ARSENAL fans are confident they know all about Viktor Gyokeres – the Sporting Lisbon superstar heavily linked to a £60m move to North London this summer.
But in a rare, in-depth interview with Vogue Scandinavia this week, the Swedish goal-scoring machine let his mask down and revealed some interesting behind-the-scenes titbits.
His Lisbon home – in the quiet enclave of Charneca de Caparica – is described as a “lair”, one with “Scandinavian minimalism”, featuring glass walls and a backyard pool.
The ground floor’s main decoration includes numerous trophies below a large black and white photograph of Gyokeres performing his famous “Bane mask” celebration.
He explained: “Me and my friends were going on vacation, and we were talking about [what to do when I score]. One of them came up with the idea for the mask, and we all liked it.
“Since then, I’ve always done it when I score … and it definitely stuck. As for the [Bane] character, of course, I’ve seen it. But it’s a little like, take it how you want it.
“If you think it’s Bane, you can think that. If you think it’s something else, that’s fine too.”
His daily routine includes taking a shot of ginger and some water, and his breakfast is usually an array of fruit [strawberries, blueberries and pomegranates] and three eggs.
Gyokeres also admits he sets his alarm “10-15 minutes before I leave” because he values sleep.
In terms of how he has built himself into the monstrous No.9 he is today, compared to the skinny kid that struggled at Brighton before banging in goals at Coventry, he said: “Physicality is a big part of my game. I always need to maintain it and keep getting better.
“I do my pull-ups, push-ups, and sometimes shoulder press. Sometimes after a game where I need to rest my legs. I can focus on the upper body.
“I can do my exercises at home, which is why I have a gym here. That’s what I enjoy on a daily basis.”
Home from training by 4pm, he then likes to nap for an hour before having a Portuguese speaking lesson or taking his mind off football by playing some Call of Duty.
To let his hair down, he heads out for dinner in Lisbon. He explained: “With Swedish culture, I think people work hard during the week, and then if they want to do something, they do it on weekends.
“Here, people enjoy the weekdays too. They see their friends on a Monday or whatever day, have dinner, a glass of wine. In Sweden, that’s rare. That’s the big difference.”
Despite his expectation to leave Portugal for England in the coming weeks, with the Gunners in pole position, he does suggest: “I think Lisbon has to be one of the best cities in Europe… it feels like home.”
And intent on not giving anything away about his future, he added about the speculation: “That’s just clickbait. Sports news is now constant, like 24/7, so they just find things to talk about.”
However, he goes on to suggest he has always “dreamed” of “being on the best teams in the world”, even if he reveals that as a kid, it took him time to fall in love with football.
He said: “I didn’t like football at first [as a six-year-old] because I was on a team with people I didn’t know. I was new, and I wasn’t comfortable with that.
“It was more the social aspect that was hard rather than the football itself.
“Of course, when you’re younger – 10, 11, 12 – you’re always talking with your friends about playing for this club or that club, dreaming about being on the best teams in the world.
“But that was all talk. Of course, you want to do it, but at that age, you don’t really think it through. It’s more of a dream.
I didn’t like football as a six-year-old because I was on a team with people I didn’t know.
Gyokeres
He added: “Playing football in front of people – it’s just something I’m so focused on. Of course you think about it sometimes, but for me, it’s easy.”
Meanwhile, he has pulled out of Sweden’s upcoming fixtures against Hungary and Algeria due to a “minor issue”, with many putting two and two together, suspecting it is to do with a future move.
But Sweden boss Jon Dahl Tomasson claimed: “I spoke to Viktor last week. He hasn’t trained much in recent weeks and has been struggling with a small injury.
“I was happy just to see him and have him involved in our meetings. That says a lot about Viktor, how much he wants to be involved.”
ZUBIMENDI WATCH
There was a rare glimpse into the future on Thursday night, watching a current Arsenal midfielder play alongside a future one.
