LUCAS BERGVALL has a “crazy mentality” and stood out as a special player from the age of nine.
He made his professional debut for Brommapojkarna at 15-years-old and has enjoyed a meteoric rise in his short career.
12
12
12
12
Bergvall, 19, is now a regular for Tottenham after turning down the likes of Barcelona, and for those who worked with him in Sweden his journey to the top does not come as a shock.
The youngster comes from a football background and like him, his uncles Ludvig and William Soderlin played for the Brommapojkarna academy – even working with the same coach, Peter Kisfaludy.
The Stockholm-based club, now managed by Premier League cult hero Olof Mellberg, boast one of the biggest academies in Europe with 260 teams and 4,000 players.
They have produced several Swedish internationals and high-profile stars like Viktor Gyokeres and Dejan Kulusevski.
But Bergvall is the best yet, says Kisfaludy, who coached the midfielder since he was a child before signing him after joining Djurgården.
Kisfaludy told SunSport: “I worked with him when he was nine-years-old until 14. And directly after the first training session I was thinking ‘oh s***, this is something special’.
“He has always been the wonderkid that everyone is speaking about.
“I have worked in the Brommapojkarna academy for so many years; we had Gyokeres, Kulusevski, John Guidetti and Ludwig Augustinsson but Lucas has the most talent of anybody.
CASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS
“He always had fantastic technique. And he is scanning the play, always, always the head is up high and he is scanning the play. He always knows what the next step is.”
Bergvall bossed every age group as a teenager and would often make the difference for Brommapojkarna in international tournaments against the likes of Paris Saint-Germain and Atletico Madrid.
Together Bergvall and Kisfaludy won the prestigious Madrid Cup in 2019 and the Gothia Cup on three occasions, leading to a trial with Manchester United.
Bergvall hates losing, says Kisfaludy, but it is his winning mentality that makes him special says the coach.
He continued: “He was always the boy who if he lost playing seven-aside in the last 20 minutes of training he was totally upset when he was 10-years-old, totally upset. He hated to lose.
“In training he always worked so hard, so he had this special extra thing. He loves to train, he can train 100 days in a row.
“He’s a fantastic player with a fantastic charisma. When he walks into a room he is shining.”
12
12
12
12
Kisfaludy rated Bergvall so highly he played an instrumental role in bringing him to Djurgården after being appointed sports coordinator at the Swedish top-flight club.
He was so convinced by Bergvall’s ability he convinced his bosses to fork out £1million on the then 16-year-old by offering to produce the cash himself.
The transfer to Djurgården came shortly after Bergvall helped Brommapojkarna win the Swedish second division.
He adjusted to life in the first division as quickly as he did to men’s football and after being named man of the match on his debut he was forecast to become “Djurgården’s biggest transfer ever” by one Swedish publication.
12
12
Martin Falkeburn, a former coach and team-mate of Bergvall’s at Brommapojkarna, is not surprised by the youngster’s speedy rise or how quickly he has settled at Spurs.
He told SunSport: “He was playing for Brommapojkarna and got sold to Djurgården, everyone was thinking oh two or three years and then we can sell him.
“But after six months he gets sold to Tottenham and after two-three months he is playing.
“It’s his mentality he does not give a s*** if he is playing with me or with Gareth Bale or Kulusevski or whoever else. He always does things his own way, he’s unique.”
Falkeburn also highlighted Bergvall’s work ethic and he believes his former team-mate can become a top player, with Tottenham the right place for the Swede to flourish.
He continued: “You can see he has good technique but the stand out I saw is there was no difference between when he played against the same age or the Swedish top tier.
“He always had the same mentality every training session. After training he would be shooting 100 times. Everyone went in but he was standing outside, alone, just practice, practice, practice.
“So he has a crazy mentality. He always has the commitment to be 100 per cent professional, even if he was 10-years-old or 20-years-old, wherever he played.
“If he has no injuries he will be a top class player. He is a top class player now.”
Bergvall picked Spurs despite interest from Barcelona and Benfica, who have nurtured plenty of young talent in recent years.
And although he had to remain patient for his chance, Bergvall has now featured in a number of midfield positions this season.
Kisfaludy is certain his best role is as a number eight but pointed out an area where he needs to improve.
He said: “He needs to make decisions quicker. But you can see that is coming more and more.
“You can see when he plays number six, he is afraid to miss a pass or something because he knows that if he loses the ball it is a problem.
“When I see him play he is a little bit like Frenkie de Jong with the ball.
“You can see it much more in the number eight when he is running with the ball, Hes really strong at running with the ball but you do not see that when he plays six, you can see it much more when he plays as an eight.”
12
12
