BOOKWORM Benjamin Sesko has been copying the Erling Haaland story so far — and could be about to replicate another chapter by moving to Manchester.
Just like Manchester City striker Haaland, Sesko came to prominence at Austrian club Red Bull Salzburg — where team-mates remarked he may be even better than the Norwegian icon — before moving to the Bundesliga.
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Now the 22-year-old could be heading to Manchester too, with City’s arch-rivals United keen on signing the £70million-rated striker — along with Newcastle.
The reasons Sesko has been compared to Haaland, 25, are obvious.
Sesko is a powerhouse centre-forward, lightning quick, a bully in the air with a keen eye for goal.
And at 6ft5, he stands an inch taller than his Salzburg predecessor.
The Slovenian sensation, a keen reader of self-help books, used to study YouTube videos of Haaland, and views the Norwegian icon as an inspiration.
Sesko was nicknamed ‘the new Erling’ at Salzburg.
But he insisted: “Such comparisons motivate me and give me energy. They do not represent pressure.
“I will listen and learn, so I can be even better than he is.
“My team-mates at the club tell me that Haaland and I are very similar, especially in terms of speed.
“Most of them even tell me I’m better than him!”
One of Sesko’s prized possessions is a Norway top handed over by Haaland after the pair faced off in a Nations League match in 2022.
But another Scandinavian, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, was Sesko’s hero growing up in the small town of Radece, about an hour-and-a-quarter’s drive south-east of Slovenia’s capital Ljubljana.
After bouncing around a few Slovenian teams at youth level — scoring 59 goals in just 23 games for Krsko at Under-15 level — he made the move to Salzburg in 2019.
Sesko is now one of the most highly-rated young players in world football.
But back then, his agent Elvis Basanovic was doing his best to make people aware of his talents, apparently messaging scouts and directors that his client was “the next goal machine”.
It took some time for that to show itself but a fruitful second season on loan at Austria second-tier side FC Liefering in 2020-21 kickstarted things.
The following term he was banging them in for Salzburg.
He winged it over to Red Bull’s German club Leipzig in 2023.
And there, Sesko became the top scorer of players aged under 23 over the last two seasons in Europe’s top-five major leagues.
His 39 strikes are better than Jude Bellingham (38), Florian Wirtz (34), Jamal Musiala (33) as well as Bradley Barcola, Rasmus Hojlund and Maximilian Beier, who all have 26.
Sesko’s range of goals catch the eye too, with almost a quarter of his 27 Bundesliga strikes coming from outside the box.
Harry Kane, one of only six forwards to score more in Germany’s top flight over the last two campaigns, watched in disbelief as Sesko netted a stunner against his Bayern Munich side in May, a 3-3 drawing which forced them to wait for their Bundesliga title.
Sesko is well known for his hard work, both on and off the pitch.
He told German newspaper Bild last year: “In addition to my physical strength, it’s very important that I’m mentally strong.”
This includes reading self-reflection books such as Dr Joe Dispenza’s ‘Becoming Supernatural: How common people are doing the uncommon’, and ‘Total Meditation: Practices in Living the Awakened Life’ by Indian author and spiritual doctor Deepak Chopra.
He also listens to podcasts on similar subjects and is close to Leipzig’s psychologists, regularly going for coffee and meeting up to play PlayStation.
Tech-savvy Sesko often uses a ‘Soccer Bot’, a football simulator at Leipzig’s training complex that can display real-game scenes on 360-degree screens.
The tattoo-sleeved forward is a huge basketball fan and is handy at the sport, though as of August last year, he was yet to meet compatriot and NBA megastar Luka Doncic.
Sesko’s girlfriend Anita Vidovic, 27, is no stranger to football.
Her brother Boris is a former semi-pro player, but now better known for going on his country’s Love Island this year.
Sesko has been desired by plenty of clubs over the last couple of years.
Arsenal showed serious interest before turning their attention to Viktor Gyokeres.
The Gunners are believed to have seen £55million capture Gyokeres, 27, as ready for the here and now. Sesko is arguably more unproven, although his two seasons in Germany have showcased his frightening potential.
Both Uniteds, Manchester and Newcastle, look ready to bring his talents to the Premier League.
Old Trafford’s director of recruitment is more than aware of Sesko’s talents.
Christopher Vivell worked as a scout for Salzburg between 2015 and 2020.
And was then Leipzig’s technical director for the following two years.
Vivell was with the Austrians when a deal was struck in 2019 to sign Sesko.
It was in Vivell’s final year with Salzburg that a move for Sesko was agreed, although he had left Leipzig for Chelsea by the time the striker made the switch to Germany.
Vivell, 38, once said: “Sesko is among the game’s top young talents and has enormous potential to become a top player. His abilities make him a special player with a special profile.”
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