Viktor Gyökeres stole the show in Ruben Amorim's final home game with Sporting CP, scoring a hat-trick against Manchester City in the UEFA Champions League.
The Swedish international scored the equalizer in the first half after he was played through on goal and delivered a real striker's finish to bring the score level. He dispatched a couple of penalties in the second half to cap off his hat-trick and secure Sporting's 4–1 victory over Pep Guardiola's side.
Viktor Gyökeres completes his hat-trick 🔥 pic.twitter.com/1UABv1vj55
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) November 5, 2024
It's the first hat-trick ever scored by a Sporting player in the Champions League joining Lionel Messi in 2016 and Christopher Nkunku in 2021 as the only players to ever score a hat-trick against Manchester City in the UCL.
With the hat-trick, Gyökeres now has 23 goals in all competitions thus far in the 2024–25 season, firmly in the lead for the European golden boot. He also extended his lead atop the 2024 calendar year top goalscorer in the world list with 53, averaging over a goal a game this year.
The numbers are getting ridiculous. The stock of the 26-year-old striker rises with every passing game, as big clubs across Europe begin to salivate about a possible transfer.
The Premier League should be a likely destination. Arsenal are in need of a lethal, goalscoring forward in its pursuit to dethrone Manchester City. Amorim's move to Manchester United immediately linked the Red Devils with his current striker, as the club's been starving for a true No. 9 for years. Gyökeres already has experience in England, as he's a product of Brighton's academy.
Big name Premier League clubs should see Gyökeres as a priority signing that could help them in a possible title race. However, other big clubs across Europe will surely be in the mix for acquiring him, as Sporting will surely make a fortune from his transfer.
Gyökeres and Sporting CP will be back in action in the Portuguese Primeira Liga on Sunday, Nov. 10. An away game vs. Braga, Amroim's former club, will be the scene of his farewell from Sporting's sideline before he joins Manchester United.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Arsenal and Man United Must Take Notice of Swedish Star After UCL Hat-trick.
