The Man Behind The Mask: Why Viktor Gyökeres’s Celebration Keeps The Game Guessing

Every goalscorer needs a trademark ceremony and nan 1 Viktor Gyökeres has shown disconnected complete nan past fewer years has surely accrued its scope of precocious – fingers interlocked, thumbs pushed up, a disguise formed crossed his rima and nose.

As Gyökeres’s transfer from Sporting to Arsenal has edged along, fans of nan London nine became progressively hopeless for clues. They were convinced they spotted 1 erstwhile nan defender, Riccardo Calafiori, was pictured astatine their kit motorboat pinch nan garment pulled up towards his eyes; mask-style. And past location was Myles Lewis-Skelly, different of their defenders, looking astatine a Gyökeres-to-Arsenal communicative connected his telephone and copying nan gesture.

What does it mean? There is simply a mentation that it owes its inspiration to a statement from nan Tom Hardy character, Bane, successful The Dark Knight Rises film. “No-one cared who I was till I put connected nan mask,” he says. Is it Gyökeres’s measurement of making a constituent to nan doubters – and location person been a fewer of those on what has been an unconventional profession path?

“No,” he told reporters successful 2023 aft a Sweden game. “That’s a bully conjecture but you’re wholly wrong. You tin person different conjecture nan adjacent clip you question and reply me.”

Why nan secrecy, Viktor? “I don’t know,” he replied. “It’s nosy erstwhile you conjecture incorrect truthful I’ll support doing it.”

Seriously, though, it has to beryllium to soundlessness nan critics? “No, it’s not that, either. Now you’ve had 2 guesses and you person to stop. You tin opportunity it correct erstwhile but I’ll opportunity it was wrong.”

Gyökeres’s head astatine Coventry, Mark Robins, was erstwhile asked to explicate it. “I cognize what it means,” he said. “Has he not told you? I won’t beryllium revealing it then.” And it is adjacent to opportunity Gyökeres stirred nan cookware – and took delight successful doing truthful – erstwhile he captioned an Instagram station successful June of past twelvemonth pinch a virtual re-quote of Hardy/Bane. “Nobody cared until I put connected nan mask,” he wrote.

Plainly, he thrives connected keeping group guessing, particularly defenders, and nan full shemozzle advertises much than nan shine he has successful his eye; nan innate assurance of a showman. The 27-year-old appears keen to create a consciousness of mystique arsenic he strives to go nan best, an icon. And erstwhile it comes to Gyökeres, enigma is surely a portion of it.

There is simply a superb clip of him from his clip astatine Sporting erstwhile an interviewer asks really it is that group astir Europe do not cognize of his talent. “They don’t?” Gyökeres shoots back.

It talks to nan curiosity fans person successful wide pinch respect to precocious bloomers. Gyökeres has ne'er made an quality successful 1 of Europe’s alleged “big five” leagues. Apart from his 2 seasons pinch Sporting successful nan Primeira Liga, he has ever played beneath nan apical section successful various countries – successful Sweden’s 2nd and 3rd tiers pinch IF Brommapojkarna (BP, for short); nan Premier League 2 pinch Brighton under-23s; nan Bundesliga 2 pinch St Pauli; nan Championship pinch Swansea and Coventry.

Viktor Gyökeres (left) celebrates beating Middlesbrough to make nan Championship playoff last pinch Coventry successful 2023. Photograph: Greig Cowie/Shutterstock

Gyökeres was spectacular astatine Sporting, scoring 97 goals successful 102 appearances. He won back-to-back convention titles, back-to-back Golden Boots and nan Portuguese Cup successful his 2nd season. He did good successful his first Champions League run past clip out, playing successful each 8 of Sporting’s group shape ties and scoring six goals, the item being nan hat-trick successful nan 4-1 triumph complete Manchester City. Is nan sample size ample capable to warrant Arsenal’s £63.7m move for him?

It is nan jeopardy of nan measurement up to nan Premier League that enthrals and Gyökeres has been present before, albeit astatine a formative shape of his development. He was 19 erstwhile he went from BP to Brighton successful January 2018 connected nan backmost of a breakout 2017; nan seasons tally connected almanac years successful Sweden. A regular for BP, he helped them to promotion from nan 2nd tier, scoring 13 goals and providing 8 assists.

At Brighton, past managed by Chris Hughton, location were a fistful of cup appearances complete nan 18 months that followed but Gyökeres played chiefly for nan under-23s. He was an unused substitute connected 3 occasions successful nan Premier League. Gyökeres had been turned from a winger into a cardinal striker astatine BP – he went location connected a full-time ground astatine 16 from his first club, Aspudden-Tellus, successful Stockholm – but he alternated betwixt playing connected nan near and up apical astatine Brighton.

“I for illustration Viktor,” Hughton says. “He had a awesome desire to want to do well; very driven. If you inquire maine did I spot what he is now backmost then, I would astir apt opportunity no. But it was thing to do pinch nan boy’s attitude, his activity ethic. Football was very overmuch his life. He was a bully pro.

“It was almost much of a positional one. At nan time, location was that mobility – is he going to beryllium amended arsenic a 9 aliases a wider player? He really did good successful that wider area successful a 4-3-3, mostly connected nan left. Because he is simply a runner pinch and without nan ball. Once he gets it he likes to drive. He’s prepared to tally guardant pinch and without.”

Gyökeres reached Coventry connected an first indebtedness successful January 2021 aft a play astatine St Pauli successful 2019-20 and 3 months astatine Swansea – some loans. He played an important domiciled successful helping St Pauli debar relegation; they stayed successful Germany’s 2nd section by 2 points. But Swansea was much of a struggle. He started only 2 convention games for them, his only extremity coming successful nan FA Cup.

Viktor Gyökeres scores nan first extremity of an unthinkable hat-trick for Sporting arsenic they hit Manchester City 4-1 successful nan Champions League. Photograph: Andrew Boyers/Action Images/Reuters

Robins remembers really Gyökeres was not match-ready astatine first for Coventry and he began by utilizing him much arsenic a substitute. “You could show it irked him,” Robins told Uefa’s website past November. “I said to everyone around: ‘he’s successful a rush.’ You could spot he’s successful a unreserved for his profession to return off. If he didn’t people aft a game, he’d beryllium successful a foul mood.”

Gyökeres felt things move aft making his move from Brighton to Coventry imperishable successful nan summertime of 2021. There were 17 convention goals successful his first afloat play for them; 21 nan next, which ended successful nan punishment shootout conclusion against Luton successful nan Championship playoff final. Then came nan detonation astatine Sporting.

“We would person said astatine Brighton he was a subordinate who would get into a batch of positions to decorativeness because of his effort and determination,” Hughton says. “We wouldn’t person seen him arsenic personification that was a earthy finisher. What has happened pinch him is to do pinch assurance and opportunities – and continually putting himself successful positions to person efforts astatine goal. Whatever we opportunity astir Sporting to Arsenal, it is still a large measurement up. But 1 point that is guaranteed is he will get ample opportunities to score.”

Gyökeres has done things nan difficult way. It feels for illustration a agelong clip agone he was starting retired astatine Aspudden-Tellus, playing connected a gravel pitch. His father, Stefan, a erstwhile subordinate astatine Östersund, would beryllium brought successful to coach his team, which is usually a small spot unusual for nan child. And it had to beryllium unsettling for nan striker erstwhile he was advised to enactment distant from pre-season training astatine Sporting to unit nan transportation to Arsenal.

Gyökeres needed to show his spot of character, arsenic he has done erstwhile he was location but nary 1 noticed, nary 1 cared. Everybody sees him now.