Data-driven Player of the Month: Viktor Gyokeres gallops at Sporting
The Swedish striker of Hungarian descent has already recorded 26 goals involvements in his 23 Primeira Liga matches for Sporting CP (18 goals, eight assists), with ten of those coming in 2024 (seven goals, three assists) – making the Masked Striker Flashscore’s data-driven Player of the Month.
Gyokeres was born 25 years ago in Swedish capital Stockholm and played for local lower-tier side Brommapojkarna in the country’s second and third division before being picked up by Brighton & Hove Albion in 2018.
The Seagulls loaned the striker out to German FC St. Pauli, where he recorded 11 goal involvements in 26 matches (seven goals, four assists), but Gyokeres really blossomed in Coventry City’s sky blue. In his last two seasons in the English Championship (2021-22 and 2022-23), the Swede led the entire competition for goal involvements (53), shots (273), shots on target (120) and Expected Goals (36.4 xG).
Despite the interest of big clubs from Europe’s top five competitions, Gyokeres opted for Portuguese giants Sporting CP in the summer of 2023. A choice that has already paid off – for both parties – with the Lisbon side currently first in the Primeira Liga and scoring at least 10 goals more than any other side in the competition.
Gyokeres leads the entire Primeira Liga for goal involvements (26), is the competition’s joint-top scorer (18 goals – along with Braga’s Simon Banza) and ranks third for assists as well (eight), once again a clear example of the Swede’s incredible offensive and creative versatility.
Gyokeres does not only seem a complete striker, he’s a lethal one too, recording a league-high overperformance of 6.2 on Expected Goals (18 goals from 11.8 xG). Looking at Europe’s biggest seven competitions this season, only Inter’s Lautaro Martinez has outperformed his Expected Goals tally by a larger margin.
Gyokeres’ name is also found in a couple of other Europe-wide statistics that emphasize his unique output this season, with just two players in the top seven European competitions recording more goal involvements than the Sporting striker.
The Swede’s shot conversion rate (percentage of shots resulting in goals) is also among Europe’s best this season.
We’ve seen that Gyokeres knows how to score and create chances for his teammates, but what else makes the Sporting CP striker such an interesting player?
The Swede is more than a typical striker, since he prefers to have the ball in his feet and cover large distances himself. Gyokeres has recorded a whopping 115 total dribbles and 50 successful dribbles in the Primeira Liga this season, in both cases only topped by one player.
Among players in the Portuguese top-flight this season, Gyokeres clearly stands out when it comes to his style of play - an immense offensive output combined with remarkably great dribbling stats for a central forward.
When looking at the striker’s carries - moments when a player covers at least five metres with the ball at his feet - Gyokeres is among Portugal’s best as well. The Swede was involved in 36 shots following such a carry this season (20 shots, 16 chances created), a ranking led by reigning world champion Angel Di Maria (45).
Coming off three incredible seasons in the Championship and Primeira Liga, Gyokeres seems more ready than for another step to one of Europe’s biggest clubs this summer, with Arsenal and Chelsea already rumoured to have registered interest. Sporting CP will most likely ask for a very high transfer fee for their star striker, who seems destined to make a name for himself in a bigger competition.
Comparing his playing style to other strikers of the past, Gyokeres’ performances this Primeira Liga campaign most strongly resemble Atletico Madrid’s Diego Costa – who finished that season as Spain’s third-best goal scorer with 27 goals, behind a certain Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. Europe’s ready for the next episode of the Masked Striker.
