Viktor Gyokeres Opens Up on 'Tough' Journey to Arsenal and Why He Took the No. 14 Shirt

Viktor Gyokeres Opens Up on 'Tough' Journey to Arsenal and Why He Took the No. 14 Shirt

Viktor Gyokeres opened up on the 'tough' journey he's had as a professional footballer after finally being announced as an Arsenal player.

The 27-year-old made his long-awaited 364 million move from Sporting to Arsenal last week, ending one of the summer’s biggest transfer sagas.

Gyokeres has taken quite the route to get where he is today, starting at Swedish club Brommapojkarna before making moves to Brighton and Coventry City prior to arriving in Portugal.

He has now taken Arsenal’s iconic number 14 shirt, formally worn by the legendary forward Thiery Henry as he prepares to take the biggest chance of his career.

Speaking to CNN about his journey, he said: “It’s hard to describe my mentality and there are a lot of different reasons why I have it. It’s not been an easy way to get here.0

“There were a lot of times where things haven’t really gone the way I wanted and that was tough. But you learn and grow a lot at the same time. You really have to know what to do to play at a high level, both as a player and a person.”

On choosing No.14, Gyokeres added: “I know a lot of great players have had (that number) and there’s a big history behind it. It’s an honour to wear it, but there wasn't too many numbers available as well. It was an easy pick for me."