Hat-trick hero Gyokeres' rise from Brighton reject to Sporting star

Viktor Gyokeres has been proving radical incorrect since the precise opening of his career.

When the Sweden striker leads the enactment for Sporting against Manchester City successful the Champions League connected Tuesday, helium volition beryllium the information man. After all, since moving to Lisbon successful 2023 helium has scored 63 goals successful 66 matches, and 20 successful lone 16 this season.

Rumours person been rife of a determination to the Premier League, with Manchester United astir heavy linked aft Sporting manager Ruben Amorim's move to Old Trafford was confirmed past week.

But Gyokeres, 26, has not ever garnered specified attention. It wasn't until his clip astatine Coventry City, wherever helium spent 2 years, helping them to the Championship play-off last which turned retired to beryllium his last match, that admirers circled.

Gyokeres began his vocation with IF Brommapojkarna successful Sweden, leaving successful 2017 earlier a spell with Brighton. He made lone 4 appearances for the Seagulls and had clip connected indebtedness astatine Swansea City, St Pauli successful Germany and initially astatine Coventry. His talent, portion evident, didn't person everyone.

"When I took him to Bromma, helium was 14 and the caput of the academy said helium wasn’t bully enough," David Eklund, academy scout astatine Brommapojkarna, tells BBC Sport.

"I told him helium volition people goals. I archetypal saw him erstwhile helium was 11 years aged and helium was ever a bully striker. Shooting, heading and a large finisher; helium had it all. When helium was a teen helium got slower and stockier; helium became stronger and much physical.

"He was ne'er a superstar similar Dejan Kulusevski [another Brommapojkarna younker product]. But helium scored goals. That's it."

Strong self-belief, a tendency to beryllium himself and a supportive household web gave Gyokeres the grounding to make his game.

"He was a bully idiosyncratic - ever a bully team-mate and with the coaches," Eklund continues. "But erstwhile helium got feedback helium didn't ever instrumentality it well; helium was headstrong. But aft a mates of days helium would spell backmost to the manager and accidental they were close and helium needed to work.

"He had a beardown mentality but he's a truly bully guy. He ever worked hard and had the thought of being a apical player, grooming each day. He wanted to beryllium radical wrong.

"Every azygous idiosyncratic has helped him scope a precocious level. His begetter was his manager astatine the grassroots level; helium is simply a truly bully man. He helped Viktor a lot. When helium moved to Brommapojkarna, his household were precise important for him. He had a good, supportive environment."

Gyokeres' breakthrough into the archetypal squad astatine Brommapojkarna came arsenic a teenager, and helium soon became a cardinal subordinate of the team, scoring 20 goals successful 56 games.

"They were struggling successful the 2nd part erstwhile helium was 16, and the manager from the archetypal squad came to maine erstwhile each of his strikers were injured," Eklund continues.

"He said, 'David, bash you person immoderate players who tin play astatine that level now?' I said, 'I person Viktor. He is simply a bully player; he's beardown capable to play with older players and he’s moving hard.'

"Nobody astatine Bromma was reasoning astir him. It took clip - possibly 2 oregon 3 months - but past helium started to settle. The manager called maine backmost and said, 'wow'."

Gyokeres' determination to Coventry successful 2021, wherever helium scored 39 goals, was a seminal moment. He became the main antheral for the Sky Blues and developed a large knowing with manager Mark Robins, who erstwhile again saw done archetypal scepticism.

"He archetypal joined connected indebtedness for fractional a play and did OK, but not each fans were keen connected his returning the pursuing season," BBC CWR’s Clive Eakin says. "But Mark Robins intelligibly saw thing successful his and bought him permanently.

"From then, it was wide helium was thing special. His quality to tally astatine and done defenders [stood out]. Any clip helium collected the shot astir the halfway line, you fancied his chances of going done to score. He has spot and is assured with his finishing."

Premier League clubs were linked earlier Gyokeres joined Sporting. It was Manchester City-bound manager Hugo Viana who seized the accidental to motion him, and the Swede's estimation has since soared.

Gyokeres' caller emergence has amazed adjacent those wherever it each started. Eklund admits helium ne'er expected to spot the striker scope the precise apical but ever backed him to beryllium a success.

"In Brommapojkarna, helium is seen arsenic 1 of the champion academy players," Eklund says.

"We person a batch of players playing astatine a precocious level successful Europe, but cipher saw helium would people goals astatine the highest level. I saw him playing successful Sweden, Belgium oregon something. He has worked hard; his mindset is top."

Eklund and Brommapojkarna person a way grounds of producing academy talent, with Kulusevski, John Guidetti and Albin Ekdal among different internationals to person emerged. He says that way grounds makes it easier to enlistee the adjacent generation.

"When I effort to enlistee strikers from different clubs, I ever accidental astir Dejan Kulusevski and Viktor Gyokeres. Brommapojkarna ever nutrient bully players, and we tin usage them arsenic reference. Like, 'look astatine him, Viktor Gyokeres is from Bromma'. It is simply a tradition, and players who travel done deliberation astir those players. They privation to person the aforesaid vocation arsenic Viktor."

Gyokeres has done things the hard way, railing against doubters passim his career. Now helium is 1 of the astir prolific strikers successful Europe, acceptable to instrumentality the adjacent measurement connected his journey.

Watch highlights of each Champions League crippled from 22:00 GMT connected Wednesday connected BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website and app.

There volition besides beryllium a Champions League Match of the Day connected BBC One astatine 22:40 connected Wednesday.