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?