Isaac has always dealt with potential pressure. At the age of 16, he became the youngest goalscorer in the league’s history for local club AIK, and quickly established himself as a hot prospect across Europe. Comparisons with legendary compatriot Zlatan Ibrahimovic quickly followed, but the two could not be more contrasting.
Ibrahimovic’s brash, ego-driven personality was not shared by Isak. Born in Stockholm to Eritrean parents, he grew up humble and introverted, eventually developing into the kind of player and person Newcastle wanted to build a project around.
He is often compared to Arsenal legend Thierry Henry. He is excellent with the ball at his feet, has the intelligence to move wide from the center and has all the trademark effortless movement.
In 2017, Isak moved to Borussia Dortmund, a breeding ground for potential superstars, but unlike Jadon Sancho, Jude Bellingham and Erling Haaland, life in Germany didn’t work out. Although the coaches who worked with him recognized his abilities, the player’s shy personality prevented him from establishing himself.
However, a meeting between Isak and Jan Siewert, then Dortmund’s reserve manager, turned his career around. Over coffee, Siewert showed the young striker two photos side by side. One photo shows the player sitting on Dortmund’s substitute bench, and the other photo shows him smiling after the Sweden goal. Seewald asked Isaac what was different. Confidence. After confessing that he didn’t have it, Isaac began to feel more comfortable.
He was loaned to the Netherlands with Willem II in 2019, scoring 13 goals in 16 Eredivisie games, but he joined Real Sociedad to progress to the next level.
Isaac didn’t have a star profile, but his talent was never in doubt. Never forgetting where he came from or his values, he contacted a Spanish teacher at his school in Sweden, thanked him for helping him understand Spanish, and ultimately decided to take a school trip to Barcelona. I remembered.
After settling in San Sebastian, Isak scored 17 goals in his second season and also did well for Sweden at Euro 2020. Although he didn’t score a goal in the tournament, his performance against Slovakia in the group stage showed exactly why he was so coveted, dribbling past defenders with ease and helping his country to a 1-0 victory. contributed to the victory.
Speculation about him has intensified, with just six goals in 32 games in 2021-22 reinforcing the idea that he is not ready to join an elite club for the required £60m-plus transfer fee.
Newcastle initially refused to sign him for that amount, but Callum Wilson’s injury changed their mind and they broke their transfer record in August 2022.
