Viktor Gyökeres

Viktor Einar Gyökeres (born 4 June 1998) is a Swedish professional footballer who plays as a forward for Primeira Liga club Sporting CP and the Sweden national team.

Gyökeres made his senior debut with Swedish side Brommapojkarna in 2015, with whom he made over fifty appearances before signing for Brighton & Hove Albion three years later. Sporting CP signed him in 2023 for a club-record transfer worth €20 million. In his first season, he helped them win the league title and also won the Bola de Prata for top scorer in the Primeira Liga with 29 goals in 33 games.

Gyökeres has also represented Sweden at various youth levels and was the joint-top goalscorer at the 2017 UEFA European Under-19 Championship, before making his senior international debut in 2019.

IFK Aspudden-Tellus
His first club was IFK Aspudden-Tellus.

IF Brommapojkarna
Gyökeres signed for Brommapojkarna from IFK Aspudden-Tellus in 2013 and joined up with the club's under-17 side. He progressed through the youth teams and made his senior debut two years later. He scored his first goals for the club on 20 August 2015, netting a brace in a 3–0 Svenska Cupen win over IF Sylvia. The following year, with the club having suffered relegation the season before, Gyökeres scored seven goals to help Brommapojkarna secure promotion back into the Superettan. He later helped Brommapojkarna into the semi-finals of the Svenska Cupen when he scored the winning goal in the quarter finals against top division side, Elfsborg. Brommapojkarna were unable to progress further, though, as they were beaten 4–0 by IFK Norrköping in the next round.

On 6 September 2017, having scored 10 league goals at the time, Gyökeres signed a two-and-a-half-year contract with Premier League side Brighton & Hove Albion with the deal to go through at the conclusion of the Superettan season. He ended the season with a return of 13 goals in 29 league appearances, including a hat-trick on the final day as Brommapojkarna secured promotion to the Allsvenskan as league champions.

Brighton & Hove Albion
Gyökeres officially joined Brighton on 1 January 2018 and began training with the club's under-23 side. He made his senior debut for the club on 28 August, starting in a 1–0 EFL Cup defeat to Southampton. On 26 January 2019, Gyökeres made his FA Cup debut coming on as a sub in a 0–0 draw at home to West Bromwich Albion.

In July 2019, he moved on loan to German second-tier side FC St. Pauli for the 2019–20 season. On the opening day of the season he made his debut coming on as a sub in a 1–1 away draw to Arminia. Gyökeres scored his first goal for St Pauli on 29 September scoring the second in a 2–0 home victory over SV Sandhausen.

On 17 September 2020, Gyökeres scored his first goal for Brighton in a 4–0 victory against Portsmouth in the EFL Cup. On 2 October 2020, Gyökeres joined EFL Championship side Swansea City on loan for the remainder of the 2020–21 season. He made his debut a day later, coming on as a substitute in a 2–1 home win over Millwall. He scored his first goal for the club on 9 January 2021, scoring the second in a 2–0 away win over Stevenage sending Swansea through to the fourth round of the FA Cup. He was recalled by Brighton on 14 January 2021.

Coventry City
Gyökeres joined Coventry City on loan on 15 January 2021. He made his debut four days later starting and playing 59 minutes of the 3–0 away loss at Reading. He scored on his first appearance at St Andrew's netting the first in an eventual 2–0 victory over Sheffield Wednesday on 27 January, his first league goal in English football.

He returned to Coventry City on a permanent deal on 9 July 2021, after signing a three-year contract. Gyökeres scored in Coventry's opening game of the 2021–22 Championship season on 8 August, putting Coventry back level in an eventual 2–1 victory over Nottingham Forest in Coventry's first home game since April 2019 after ground sharing with Birmingham City. Gyökeres scored 17 goals in 45 league appearances for Coventry in the 2021–22 season.

In the 2022–23 Championship season, he was named as the player of the month in November after scoring four goals in four games, leading Coventry to four straight wins during that period. Three goals and three assists saw him win the award for a second time in March 2023.

Sporting CP
On 13 July 2023, Gyökeres signed a five-year contract with Primeira Liga side Sporting CP, who paid a club record transfer fee of €20 million (plus €4 million in bonuses) for him. Coventry is also owed 10 to 15% of the profit Sporting receives from a future transfer, and the release clause was set at €100 million.

On 12 August, he made his debut for the club, starting and scoring twice in a 3–2 league victory at home to Vizela. On 21 September, Gyökeres made his debut in European competitions, starting and scoring in a 2–1 victory away at Sturm Graz, in the UEFA Europa League group stage. On 26 October, he was shown the first ever red card of his club career, seven minutes into Sporting CP's visit to Raków Częstochowa in a UEFA Europa League group stage match. On 2 November, on his Taça da Liga debut, Gyökeres scored a hat-trick in a 4–2 home victory over Farense. Ten days later, he scored in a 2–1 league loss away at local rivals Benfica. On 26 November, in his Taça de Portugal debut, Gyökeres came on as a second-half substitute and scored Sporting's last goal in an 8–0 home rout over Campeonato de Portugal side Dumiense. On 19 December, he scored and made an assist in a 2–0 league victory at home to rivals Porto.

