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Everything you need to know about Sweden sensation Alexander Isak!

Alexander Isak is a Swedish professional football player who currently plays as a striker for Newcastle United in the Premier League and the Sweden national team. He was born on September 21, 1999, in Solna, Sweden, and has emerged as one of the most promising young strikers in the world in recent times.

Isak began his football career at the AIK Solna junior system, where he swiftly climbed up the ranks to make his senior debut in 2016 at the age of just 16. His outstanding performances piqued the interest of scouts from all across Europe, and he was soon snapped up by Borussia Dortmund in January 2017 for a fee in the region of €9m.

Despite his tender age and lack of experience, Isak was immediately thrust into the first team at Dortmund and made his first-team debut two months later, aged just 17.

However, he found playing time hard to come by in Germany, and was limited to just 13 appearances for the Bundesliga club in his debut season, scoring one goal in the process.

Isak was loaned out to Dutch club Willem II for the 2017-18 season in a bid to gain vital first-team minutes. This was a turning point in his career since he was given regular playing time and was able to showcase his talent on a consistent basis. He featured in 18 games for the club, scoring 13 goals and delivering three assists.

Following his successful loan spell in the Netherlands, Isak returned to Dortmund, but struggled to make an impact at the club once again and joined Spanish side Real Sociedad on a permanent transfer in 2019 for a fee that eventually rose to around €10m.

Isak excelled in the Basque country, and scored 44 goals from 132 appearances across all competitions for Real Sociedad, playing a part in La Real's remarkable 2020 Copa del Rey triumph as they ended a 34-year trophy drought.

His talent, and high-potential prompted nouve-riche Newcastle United to break the bank in order to bring the Swedish striker to St. James' Park last summer in a club-record deal worth over €70m including add-ons.

While he has an injury-riddled start to his Newcastle career, the Swede has already shown flashes of his talent and goal-scoring prowess, and will have a major role to play in the second half of Newcastle's exciting season as they aim for Champions League qualification this season.

He has also established himself as a key player for Sweden and has shown that he has the potential to take the baton from icon Zlatan Ibrahimovic as Sweden's new poster boy in the coming years.

But what are the 13 things you absolutely need to know about the Newcastle speedster?

Moulded in Sweden, but steeped in Eritrean culture

While Isak was born in Solna, Sweden, he is of Eritrean origin, the country his parents fled because of a long civil war, and seeking better opportunities for their children.

Although he grew up as a Swede, the striker has always been loyal to his Eritrean culture. He remains closely attached to his roots and currently collaborates in several soccer projects for children in the capital Asmara. In 2018, Isak even himself travelled to East Africa to explore Eritrea.

Furthermore, Isak has been involved in various charitable activities and has supported organizations that work with disadvantaged children and youth.

In 2020, Isak donated his jersey and boots to an auction to raise funds for a Swedish organization called "Min Stora Dag" (My Big Day), which helps children with serious illnesses or disabilities fulfil their dreams and wishes.

Isak's donation garnered over 18,000 euros for the noble cause.

AdvertisementNicknamed 'The New Zlatan' and 'Giraffe' 🦒

Isak was likened to Ibrahimović when he burst onto the scene with AIK as a 16-year-old.

Their playing styles, demeanour, and personalities differ, but Isak is tall and Swedish, so the comparisons were inevitable. There was also something similar in the combination of graceful athleticism and raw power between the two.

The 6ft 2in striker also earned the nickname 'Giraffe', coined by former teammates due to his slim build and long neck.

PROSHOTSThe youngest Swedish national team goalscorer in history

His record-breaking spell didn’t stop there. In January 2017, Isak was called up to the Sweden first-team squad for two friendly fixtures. After making his debut off the bench against the Ivory Coast, he was handed his first start against Slovakia four days later, scoring the first goal in Sweden's comprehensive 6-0 victory.

Isak became the youngest goalscorer in his country's history aged 17 years, three months, and 22 days old, and smashed a 105-year-old record in the process.

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The Next Thierry Henry?

Every athlete has an inspiration and somebody that they look up to, and Isak is no different. In an interview with , Isak admitted his childhood footballing idol was none other than Gunners legend Thierry Henry.

Standing tall at 6ft 4in, Isak's style of play is also deemed to have a lot of similarities with the Arsenal great.

With a tall, slender figure and a devastating combination of technical brilliance and free-flowing quick feet, both can be dangerous from open play build-ups, as well as in the box and love to find the back of the net.

Like Henry, he’s got a bit of everything.

