Newcastle United have had some wonderful centre-forwards over the years. Legends of the game such as Jackie Milburn, Les Ferdinand, and course the Premier League all-time top goal scorer Alan Shearer have all pulled on the black and white stripes and terrorised opposition defences. Today though we are going to evaluate the career of a more recent goal-scoring hero for The Toon. Aleksander Isak.
The sky is the limit it seems when it comes to Isak’s goal-scoring prowess and it would be hard to put a number on how many goals the Swedish hit-man could score throughout his career, but it looks like the sky is the limit. Unsurprising he has already smashed 24 goals into the back of the net this season in all competitions. Isak has done most of his handy work in the Premier League. Tickets to games are hard to get as we are coming towards the end of the season but luckily you can find Premier League tickets in this website if you are running out of options and are desperate to see him play before the season concludes.
First Impressions
Isak is a player who immediately caught the eye of a huge amount of football supporters with his fine displays for Sweden in Euro 2020. Of course, this tournament was played in 2021 due to the world shutting down the year prior, but that’s a story for a different day. Isak has been a full Swedish international since 2017 and is the youngest player to score for his country banging in his first goal for his country against Malta in the qualifying campaign for Euro 2020 at the age of 17.
He managed two goals in four appearances at the Euros, one against Poland and another in the round of sixteen against the Ukraine. Sweden exited the competition during this round, but by now Isak was on many football clubs’ radars. He was arguably Sweden’s best player at the tournament.
His Time In La Liga During the Euros, Isak was plying his trade for La Liga side Real Sociedad. His first season at the club was a resounding success. He won his first career silverware, with Sociedad clinching the Copa Del Rey in a heated Final against Athletico Bilbao. This victory was made all the sweeter for Real Sociedad as Bilbao are their long-time rivals due to both clubs being from the Basque region. Isak also managed to get the winner in the Basque derby that season in a 1-0 victory and is still well-loved by supporters of Sociedad for his goal-scoring exploits.
Unsurprisingly Isak had a successful second season at Real Sociedad in 20/21., he became the first Swedish player to score a hat-trick in La Liga since Henry Garvis-Carlson. This is a significant achievement as Garvis-Carlson managed this feat for Athletico Madrid in 1949, which was over 70 years before Isak managed to do the same. He managed a decent third campaign with the Spanish outfit in 21/22 and scored ten goals that season, leading to the line for Sociedad who finished in a respectable sixth place.
Isak Makes His Move Tyneside
The time had finally come for Isak to pack up his bags get on a plane and start dazzling the fans of Newcastle United. This was a marquee signing for The Toon. Isak didn’t come cheap, the Newcastle board splashed out £63 Million in a club-record transfer fee in order to get their man. It may of seen as a bit of a gamble to some, but for most the quality was clear and so far he has more than lived up to his price tag.
He scored on his debut in a 2-1 loss to Liverpool, but it was a stand-out performance, and Isak hitting the ground running would play a big part in Newcastle’s push for Champions League football. It wasn’t all smooth sailing though, as Isak suffered a nasty hamstring injury that kept him out of action for a large number of games. Eventually, he made his way back though, and picked up where he left off. More goals followed and Newcastle United managed to qualify for the Champions League for the first time since 2003.
This season he is continuing to play some lovely football, Newcastle have returned to form and has shot up the table and European football is looking very realistic again next season for The Magpies.
Clubs are now circling again with the summer transfer window looming. Barcelona and Arsenal are the teams touted as most likely to snap off the Swede, but there is also a chance he may remain loyal to his current club as life is pretty good at Newcastle United at this moment in time. Where his career takes him and what his future holds is entirely in his own hands, but if he carries on the way he is going he could solidify himself as a true legend of the game
