The long-awaited transfer of Gyokeres to the Gunners is undoubtedly one of the biggest events of the summer transfer window. For the first time in 11 years, a Swedish player has arrived in North London. The last one was Kim Kallstrom, who wore the red-and-white shirt in 2014, albeit only on loan. And since then – nothing.
The women’s team, however, has been far richer in Swedish talent – last season, they had four Swedes in their squad. Thanks to one of them, Stina Blackstenius, Arsenal Women celebrated a prestigious Champions League title after 18 long years. Something the men’s side has yet to achieve. Expectations around Gyokeres are high – and rightly so. Swedish strikers have a great reputation in North London.
Never heard of Stina Blackstenius? That’s a mistake. She is one of the biggest names in women’s football. With three goals and one assist, she was Sweden’s top scorer at the recently concluded EUROs. Just a month earlier, on home soil in Stockholm, she scored her first hat-trick for the national team, leading Sweden to victory over their biggest rivals, Denmark, and securing their first-ever spot in the UEFA Nations League semi-finals.
From handball courts to football glory
It could have all turned out differently. Now 29 years old, Blackstenius played both football and handball until the age of 17. She wanted to pursue both sports – with handball being hugely popular in Sweden – for as long as possible. But eventually, she had to make a choice. At 17, she picked football – a decision that many Arsenal fans are grateful for today.
Looking back, she considers her years in handball extremely valuable – they helped her develop quick decision-making skills, which are just as important on the pitch. And handball stayed in the family – her younger sister, Nina Koppang, plays for the Swedish national handball team and even competed at last year’s Olympics in Paris.
Back to Stina. She started playing football at the age of six in her hometown of Vadstena. Her then-coach, Micael Westerberg, who coached her for seven years, describes her as a player with exceptional pace and a killer instinct for goals: “Even if she scored five goals in a game, she wanted to score seven,” he recalls.
At just 15, she made her debut for the senior team – coming off the bench but making an instant impact with two goals. After two seasons in which she scored 59 goals, she caught the attention of top-league Linköping.
At Linkoping, she was named Sweden’s Breakthrough of the Year, played in the Champions League, and lined up alongside Dutch midfielder Renee Slegers. Neither of them could have imagined that years later they would win the Champions League together – Slegers as the head coach, and Blackstenius as the heroine of the final.
After an unsuccessful short stint in France, she returned to Sweden to play for one of the country’s most successful clubs, BK Hacken, where she won the league title. Her strike partner there was Johanna Rytting Kaneryd, who now stars for Arsenal’s city rivals Chelsea. The duo still work well together in the national team.
From Hacken, Blackstenius moved to England – specifically to Arsenal, where she still plays today. And the Gunners adore her. It was her goal that won them last year’s League Cup, scoring the only goal in the final against none other than Chelsea.
The night she stunned Barcelona
The biggest moment of her career came this May, when Arsenal reached the Champions League final for the first time in 18 years. Few had expected much from the London side – bookmakers favoured Barcelona, winners of the last two editions, who had swept all domestic trophies and looked practically unbeatable.
But it was the Swedish striker who spoiled their party. Coming off the bench in the 67th minute, she scored just seven minutes later – the only goal of the match. The trophy returned to London after 18 years. To this day, Arsenal remain the only English women’s side to have lifted this prestigious cup.
Blackstenius proved her outstanding form again at the Euros, and there’s every reason to believe she’ll continue her brilliant performances in the new season. Fans won’t have to wait long – the Gunners kick off their campaign on September 6th at the Emirates Stadium against newly promoted London City Lionesses.
Two final tidbits – the surname Blackstenius is quite rare in Sweden, held only by Stina, her father, and her brother. And when it comes to North London rivalries, Arsenal’s biggest foe is Tottenham Hotspur – a club where Gyokeres’ ex-girlfriend, Amanda Nilden, currently plays.