The youngster is an instinctive finisher, strong dribbler, and a cool customer in front of goal. He has poacher instincts, and the ability to latch onto passes, slalom his way past opponents and then nonchalantly fire beyond the keeper.

PSG lead the table heading into the new year, but which players make our best XI for the 2017-18 season so far?

Getty ImagesCiprian Tatarusanu (Nantes)

Since he was signed by Claudio Ranieri in the summer, the Romania international goalkeeper has enjoyed a terrific spell in Ligue 1 and has rapidly established himself as a mainstay of Nantes’ side, which has been based around a formidable defence.

No goalkeeper who has played at least 10 matches this season has a higher save percentage than the former Fiorentina shot-stopper’s of 75.81.

AdvertisementGettyimagesDani Alves (PSG)

He may be 34 now, but the former Barcelona man showed last term as he helped Juventus reach the final of the Champions League that he is still one of the best performers in the world in his role, and he has done well to see off the challenge of Thomas Meunier to start regularly for PSG.

He has been an excellent performer in Ligue 1, though he has played only 13 times as his minutes are managed due to his aging legs. He has three assists to his credit, but it is his winning mentality that PSG hope to profit from in the second half of the campaign.

Nordi Mukuele (Montpellier)

It is little surprise that clubs are starting to turn their attention to the 20-year-old, who arrived a year ago from Laval. His versatility has been impressive but he has adapted to Michel Der Zakarian’s five-man defensive line impressively, helping Montpellier to the best defensive record in France, with only 13 goals conceded in 19 games.

The youngster has benefitted immensely from playing alongside veteran Hilton in the Montpellier rearguard, but he has shown immense potential.

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Marquinhos (PSG)

The Brazilian is maturing into the world-class centre-back that PSG hoped when they signed him from Roma in 2013, with the 23-year-old having established himself as a vital member of their starting XI this season. 

He has been named as third captain of the club – a responsibility that he has revelled in – while he has won 70% of his duels in Ligue 1 this season, the best record in terms of outfielders who have played more than half of the games thus far.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsLauren Cheatle took two wickets to stifle South Africa at the end of their innings•Getty/ICC

In a clash that briefly flirted with the gripping, it was Australia’s experience that helped them ride a top-order wobble as they began their title defence with a six-wicket win against South Africa at the VCA Stadium in Nagpur. It was vice-captain Alex Blackwell and captain Meg Lanning who led the way to chase down 103 easily in the end, after they were reduced to 9 for 3 in the fourth over.South Africa had an excellent launch pad at 69 without loss in 12 overs after opting to bat. Then they fell into a crater courtesy rush of blood and indecision in shot selection to huff and puff to 102 for 6. As hard as they tried, defending it was never going to be easy against the masters of the big occasion who are gunning for their fourth successive title.Eventually, the batting meltdown played a big part in the result, as Lanning and Blackwell allayed fears with an unbroken 52-run fifth-wicket stand off just 38 balls to see Australia home with nine balls to spare.Spin was expected to play a major part, but to everyone’s surprise, it was a flat batting track, where batsmen could hit through the line without worrying about turn or bounce. South Africa showed they were up for a fight as Dane van Niekerk did the early running by making 45 in a 72-run opening stand with Trisha Chetty, before Australia strangulated them.While Ellyse Perry hustled the batsmen with pace, Lauren Cheatle’s canny variations resulted in South Africa’s middle order having to manufacture strokes that didn’t connect. Of course it didn’t help that Australia’s fielders were on the ball, showcasing tremendous athleticism and agility on one of the biggest outfields in India, cutting out at least 10 runs to the final total. Chetty’s scratchy 34 eventually helped them cross the 100-run mark.Australia’s thoughts of the chase being a walk in the park were firmly put on the backburner. Alyssa Healy walked across to flick, only to find her leg stump flattened to give the fired-up Shabnim Ismail an early sniff. Perry bottom-edged a cut to the wicketkeeper, while Ellyse Villani chopped on to leave Australia in tatters before they could reach double figures.Lanning’s illness that kept her off the field for most parts of South Africa’s innings meant she could come in either after 30 minutes or the fall of the fifth wicket. An air of anticipation hovered in the South African camp, but the conclusion of Ismail’s opening burst took with it the sting in their attack as Blackwell and Jess Jonassen added 44 for the fourth wicket. More importantly, the pair ensured the asking rate never got out of hand. When Jonassen stepped out to be stumped, the game was back in the balance as Australia slipped to 53 for 4, needing 50 off 47 balls.Lanning, not quite her usual self, struggled to run, but wasn’t going to miss out on freebies on offer as she helped herself to three fours to bring the equation down to 23 off the last four overs. Once within striking distance, the feared white-ball striker in her surfaced as she hit Ismail for two fierce square cuts, to convert a tricky chase into a cruise.

