It has been wonderful days for Swedish Sporting Lisbon star Viktor Gyökeres.
With Sunday's goal against Boavista — his 18th in the league for this season – he is now part of a small group of unique football players. Since the full hit was his 61st, seen for the calendar year, it means that he became the eighth player of all time to achieve the feat of scoring over 60 goals.
Unique list
Earlier in football history, Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Pelé, Zico, Romário, Gerd Müller, and Robert Lewandowski have had similar years.
The achievement came a day after he received the award as the forward of the year – which was the second year in a row he was awarded the distinction.
Last year, the striker's prizes stopped there.
This year, he was rewarded with yet another – the absolute biggest: the Golden Ball, the award for Sweden's best male football player.
First Golden Ball
The 26-year-old was up against national team teammates Dejan Kulusevski – who had received the award the two previous times – and Alexander Isak, as well as Isak Hien.
Motivation:
"Viktor Gyökeres receives the Golden Ball for his performances in the club team Sporting CP and the national team. There is nothing harder in football than scoring goals and winning titles, and no one has made it look easier than Viktor Gyökeres. With hard work and unique qualities, he has become a leader for both the national team and Sporting, and a sought-after superstar in Europe."
Gyökeres himself:
I don't play in the Premier League like some others do, but I've done my absolute best where I am. And I think I've proven myself in Europe too, in the Champions League. And with the national team. So it's not just "only" in Portugal, he says to Aftonbladet.
And indeed, he has delivered in the blue and yellow. In the national team, he has a total of 15 goals in 26 international matches – of which ten full hits have come under new national team coach Jon Dahl Tomasson's leadership. In the Nations League final at home against Azerbaijan, the striker scored all four goals in the 6–0 win, which secured the top scorer title with nine goals and was ahead of Norwegian Erling Braut Haaland (seven goals).
This is the first time in his career that Viktor Gyökeres has been awarded the Golden Ball.
Born: June 4, 1998 (26 years old) in Stockholm.
Position: striker.
Club: Sporting Lisbon.
Previous clubs: IFK Aspudden-Tellus, Brommapojkarna, Brighton, St Pauli (loan), Swansea (loan), Coventry.
A-international matches/goals: 26/15.
The Golden Ball is awarded to the best male player in Swedish football and has been presented by the Swedish Football Association since 1946. The years 1946–1965, the prize was awarded in collaboration with Stockholms-Tidningen, and thereafter in collaboration with Aftonbladet.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic has received the most Golden Balls, a total of twelve during the period 2005–2020.
The latest winners:
2024: Viktor Gyökeres, Sporting Lisbon.
2023: Dejan Kulusevski, Tottenham.
2022: Dejan Kulusevski, Tottenham.
2021: Emil Forsberg, Leipzig.
2020: Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Milan.
2019: Victor Nilsson Lindelöf, Manchester United.
2018: Victor Nilsson Lindelöf, Manchester United.
2017: Andreas Granqvist, Krasnodar.
2016: Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Paris Saint-Germain/Manchester United.
2015: Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Paris Saint-Germain.
2014: Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Paris Saint-Germain.
