Who Is Lucas Bergvall? The Barcelona-Linked 17-Year-Old Swedish Wonderkid
Sweden has been waiting for some time for that next once-in-a-generation footballer to climb up through their ranks. Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s retirement signalled the end of an era, but the Scandinavian nation will be hoping it won’t be too long until they can signal a new one.
Lucas Bergvall is a 17-year-old midfielder who plays for Djurgardens in the Swedish First Division. He is a hot commodity right now, with several top European clubs looking to seal his signature in the coming months. Barcelona are said to lead the race and is currently preparing to launch an official offer in the coming days. He has been on trial for United before, back when he was 14 years of age, and despite continued interest since then, the Manchester club is set to miss out.
Who is Lucas Bergvall?
The Barcelona target came through the ranks at one of Sweden’s most prolific clubs when it comes to the production of youth, IF Brommapojkarna. Victor Gyokeres from Sporting and Dejan Kulusevski are two players, along with Bergvall who have come through the ranks at the club and are renowned for putting Swedish footballers on the map in Europe.
He spent his youth career at Brommapojkarna up until 2022, when he was signed by Djurgardens for a fee of €900k in 2023, the fifth most expensive fee in the club’s history. His new club wasted no time in implementing him into the setup, as he made 28 appearances in his debut season, scoring three goals and delivering one assist within that time.
Bergvall is the 6th youngest player to feature in the Swedish national team, making his debut at 17 years old, 11 months and 10 days. He played 31 minutes as his side beat Estonia 2-0. The youngest Sweden international of the modern era is Alexander Isak, who made his debut 7 months earlier than Bergvall.
Play Style:
Bergvall operates best as a central midfielder. He is elite in tight spaces and has some of the best footwork you are likely to see from any player in the middle of the park in Europe. He’s evasive in possession and can take on players in wide and central areas to the same effect.
The midfielder averages a pass accuracy this season of 88.1% in the Allsvenskan, along with a dribble success rate of 68.3%. He has won 71.4% of his tackles and is averaging 7.20 duels per 90 minutes. this season. At just 17 years old, Bergvall has a lot of time to improve on various aspects of his game.
The Swede is a lot like Frenkie De Jong, which may tell you why Barcelona have identified him as a potential signing. His gait when dribbling is similar to the Dutch midfielder, and his ability to glide through the middle of the park is reminiscent of the Barca midfielders Ajax days under Erik ten Hag.
He is a package in the middle of the park. He can create and defend to equal levels and would be a key addition to any of the sides interested in acquiring his services. Barcelona are effectively cheating football if they do land him; boasting the likes of Gavi, Pedri and Lamine Yawal at such young ages over the next ten years, as well as Bergvall is a recipe for success.
Which Club Will Get Him?
Barcelona fans are certain they are going to land the midfielder and have already begun making compilations on YouTube saying “Welcome To Barcelona – Lucas Bergvall”, but no deal is done as of yet. Eintracht Frankfurt are also interested in the player, but according to Fabrizio Romano, his preference would be to join the Catalan Giants.
They are now preparing an official bid for his signature, but they will allow him to stay at his current club until the end of the season on loan. It’s unlikely that the Spanish club will miss out on their man at this stage, as talks have been ongoing for several months.
Manchester United were also interested in the player, according to sources close to us here at AttackingFooty, but were never as involved in the race as Frankfurt and Barcelona. It will be another tale in the long list of stories of United missing out on wonderkids who go on to cost £100 million in the years that follow.
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