Kings XI Punjab seamer Sandeep Sharma has said the Ranji Trophy was more difficult than the IPL for a fast bowler, and that it was a big step up from under-19 cricket.”As and when you progress to senior cricket, Ranji Trophy cricket, every team has three-four quality seamers and quality batsmen. So Ranji Trophy cricket is more difficult than under-19 cricket, where there isn’t much pressure or competition,” Sandeep, who was part of India’s victorious under-19 World Cup campaign in 2012, told ESPNcricinfo.”I would say Ranji Trophy cricket is more difficult than IPL also, because Test is always more difficult than T20 or one-day cricket. And if you have to take four or five wickets there, you will have to bowl 20 overs or 25 overs, so it’s a difficult job for a fast bowler.”Sandeep, one of the finds for Kings XI in IPL 2014 after having finished as their leading wicket-taker, had to miss India A’s tour of Australia and the Champions League T20 last year with a stress fracture in his back.He has returned strongly to claim 28 scalps, the most for a Punjab bowler this season in the Ranji Trophy, apart from a combined tally of 20 wickets in the Vijay Hazare Trophy and the Deodhar Trophy. In this IPL, he has dismissed seven batsmen*, at an economy-rate of 5.37, to be joint-highest on Kings XI’s wickets’ chart.Sandeep, who will turn 22 next month, said coming back from injury was difficult. “I had done well up to that point, and was also included for the India A tour. But now I am back on track, and I have been bowling well in Ranji Trophy and IPL. So I am quite happy.”There has also been a marked increase in Sandeep’s pace, which he puts down to a combination of a “balanced diet and hard training.””I was at the NCA when I was injured. I trained quite a bit at that point of time, hard training. I am [now] doing a lot of strength work at the gym, and with that, speed work also. Speed work includes doing a lot of short sprints and long sprints, and I stick to the diet chart. Proteins, Carbohydrates, fat… everything is there in the diet.”He also spoke about drawing from the experience of Mitchell Johnson, his Kings XI team-mate, when it came to training. “Obviously he has played a lot of international cricket, and he is among the top bowlers. I get to learn a lot from him, especially from a fitness point of view, on how to train hard. That culture has a positive effect on me.”I keep saying this all the time that Johnson’s bowling and mine are totally different, and I can’t learn his bowling style. But a lot of chat revolves around the mental aspects: how to carry yourself on the field, how to prepare before match and how to handle pressure situations. For sure [I try to implement immediately something I learn].”Some important advice, he said, came from Virender Sehwag. “He is a great man, and he teaches me a lot and shares his own experiences. I felt that the best advice I got was from Viru Paji,” Sandeep said. “He always tells me I have been selected because obviously somebody thought I was good enough. He tells me: ‘forget there is an international player at the other end, no matter however big a performer he maybe. A batsman needs just one ball to get out and you can deliver that ball.'”Sandeep put a premium on the “mental side of things”, and the importance of a quick turnaround. “Even if you have bowled three bad overs in T20 cricket, you still need to be focused for one more over, the fourth, because that one over can still turn the match around. You can be a hero.”So I always think about the next ball and the next over. That will help you because T20 game is harsh on the bowlers, so it’s important you carry yourself positively on the field.”Sandeep said the IPL had successfully bridged the gap between first-class and international cricket. “IPL is close to international cricket. Many bowlers I have spoken to tell me how IPL has helped them. They talk about how it’s just the jersey that changes but the cricket remains pretty much the same [at the international level].”In the IPL, a 20 or a 21-year-old boy gets to play in front of 50,000 people and when he goes on to play international cricket, he has already gotten used to big crowds and nervousness doesn’t affect his performance.”Also you find the same batsmen and bowlers who play at the international level playing in the IPL as well. When you have already done well against them, it gives you confidence that there is no reason you can’t succeed at the international level.”*Statistics updated after Kings XI v KKR game on April 18

ScorecardA 94-run partnership between Steve O’Keefe and Peter Nevill guided New South Wales to within 11 runs of Tasmania’s first-innings score of 237. That had seemed unlikely when New South Wales lost five wickets in the space of 15 overs for just 42 runs, after their openers Ryan Carters and Scott Henry had given the team a solid platform to build on.Carters and Henry added 56 in 28 overs, but once Carters was caught behind by Tim Paine off Clive Rose, they threatened to let the advantage slip. Rose also dismissed the No.3 Kurtis Patterson, before Jackson Bird and Andrew Fekete snared two wickets apiece to wreck New South Wales’ middle order. At 6 for 110, the team looked like they would concede an innings lead, but Nevill and O’Keefe, who had earlier starred with the ball by taking three wickets, batted for nearly 37 overs, as they deflated the Tasmania bowlers.Nevill was eventually removed by Rose for a 113-ball 39, but O’Keefe went on to notch a much-needed half-century, his 53 featuring six fours.