In Spain’s dramatic 5-4 Nations League semi-final victory over France, Mikel Merino lined up next to Martin Zubimendi – who is expected to officially be announced as a Gunners following his £51m move from Real Sociedad at some point next week.
Merino – who arrived in North London last summer from Sociedad for around £32m – played as a No.8 on the left of the midfield three, while Zubimendi sat deep as a No.6.
It was an intriguing watch, giving several examples of exactly how the two can compliment each other in an Arsenal shirt next season.
For large parts, Zubimendi, 26, sat deep in front of the back four, happy to be under pressure with his back to the opposition, taking balls off the two centre backs on the turn and feeding the likes of Merino and Barcelona midfielder Pedri.
Inside the opening few minutes, Zubimendi did just that for Merino, allowing him to drive forward into space and spark an attack, something Declan Rice will love in that role.
And when the ball was lost, with Merino triggering the press, Zubimendi would not be far behind him, not afraid to put his body on the line to break up play.
He did just that in the first half to leave Les Bleus star Kylian Mbappe on his backside.
The Spanish media wrote: “When Merino advanced his position and Pedri approached him, that’s when [Zubimendi] brought out his full potential.
“The midfielder is in an ungrateful position because he has to take out the dirty balls so that the one who passes close to him can take the clean balls. But he does that very well.”
But it is not just the dirty work that Zubimendi thrives in. At times against France, he would turn and immediately go direct by pinging balls into the wide areas for the likes of Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams – the latter another Arsenal target.
You could not help but imagine Zubimendi doing the same for Bukayo Saka down the right, something the England winger loves: early passes to catch opposition full-backs off guard.
KEPA OR GARCIA?
Among other areas in the squad, Mikel Arteta has a big decision to make regarding his No.2.
With Neto heading back to Bournemouth following his season-long loan last term – making just one appearance – Arsenal are in need of a back-up for David Raya.
There are candidates from within: 16-year-old Jack Porter and 18-year-old Tommy Setford both made their senior debuts in the Carabao Cup last season.
However, Arteta does not feel either are ready to take on such a big responsibility next campaign, while Setford could potentially head out on loan to gain some experience should the right opportunity arise, after joining from Ajax for £1m in July 2024.
It is understood that Setford is highly rated by Arteta, viewing him as a first-team player of the future.
So, where does that leave them now? It is quite similar to their striker conundrum, currently deliberating whether to go for a ready-made, older Gyokeres, or pay more money to acquire a younger star with potential who can grow in Benjamin Sesko, 21.
There are two options as it stands: First there is Joan Garcia, the £25m Espanyol keeper, but it will be a battle to sign the 24-year-old with Barcelona pushing hard to get him.
And then there is a new possibility of Kepa, 30 – the unwanted Chelsea keeper who reportedly has a release clause of £5m having spent last season on loan at the Cherries.
Arteta would welcome such an experienced goalie to compete with Raya, and is understood to have always admired the Spaniard from afar for his ability to play out with his feet.
GABRIEL AND SALIBA’S FEAR FACTOR
Brazilian centre back Gabriel, 27, has finally signed a new long-term contract until 2029 after links with a mega-money switch to Saudi Arabia over the past 18 months.
SunSport understands that there is no option to extend that until 2030 as it stands, but he will now earn a weekly wage north of £100k.
It is the first of many new deals that sporting director Andrea Berta has been working on. The likes of Saka and William Saliba – whose contracts also expire in 2027 – will be next, as well as Hale End graduates Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly.
Interestingly, Gabriel has revealed just how feared he and his centre back partner Saliba are in the Prem, forming a bond that has made them a world class duo, perhaps the best in Europe.
He said: “I play against some strikers now and afterwards they say: ‘you are so strong now, you and Saliba are so good together’ and things like that, so it’s good to hear.
“That’s what we are aiming for on the pitch, we want to keep improving and we want to win trophies.”
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