Viktor Gyökeres has gone from being a struggling Championship player to one of Europe’s most in-form strikers in just three years.
The Sporting CP star has outscored Erling Haaland this season, cementing his status as a top talent and making a big-money transfer—either in January or next summer—seem inevitable. Several Premier League clubs are already keeping a close eye on the 26-year-old. It’s a remarkable turnaround for a player who, in January 2021, saw his underwhelming loan spell at Swansea City cut short and was deemed not ready for first-team action at Brighton & Hove Albion. Even those who believed in his potential have been surprised by his meteoric rise.
Chris Badlan, now Aberdeen’s head of recruitment, was Coventry City’s recruitment chief when Gyökeres joined them.
“I always thought Viktor was a Premier League striker, but did I see him being compared to Haaland? No, and not many would,” Badlan told ESPN. “But when I saw he’d signed for Sporting Lisbon, I was sure he’d score goals—100%.
“His attributes were always there to make him a great striker. To reach this level, though, you need not just luck but the right mentality. Viktor has always been driven to become the best player he can be, and he’s proved it.”