Qaasim Adams made a career-best 76 to single-handedly drag Titans to a match-winning score against Dolphins in Benoni. Adams began his innings at 17 for 2 in the fourth over and had a 48-run stand with Henry Davids, who made 32. He then received support from the middle and lower order and powered Titans to 155 for 5 by the time he was dismissed in the 19th over. Titans captain Darren Sammy smacked 15 off 5 balls to lift his team to 176 for 7 in 20 overs. Craig Alexander and Robbie Frylinck took two wickets each for Dolphins.The Dolphins chase had a poor start when Jonathan Vandiar and Morne van Wyk were dismissed in the space off three balls with the score on 12. Cody Chetty and Vaughn van Jaarsveld had a half-century stand for the third wicket but after that the innings slumped again, from 67 for 2 to 75 for 5 in the 12th over. Dwayne Bravo top scored with 34 off 18 balls, but once he was dismissed by Sammy the chase fizzled and Dolphins finished 19 runs short. Sammy took 2 for 29, to go with his cameo with the bat.

Western Australia squeezed home for a three-wicket victory despite an outstanding bowling effort from young South Australia legspinner Adam Zampa in a low-scoring contest at the Gabba

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Oct-2014
ScorecardAdam Zampa collected 4 for 18 in a losing cause•Getty ImagesWestern Australia squeezed home for a three-wicket victory despite an outstanding bowling effort from young South Australia legspinner Adam Zampa in a low-scoring contest at the Gabba. After South Australia were bowled out for 147 – and lucky to get that many having been 7 for 76 – the Warriors made hard work of the chase as Zampa proved tricky to get away.He collected 4 for 18 from his 10 overs and fast bowler Shaun Tait chipped in with 2 for 39 to keep South Australia in with a chance of defending their small total. It looked like the Warriors would reach their target on cruise control when openers Craig Simmons (26) and Marcus Harris (34) put on 69 for the opening wicket, but things soon became tougher.In his first game for Western Australia, Michael Klinger failed to score against his old state, lbw to Zampa for a six-ball duck, and when Sam Whiteman fell next ball Zampa was on a hat-trick. He could not make it three from three and Adam Voges and Ashton Agar pushed Western Australia closer, the winning runs coming in the 37th over.The Redbacks had done well to make it such a contest after a terrible start left them at 4 for 24, and then 6 for 45 as Jason Behrendorff and Joel Paris picked up three wickets each. An entertaining 61 from 44 balls from South Australia’s debutant allrounder Trent Lawford pushed the total up but the Redbacks were dismissed in the 28th over.

A breathtaking double-century from Naman Ojha and three wickets from Jasprit Bumrah took India A to a commanding position at the end of the second day’s play against Australia A in Brisbane

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Jul-2014
ScorecardA breathtaking double-century from Naman Ojha and three wickets from Jasprit Bumrah took India A to a commanding position at the end of the second day’s play of their four-day game against Australia A in Brisbane. Naman added 122 runs with Nos. 10 and 11, whose combined contributions to those two partnerships was 11 runs, before India A declared on 9 for 475.Phil Hughes and Alex Doolan put on 33 for the first wicket as Australia A began their reply, before Bumrah struck in the ninth over to remove Doolan. Peter Forrest then added another 33 with Hughes before Bumrah struck again. Hughes fell at the same score, bowled by Dhawal Kulkarni, and Pragyan Ojha and Umesh Yadav then joined the party to leave Australia A 6 for 99. Mitchell Marsh and Sam Whiteman were together at the crease at stumps, having added 27 in 6.3 overs. With two more days left to play, it will take quite a bit of effort for Australia A to turn things around.India began the day on 6 for 304, with Naman on 82, and he reached his hundred in the 10th over of the morning, with a six off legspinner Cameron Boyce. India A were soon eight down, though, after Boyce dismissed Dhawal Kulkarni and Umesh Yadav in successive overs. Naman, at that point, was on 110.He immediately scored a flurry of boundaries, including a four and two sixes in successive deliveries off Boyce, to move to 152 and take India A’s total to 400, before Moises Henriques had his namesake Pragyan Ojha caught behind. Pragyan’s share of the partnership of 47 between the two Ojhas was a mere four runs.Naman Ojha struck 29 fours and eight sixes in his unbeaten 219•Getty Images

