'He was never a superstar' - Gyokeres' rise to Europe's elite

Viktor Gyokeres has been proving people wrong since the very beginning of his career.

When the Sweden striker leads the line for Sporting against Manchester City in the Champions League on Tuesday, he will be the danger man. After all, since moving to Lisbon in 2023 he has scored 63 goals in 66 matches, and 20 in only 16 this season.

Rumours have been rife of a move to the Premier League, with Manchester United most heavily linked after Sporting manager Ruben Amorim’s move to Old Trafford was confirmed last week.

But Gyokeres, 26, has not always garnered such attention. It wasn’t until his time at Coventry City, where he spent two years, helping them to the Championship play-off final which turned out to be his final match, that admirers circled.

Gyokeres' recent rise has surprised even those where it all started. Eklund admits he never expected to see the striker reach the very top but always backed him to be a success.

"In Brommapojkarna, he is seen as one of the best academy players," Eklund says.

"We have a lot of players playing at a high level in Europe, but nobody saw he would score goals at the highest level. I saw him playing in Sweden, Belgium or something. He has worked hard; his mindset is top."

Eklund and Brommapojkarna have a track record of producing academy talent, with Kulusevski, John Guidetti and Albin Ekdal among other internationals to have emerged. He says that track record makes it easier to recruit the next generation.

"When I try to recruit strikers from other clubs, I always say about Dejan Kulusevski and Viktor Gyokeres. Brommapojkarna always produce good players, and we can use them as reference. Like, 'look at him, Viktor Gyokeres is from Bromma'. It is a tradition, and players who come through think about those players. They want to have the same career as Viktor."

Gyokeres has done things the hard way, railing against doubters throughout his career. Now he is one of the most prolific strikers in Europe, ready to take the next step on his journey.