In recent years, Sweden have not been an elite international team, but they have been a nation which has always had an absolutely world-class player or two. After Zlatan Ibrahimovic, however, the torch is yet to be handed over completely.
Alexander Isak has threatened to break into the elite bracket, and he has the potential to do so as well, but he hasn’t shown that level of consistent goalscoring yet. However, he might soon be usurped by a younger prospect.
Djurgardens IF’s midfielder Lucas Bergvall is just 17 but is already an established senior team player, and is drawing the interest of clubs like FC Barcelona.
He has trained at Manchester United and Feyenoord as a 15-year-old, and the sky seems to be the limit for him.
So, what kind of a player is Lucas Bergvall, and how good can he be?
Player career so far
Bergvall came through the famed academy of IF Brommapojkarna. You might not have heard of that name very often but they have contributed way more to Swedish football than one might think.
Established internationals like Albin Ekdal, John Guidetti, and recently, Viktor Gyokeres all started their careers at the famed club. Bergvall is expected to eclipse the talents of them all.
So impressive was he for their academy, it prompted Djurgardens to spend beyond what they regularly would for a 16-year-old player.
They splashed nearly €1 million to bring him to their club and after just one proper season of senior football, that too at the halfway point, suggestions are that he will become the club’s biggest transfer of all time. Not a bad way to spend €1 million!
In his first full season, he has made 23 league appearances for the first team, scoring two goals and dazzling everyone with his mature play in midfield.
Three appearances in domestic cup competition have also yielded one goal as Bergvall took to senior football like duck to water.
So what kind of a player is he and what skills has he shown that has scouts turning their heads at his name?
Lucas Bergvall scout report
If Barcelona are interested in a 17-year-old midfielder, there are certain skills you can be sure of that the youngster has. Players like Gavi, Pedri, and Pablo Torre has shown that in the past and Bergvall is cut from a similar cloth, but with more physicality in defence.
The first thing that immediately jumps out when looking at Bergvall is how secure he is with the ball. He is always scanning his surroundings and some of the passes he makes in pressure are what you expect from a seasoned professional, not a 17-year-old playing his first season at the top level.
At the risk of being a hit hyperbole, there is a slight bit of Andres Iniesta in his game, in that when there are no clear passing lanes available, he is equally as capable of dropping his shoulder and beating his man off the dribble.
It opens up the pitch for him and with his deceptive quickness, he covers large parts of it in the blink of an eye.
At Djurgardens, he already has the responsibility of being a midfield orchestrator. He can be seen taking the ball from his centre-backs and progressing the play forward in the mould that Frenkie de Jong used to do at Ajax.
Besides that, he is also very aware of his surroundings and uses his positional sense to help in defence too with his interceptions and timely tackles. He’s not to go on the ground diving and leaving his team short if he fails.
Instead, he prefers to hold his ground, position himself expertly, thinking ahead of the game and cutting out attacks at their base itself.
It’s remarkable how complete a player he already looks at 17 but of course, the unfamiliarity of the opposition with his game as well as the standard of opposition needs to be taken into account. The pace of the game will quicken, as will the physicality, as he moves to a better team in the future.
However, nothing Bergvall has shown so far will make any scout reticent in his ability to make the step up.
Lucas Bergvall potential & transfer future
At his best, Lucas Bergvall has the potential to be the ideal Barcelona midfielder with an added steeliness to him. In the current climate of football, players are athletes first, and technicians second. Regardless of the position they play in, they need to be able to run their hearts out for the full 90.
Bergvall has emerged as a genuine senior first-teamer in such a climate which stands him in good stead in scouting evaluations.
Bergvall is already about 6’2″ and still growing, so his ceiling is that of a Paul Pogba but with less “lazy elegance” than the Frenchman.
Imagine Pedri or Gavi being tall, physical monsters as well, and that’s where Bergvall’s ceiling lies. Considering that being physical specimens is the duo’s one missing thing in their arsenal, despite their extremely hard-working nature, that makes Bergvall literally the perfect modern midfielder.
It is not a surprise then, that most of Europe’s elite are already circling.
Expectedly, Barcelona have made the first move, preparing a bid for the wonderkid. With the likes of Yamal, Gavi, Pedri, Guiu, and others, Xavi has shown that if you’re good enough, you’re old enough as long as he’s in the dugout. Therefore, there’s no reason why Bergvall can’t be thrown straight into the first-team picture.
Besides Barcelona, there has been interest from Newcastle as well. The Premier League might be too intense and physical for a 17-year-old to sit at the base of the midfield from day one, but as Kobbie Mainoo has shown, lack of experience can be made up with extreme talent and correct application.
The Magpies could be set to lose Bruno Guimaraes in the summer so it could be ideal for them to groom the next midfield superstar. In Lewis Miley, Eddie Howe has also shown that he can handle development of a youngster so Bergvall will be in good hands.
As the summer inches closer, undoubtedly more interested parties will join the chase for a player who could be the next leader of an elite team in midfield.
Djurgarden’s biggest transfer in waiting for sure…