Naman then proceeded to dominate another partnership in even more spectacular manner, as India A scored 75 runs in the next 91 balls to declare on 9 for 475. Jasprit Bumrah’s share of the unbroken ninth wicket partnership was 7 off 34 balls. Naman reached his 200 with another six, this time off fast bowler Chadd Sayers, and continued finding the boundary almost every over, and the declaration arrived immediately after he struck three fours in one Sayers over. Naman’s unbeaten 219 came off 250 balls, with 29 fours and eight sixes. After reaching his 100, he scored 119 runs in just 114 balls.Boyce finished with four wickets, and Naman praised his bowling, saying “he has got very good drift and very good turn”, and that he would be even more of a threat if he bowled in the subcontinent.Asked how conditions were for batting, Ojha said the pitch was good to bat on after the initial few overs. “I think day one, the first session was a little difficult but after that things got pretty good for us and then I tried to hang in at the wicket and it went off well.”

Chris Rogers has hailed Australia’s coach, Darren Lehmann, for bringing a sense of enjoyment back into playing for the national side

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Apr-20141:07

Rogers: ‘Boof has brought the enjoyment back’

Chris Rogers has flourished in a late Test career•Getty ImagesChris Rogers has hailed Australia’s coach, Darren Lehmann, for bringing a sense of enjoyment back into playing for the national side. Speaking to Alison Mitchell in her latest Tea Break interview for ESPNcricinfo, Rogers praised Lehmann’s “old-school mentality” as something he could relate to.Rogers, who scored a phenomenal 241 to lead Middlesex to a magnificent victory against Yorkshire, has become a fixture in Australia’s Test side at the age of 36 and also talks about his strength in adversity, saying his Ashes hundred in the Boxing Day Test at the MCG was particularly special as “there was lots of pressure there”. He discusses splitting his life between England and Australia, scoring 200 for Leicestershire against his countrymen in 2005 and the possibility of going into coaching when he retires.Rogers, who played a solitary Test in 2008, returned to the Australia squad for last year’s Ashes tour, at the start of which Mickey Arthur was replaced as coach by Lehmann. Despite losing that series 3-0, Rogers said Lehmann had an immediate impact.”I grew up a little bit in the old-school days, when it was far more relaxed, you did enjoy yourself,” he said. “Now it’s far more professional. I think ‘Boof’ has brought back that old-school mentality a little bit. I remember the first thing he did, we had a meeting and he said it won’t go for more than half an hour and when it did hit half an hour, he said, ‘Right, that’s it, we’re all going to the pub’.”We went to the pub and I could look around and see the guys and it was almost like, ‘Is this really happening?’ I think he’s brought that enjoyment back, where you play hard and you play to win but you also enjoy yourself and you don’t take yourself too seriously. I enjoy that because I think that’s the kind of mentality I try to bring to Middlesex and the other sides I play for. My Test career has coincided with his coaching career and it’s worked out well for me particularly.”Since then, Rogers has scored four Tests centuries and been an important cog in the side that whitewashed England in the return Ashes in Australia and then beat South Africa on their own patch. With Australia’s next Test commitment coming in the UAE against Pakistan, he will have a full season with Middlesex, for whom he scored his 67th first-class hundred against Yorkshire earlier this week.

حسم التعادل الإيجابي نتيجة مباراة الجيش الرواندي وجاديداكا الصومالي، في ذهاب الدور التمهيدي الأول لبطولة دوري أبطال إفريقيا.

وأقيمت المباراة على ملعب نياميرامبو بدولة رواندا، وانتهت بالتعادل الإيجابي بهدف لكل فريق.

وكانت قرعة الدور التمهيدي لبطولة دوري أبطال أفريقيا لموسم 2023-2024، قد أسفرت عن وقوع بيراميدز في مواجهة الفائز من الجيش الرواندي وجاديكا الصومالي.

طالع أيضًا | سان جورج يفوز خارج الديار أمام كمكم ويقترب من مواجهة الأهلي في دوري أبطال إفريقيا

ويشارك 54 فريقًا من 42 اتحاد في دوري أبطال إفريقيا لهذا الموسم، وتم استثناء 10 أندية من خوض منافسات الدور التمهيدي الأول، من بينهما الأهلي وبيراميدز.

ومن المقرر أن تقام مواجهة الإياب في الصومال، يوم الخميس المُقبل، الموافق 24 أغسطس، في تمام الرابعة مساءً بتوقيت القاهرة والسعودية.