Effectiveness or volume? What do Suárez’s numbers say against Gyökeres?
“Of course, Luís is always an important player, he’s a forward. And for him too, to gain that confidence, he arrived now, in a year when Sporting were back-to-back champions, the forward [Gyökeres] was the top scorer, with many goals. He needs to have that confidence to continue building on Sporting’s attacking prowess over these last few years.”
These are the words of Rui Borges after Sporting’s 6-0 victory against AVS , which featured another brace from the Colombian striker. donpredict , together with its statistical partner SofaScore, decided to conduct a comparative analysis of the data for Viktor Gyökeres and Luis Suárez in their respective debut seasons for Sporting at the end of the 14th round of the Liga.
The data reveals two forwards with distinct characteristics, but both with an immediate impact on the offensive performance of the Lions, which is what the Lions’ coach is looking for.
Promising start for Luis Suárez
The Colombian has been one of the standout players at the start of the current season in the league. The Colombian forward has scored 11 goals in the first 14 games of the 2025/26 League, one more than the Swede, a record that confirms his rapid adaptation to Portuguese football and Sporting’s style of play.
His influence also translates into a direct involvement in 34.2 percent of the team’s goals, a slightly higher figure than that recorded by Gyökeres in the previous season (33.3 percent).
Despite having an average rating of 7.37, lower than the Swede’s, Suárez stands out for his offensive output: 4.43 shots per game and five big chances created, numbers that illustrate his constant presence in finishing zones.
Efficacy as a mark of Gyökeres
In the 2023/24 season, Viktor Gyökeres displayed a more efficient profile. The Swede scored ten goals and provided five assists, directly involved in more decisive actions than Suárez. His shooting efficiency (26.3 percent) is one of the clearest indicators of this difference, contrasting with the Colombian’s 17.7 percent.
Gyökeres needed fewer opportunities to score and showed greater composure in clear situations, converting seven out of 11, while Suárez scored eight out of 26.
Volume versus precision
The data reveals a clear contrast between the two forwards. Suárez takes a more active role in the final third, with a higher number of shots and a constant presence in the opponent’s penalty area, something also visible in the heat maps. Gyökeres, on the other hand, showed a better balance between finishing and linking up play, appearing more frequently in areas supporting the offensive build-up.
Two styles, similar impact.
In short, the analysis shows that Gyökeres was more efficient and lethal in his debut, while Luis Suárez compensates with greater attacking volume and a constant presence in the final third. Two forwards, two different starting seasons, but a comparable impact on a Sporting team where Suárez has already made people forget Gyökeres.