UCL hat-trick against Man City
©Imago/Content stadium
Viktor Gyökeres’ once again stole the limelight on Tuesday evening, as he outshone Erling Haaland, scoring a hat-trick in Sporting CP’s astonishing 4-1 win win over 2023 Champions League winners Manchester City. With a smart finish kicked into the ground just before half-time, and two second-half penalties, Gyökeres made it 21 goals in just 14 games for the Portuguese club in the league and Champions League this season, and added further weight to the growing claims that the 26-year-old forward may be European football’s most potent goalscorer. Which is a truly a remarkable claim for a player that not so long ago was playing for Coventry City in the Championship.
So how did Gyökeres come to be such an impressive goalscorer in European competition and a Sporting star in his own right? Well, it all began in England. Brighton are widely regarded as one of the best talent spotting clubs in Europe and they identified Gyökeres’ potential when they plucked him from the Allsvenskan in 2018. Several loan spells followed, but Gyökeres turned out to be a late bloomer and Brighton will be cursing their luck for allowing him to join Coventry permanently for just €1.2 million in 2021, as he’s now on the radar of major European clubs with an eye-watering release clause.
Last season saw Gyökeres hit some remarkable heights for Sporting, when he bagged no less than 43 goals in 50 appearances for the club. When we factor in a further 15 assists during that period of time, it means the Swedish forward was averaging around 1.16 goals or assists per appearance for Sporting. And to little surprise, Gyökeres has also continued that remarkable run of form this season. In fact, when we compare the Sporting striker to all other players in Europe’s top 10 leagues and count up the goals scored since August 1, 2023, not a single player can lay claim to more goals than Gyökeres.
As we can see in the graphic above, not even Bayern Munich star Harry Kane can lay claim to more goals in all competitions for his club side than Gyökeres over the course of the last 14 months or so. With 66 goals in 67 games, Gyökeres has not only secured first place with room to spare, but has also outpaced world class strikers like Kylian Mbappé and Haaland in that period of time. Naturally, many will point to the fact that Gyökeres is playing in a weaker first division, but few could doubt that he has truly excelled at Sporting, and is more than ready to take on the task of scoring goals at a consistent level in a bigger league.
Under the guidance of young head coach Rúben Amorim, who will join Manchester United next week, Sporting made the most of Gyökeres’ goals to run away with the league title in Portugal last season. Finishing the campaign 10 points ahead of arch-rivals Benfica, Sporting undoubtedly benefitted from the fact that they had a forward that not only scored eight more goals than any other striker in the division, but was pivotal to everything Sporting did right on the pitch. to get a better understanding of how things panned out, Gonçalo Tristão Santos, Transfermarkt’s Portugal content manager, explains.
“Gyökeres’ performances in Portugal surprised everyone,” Santos said. “After all, we’re talking about a player who was in the Championship, England’s second tier. I don’t think anyone expected him to score so many goals in his first season at Sporting. We’re talking about Sporting’s biggest signing ever, which has already surpassed €20 million with bonuses, and his performances have justified the club’s investment. Gyökeres is a very complete forward who has perfectly fit into the tactical scheme of the coach Rúben Amorim. He’s capable of making good plays through the centre of the pitch, but he can also drift to the wings and still finish – he does a bit of everything in Sporting’s attack.”
Sporting spent a club record fee of €21m to sign Gyökeres from Coventry in the summer of 2023, but they’ll make a significant profit when he’s sold. Various top European sides scouted him this season, with consistent interest reportedly coming from Arsenal. Mikel Arteta has transformed the Gunners since taking charge but it’s widely accepted that a new striker could be required to take Arsenal to the next level. While some rumours are emerging that Gyökeres could end up following his manager Amorim to Man United. Gyökeres’ release clause of €100m could deter potential suitors but Portuguese expert Santos believes Sporting will demand a fee close to nine-figures.
“We already know that the top European clubs are keeping an eye on players who stand out in Portuguese football, and Gyökeres is no exception,” he added. “However, I don’t think it will be easy to take him away from Sporting. He has a release clause of €100 million, along with a contract until 2028, and I doubt Sporting would accept negotiating for much less than that clause. I’m not saying Sporting will only sell him for €100 million, but it will take a very high offer to take him from Alvalade next summer.”
