Viktor Gyökeres’s football journey began at the tender age of six with IFK Aspudden-Tellus in Stockholm. Even as a youth player, his talent shone brightly, and he frequently joined Brommapojkarna for international tournaments. His formal transition to Brommapojkarna coincided with the start of his high school years. Fast forward to 2024, and the 26-year-old has emerged as one of Europe’s most prolific goalscorers, leading the continent in goals scored across all competitions. His former youth coach recalls Gyökeres’s unwavering attacking style and remarkable finishing ability, traits that have propelled him to this level of success. However, his ascent to the top of the footballing world has been far from straightforward.
Gyökeres first made his mark at the senior level with Brommapojkarna, scoring 13 goals in the Superettan league as a teenager in 2017. This impressive feat earned him a move to Brighton & Hove Albion, a club renowned for its development of young talent. However, he struggled to break into the first team at Brighton and found himself on loan spells at FC St. Pauli in the German second division and Swansea City in the English Championship. While these loan moves provided valuable experience, they didn’t lead to a breakthrough at Brighton. The club’s CEO later acknowledged the difficulty of predicting player development while praising Gyökeres’s subsequent success.
In January 2021, Gyökeres embarked on another loan spell, this time to Coventry City in the English Championship. This move proved to be a turning point. He flourished at Coventry, and the club eventually made the transfer permanent. With regular playing time, the goals began to flow, and he netted 43 times for the Sky Blues. This prolific form attracted the attention of Sporting CP, a Portuguese powerhouse who secured his services in the summer of 2023 for a reported fee of around €25 million.
The expectations were high for Gyökeres at Sporting, a club perpetually vying for the Portuguese league title. However, few could have predicted the sheer scale of his impact. In his debut season, he registered an astonishing 43 goals and 15 assists in 50 appearances. His contributions were pivotal as Sporting clinched the league title, and he was crowned the league’s top scorer. Furthermore, he earned a place in the Team of the Year and was named the Player of the Year in Portugal, solidifying his status as one of the league’s top stars.
Gyökeres showed no signs of slowing down in 2024. He continued his remarkable goalscoring form, amassing a staggering 62 goals across all competitions by the end of the year. This tally not only cemented his position as the leading scorer in the Portuguese league but also saw him win the Golden Boot in the UEFA Nations League. He also finished third in the Champions League scoring charts, notably scoring a hat-trick against Manchester City. Reflecting on his achievements, Gyökeres attributed his success to enjoying his football and the sheer volume of matches played, providing ample opportunities to find the back of the net. A detailed breakdown of his 62 goals reveals his consistency across various competitions, demonstrating his versatility and importance to Sporting CP.
Gyökeres’s 62-goal haul made him the highest-scoring player in Europe, surpassing renowned goalscorers like Erling Haaland, Kylian Mbappé, Harry Kane, Vinicíus Júnior, and Robert Lewandowski. Despite his remarkable achievement, Gyökeres believes there is still room for improvement in his game, highlighting his ambition and dedication to honing his skills. While his tally places him amongst some of the greatest goalscorers of the 21st century, it remains short of Lionel Messi’s record 91 goals in 2012, not to mention Gerd Müller’s incredible 85 goals in 1972. Nevertheless, his achievement surpasses even Zlatan Ibrahimović’s personal best of 50 goals, set both in 2012, the year he scored four against England, and in 2016. Gyökeres’s record also outshines Henrik Larsson’s 54 goals for Celtic and Sweden in 2001, further emphasizing the magnitude of his accomplishment.