On 5 January 2024, Gyökeres provided four assists in a 5–1 league victory at home to Estoril. On 17 March, he scored his first Primeira Liga hat-trick in a 6–1 victory over Boavista. Between September to January, Gyökeres scored thirteen goals and provided six assists, being named the league's Player of the Month and Forward of the Month for five consecutive months. On 29 April, with Sporting two goals down, he scored a brace in the 87th and 88th minutes in a 2–2 draw away against Porto at the Estádio do Dragão to ensure Sporting stayed on top of the league table, five points ahead of rivals Benfica. At the end of the month, Gyökeres was again named the league's Player of the Month and Forward of the Month.

On 5 May, Sporting mathematically secured their 20th Primeira Liga title, following Benfica's defeat to Famalicão, and Gyökeres finished his first season at the club as the Primeira Liga Top scorer with 29 goals, scoring a brace in Sporting final league match of the season, against Chaves on 18 May, to become the second Swedish player to win the top scorer award after Mats Magnusson in 1989–90. On 28 May, two days after his appearance for the club in the Portuguese Cup Final, Gyökeres underwent surgery on his left knee in Lisbon.

Youth
Gyökeres played youth football for Sweden at under-19 and under-21 level. Gyökeres featured regularly for Sweden in the nation's qualification campaign for the 2017 UEFA European Under-19 Championship during which he scored twice, including the winning goal against Italy to help Sweden qualify for the tournament for the first time. He was then selected for the squad which took part in the tournament in Georgia and scored in all three of Sweden's group matches but was unable to help the nation progress to the knockout stages of the tournament. His return of three goals later saw him share the Golden Boot award with England's Ben Brereton and Ryan Sessegnon, and the Netherlands' Joël Piroe.

Senior
On 8 January 2019, Gyökeres made his senior international debut for the Sweden men's national football team in a 0–1 loss against Finland. Three days later, Gyökeres scored his first senior goal for Sweden in a 2–2 draw vs Iceland. In October 2021, after scoring 9 goals in 11 EFL Championship games for Coventry, Gyökeres was called up to the Swedish national team to replace Zlatan Ibrahimovic to face Kosovo and Greece for the 2022 World Cup qualifiers. On 16 October 2023, Gyökeres had given Sweden a 15th-minute lead before Romelu Lukaku equalised in an away game against Belgium, when the UEFA Euro 2024 qualifier was abandoned at half-time following a Islamist-related fatal shooting in Brussels that targeted and killed two Swedes outside the stadium.

Style of play
Quick on the turn, a powerful, fast runner with the ball at his feet and a threat in front of goal, Viktor Gyökeres is a strongly built footballer and uses his strength to secure possession when under pressure. He is also effective in providing his team's defenders with some respite following a clearance. As a strong and physical forward, he is noted for his pace, stamina and finishing, as well as for his ability to surprise opponents with bursts of technical display due to his skill manipulating a football, working it in tight areas and improvising when needed.

Goal celebrations
Gyökeres celebrates his goals by crossing both of his hands over his mouth; his teammate Josh Eccles said in March 2023: "I think the celebration is because of the character in the film [ Hannibal Lecter]. He eats people and Viktor destroys defences." In a statement to Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet in November 2023 when he was already playing for Sporting CP, Viktor Gyökeres said: "There were lots of guesses... It was this [Hannibal Lecter] and Batman and everything possible, but nobody got it right. No-one came close. Yes, it's a secret. I can clarify that, but not today." On 18 December, in the flash-interview for Sport TV after a 2–0 league victory at home to rivals Porto, he was questioned about his usual goal celebration and answered: "[laughs] I thought you'd ask me sooner. I've been here for a few months and no-one has asked me that question... I'll tell you after the season if we win the league... no problem." In June 2024, the Portuguese media claimed the goal celebrations were inspired by Bane, a comics character, after Gyokeres has posted on Instagram a phrase attributed to Bane.

Personal life
Gyökeres was born and raised in Stockholm, and is of Hungarian descent through his grandfather.

Gyökeres was in a relationship with Amanda Nildén who is a female professional footballer. Upon his transfer to Brighton in 2018, Nildén moved with him to England and impressed enough to secure a spot in the club's ladies team. Gyökeres and Nildén have known each other since they were teenagers, when they played for IF Brommapojkarna in the Stockholm suburbs. In January 2024, it was revealed that he was maintaining a relationship with Portuguese actress Inês Aguiar.

International

 * Scores and results list Sweden's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Gyökeres goal.

Honours
IF Brommapojkarna
 * Superettan: 2017

Sporting CP
 * Primeira Liga: 2023–24

Individual
 * EFL Championship Team of the Season: 2022–23
 * PFA Team of the Year: 2022–23 Championship
 * EFL Championship Player of the Month: November 2022, March 2023
 * UEFA European Under-19 Championship Golden Boot: 2017
 * Primeira Liga Player of the Month: September 2023, October/November 2023, December 2023, January 2024, April 2024
 * Primeira Liga Forward of the Month: September 2023, October/November 2023, December 2023, January 2024, April 2024
 * Primeira Liga top scorer: 2023–24
 * Primeira Liga Team of the Year: 2023–24