“Nobody cared who I was until I put on the mask.”
It is the famous quote from the arch-villain Bane in the most recent Batman trilogy that has inspired the last few years of Viktor Gyokeres’ career.
It has not only inspired a celebration that has become iconic across European football, but an aura around the Swedish forward. He is a danger, someone to be feared.
Gyokeres adopting that celebration during his days at Coventry marked a turning point for the forward. He went from a player who struggled in two loan spells at Swansea and the Sky Blues – to a 20-goal forward in the Championship.
That form took him to Sporting CP in Portugal, where his 97 goals in 102 matches brought him to Arsenal and the Premier League.
Gyokeres’ celebration has been a turning point in his career
“Yeah it makes sense a little bit with how things turned out for me!” Gyokeres tells Sky Sports – in an exclusive interview with Patrick Davison – about whether that goal celebration changed the course of his career.
“After I started doing it, I started to score more goals. And it made me to do the mask more often.”
Gyokeres’ journey to Arsenal’s main man up front has not been straight forward. It has been a winding path of ups and downs – across several countries including his native Sweden and Germany.
It was in his home country when he received his first doubter in the form of a coach at Under-14s level.
“It was quite early when I was in Sweden,” he recalls. “We had some matches in the district and I didn’t play so well – and he thought I didn’t look so bothered that I didn’t perform in that particular game.
“He said I didn’t have the mental part to make it in football. That one stuck with me and I still remember it today.”
The scrutiny has not stopped for Gyokeres, even after his £63.5m move to Arsenal. Today, the 27-year-old still has his critics.
Gyokeres gained criticism for his displays against Liverpool and Man Utd
He has silenced a few of them with three goals in four games – which matches up with his record in Portuguese football – but then the performances away at Liverpool and Manchester United left much to be desired.
“It’s been different games,” he says about his start to Premier League life. “Some games have been tougher – where I couldn’t perform how I wanted. That’s maybe depending on how the game looked. But I had games where I felt very good.
“So it’s been up and down but overall, I’ve managed to score a few goals and we won most of the games. So it’s been quite a good start, but it could be better.”
After just one game – where Arsenal beat United 1-0 at Old Trafford – Gyokeres received criticism that he touched his hair more times than the ball. When he netted twice against Leeds six days later, he responded with a hair flick celebration of his own.
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Arsenal forward Viktor Gyokeres discusses his hair flick celebration and whether it was in response to critics’ reaction to his debut performance against Manchester United.
So does Gyokeres listen to the critics?
“You have to do your own thing, you have to adapt to where you’re playing,” he says. “You have to believe in yourself and keep going, no matter what happens – whether that’s on the pitch or outside.
“I don’t think you have to take in what everyone around you says. You don’t have to listen to everything you hear.”
Asked if the scrutiny is bigger here than in other parts of his career, the Arsenal striker replies: “Yeah maybe? When I played in Portugal there was also a lot of that. They live for football there as well.
“So in one sense, it’s a bit similar but of course it’s much, much bigger here. They analyse everything you do. But that’s the way it is, there’s nothing wrong with that.
“Maybe it isn’t my No 1 priority to read everything that’s being said or what people write. It’s just think about the things you can control and do those things right.
Arsenal’s Viktor Gyokeres has scored three goals in his first four Premier League games
“Train everyday, play games and of course the things around that prepare you for the next game, the things where you can take care of your body. It’s those things – and of course try to switch off sometimes.”
As Gyokeres says, he just has to adapt to life in England – and quickly. Even though he has experience of playing with England, he has uprooted his entire life to join Mikel Arteta’s squad.
“You change a lot when you move to another country,” he says. “It goes quick and then the season starts after a few weeks and you have to sort everything out around you as well.
“That’s the biggest change when you make a move like this, it’s nothing specific – just everything at once. It’s a normal thing, but you just have to adapt.”
But there are some games where there is no time to adapt – such as the visit of Manchester City to the Emirates, live on Sky Sports on Super Sunday.
The last time Gyokeres faced Pep Guardiola’s side, he scored a hat-trick in a 4-1 Champions League win for Sporting. And the 27-year-old is eyeing up another big performance.
Sunday 21st September 4:00pm
Kick off 4:30pm
“There are big teams in the Premier League where you have to perform in these games,” he says.
“Those games, we look forward to and we want to win.”
Watch Arsenal vs Man City live on Sky Sports this Sunday, kick-off 4.30pm