches in all competitions with his club, including 11 in the last 6 matches. His ratio of one goal scored every 65 minutes is also number one in Europe. Add to that his 9 goals in 6 matches with his selection. The 26-year-old is unstoppable.
A season of confirmation after an already prolific year
His statistics are reaching incredible proportions, he who was already very prolific last season. In 2023-2024, he was already 3rd top scorer on the continent with 43 goals in 50 matches in all competitions behind Kylian Mbappé and Harry Kane. The Swedish international was one of the great architects of Sporting’s surprise title in the Portuguese Liga. Enough to already attract the attention of the biggest teams. But his 100 million euro clause repelled all the suitors who were waiting to see if he would confirm. This fantastic start to the year from number 9 has swept away all doubts. Some clubs should approach him this winter, but the main interested party has already announced that he will finish the current exercise with his team. “Obviously I want to play the whole season with Sporting and I feel good there, so I’m in no rush to move. We’ll see when the time comes”, he said last week.
He does better than Haaland
His quality of finishing and his series goals often earn him a comparison with Erling Haaland. It is also his imposing physique and his impressive speed for his size which leads to this parallel with the Norwegian striker, in addition to their affiliation with a Scandinavian country. Viktor Gyökeres is in any case doing better than the Manchester City striker at the moment. Like Haaland, he was a hit on his debut in the Champions League. The two men also recently crossed paths in C1. And here again, it was the Sporting scorer who emerged victorious from this duel. An unexpected victory for the Portuguese (4-1) and a hat-trick for the Stockholm cyborg.
Noted in the Championship
Before shining in the country of Cristiano Ronaldo, Gyökeres brought joy to Coventry, in the Championship. The latter first began his professional career in 2015 at IF Brommapojkarna, at home in Sweden. Three years later, Brighton, who were starting to get into the habit of unearthing still unknown talents, recruited him a few months after his promotion to the Premier League. But he failed to establish himself with the Seagulls and only played 8 matches in total, including 0 in the Kingdom’s elite. Direction St. Pauli in Bundesliga 2, then Swansea City in the Championship for two unremarkable loans before his arrival in the Midlands. Coventry took 6 months to convince themselves of his potential and bought him definitively for a small million euros in July 2021. In 97 matches in the English second division, he scored 40 goals. Enough to convince Sporting who will put 20 million euros on the table to bring him in in the summer of 2023.
His celebration is a reference to a fictional assassin
This didn’t go unnoticed either. Viktor Gyökeres celebrates his achievements by covering his lower face with his hands. A real killer in front of the cage, the Swede pays homage to Hannibal Lecter, fictional assassin. The striker of Hungarian origin mimes the mask of the cannibal played by Anthony Hopkins in the cinema. It was one of his former teammates at Coventry who had betrayed the secret. “He (Hannibal Lecter) eats people and Viktor destroys defenses“, he said. The celebration has become a trend among Sporting fans in the stands of the Estadio José Alvalade.
