Even Thierry Henry is no match for Viktor Gyokeres when it comes to one test of finishing ability.
If there’s anyone Arsenal strikers aspire to emulate, it’s Henry, who is, of course, the Gunners’ record goalscorer.
With two goals in his first two Premier League appearances for the North Londoners, Gyokeres is already starting to get a feel of what it takes to be a centre-forward in the English top flight.
Gyokeres took the iconic number 14, as many have requested to share the same squad number that Henry once sported, with the Frenchman the pinnacle of success in N5.
Viktor Gyokeres is one of the best penalty-taking strikers ever
Gyokeres is impressing in the early days of his Arsenal career, but he’s got a long, long way to go until he can prove himself as an heir to Henry.
That being said, in one area, Mikel Arteta’s summer signing is actually outperforming the Arsenal legend.
An analyst on X, known as ‘Wanalyst007’ drew attention to Gyokeres’ penalty conversion rate.
When comparing the 27-year-old to what is regarded as a list of ‘Hall of Fame Centre-forwards’, the Swede sits second in the pile, behind only Robert Lewandowski.
Based on icons past and present who have taken a minimum of 30 career penalties, Gyokeres has a better conversion rate than all but Lewandowski, with Henry 14th on the list.
It’s a star-studded list of names that the Arsenal striker ranks highly in, giving him additional incentive to fire in spot kicks as a Gunner.
Mikel Arteta has addressed Gyokeres’ penalty strength
Interestingly, Arteta has already paid attention to Gyokeres’ strong penalty-scoring record.
It’s understood that Gyokeres is now Arsenal’s penalty taker, which comes as no surprise considering that he scored 20 penalties last season for club and country.
Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka seemed to alternate between the role, but now, it’s Gyokeres who has taken the title.
No one can argue with Arteta’s decision, particularly when reviewing just how deadly Gyokeres is from the spot in comparison to some modern-day greats.
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