child prodigy. most talented. Scandinavian vibes. Once upon a time, after the Classic, there was no superlative to describe the footballing qualities of John Guidetti and Viktor Fischer.
It was January 2012 when Guidetti, then 19, made his Classic debut. The Swede sat on the bench for ninety minutes in Amsterdam earlier this season. He became a big man in Rotterdam by beating his arch-rivals 4-2 and scoring a hat-trick.
It was January 2013 when Fischer, then 18, made his Classic debut. Earlier this season, Dane spent 90 minutes on the bench in Rotterdam. He became a big man in Amsterdam by scoring two goals, beating his arch-rivals 3-0.
big words
The big promises made by Guidetti and Fischer are never fully fulfilled. In 2023, no FC Barcelona or Manchester City will play together at AIK Solna in Sweden, with former top talents in the prime of their careers.
“Sometimes I feel like the world is passing me because I am busy playing football every day.” Even at a young age, Fischer was different from many of his fellow players. He is thinking. And then think about those thoughts again.
glands on the head
worrying. Or as he puts it: “He’s just playing inside his head.” This is what always happens to him unexpectedly throughout his career. His career was marred by injuries.
Ajax brought him to the Netherlands from Denmark when he was sixteen. More precisely, to the host family in Ouderkerk aan de Amstel. He too broods in his attic room. He loves his host family, but it’s not like home.
In his first season with the A-selection, Fischer takes the field like a comet emotionally and calmly. He has 10 goals and 5 assists in 23 games. It must be the beginning of something good, but it never goes into double digits after that.
Injury, misdiagnosis and failed surgery mean the young footballer will not be able to play for a year in his second season with Ajax.
“There he had to compromise in terms of agility and speed,” says former Danish Ajax player Søren Lerby, Fischer’s long-time adviser.
“Victor wanted, wanted and had to do”
“Victor was already very noticeable in his youth, and in a short time he was on all the charts of major clubs. He gave everything he could, but because of his injuries, it wasn’t what people expected of him,” said Lerby, who still remembered his former student’s occasional conversation.
“He may have been very critical of himself. He wanted it, he wanted it, and he had to do it. That’s when you sometimes get nervous as a football player. Viktor tried to find a solution to everything, but that’s not always the case in world-class sports. It’s not math. This was disappointing.”
His last match at Ajax was the defeat at Vijverberg, where Frank de Boer’s team lost the championship in a draw against De Graafschap. Fischer replacement.
He goes to Middlesbrough, then plays in Mainz, Copenhagen and Antwerp, but the well-spoken Dane never gets as good as he did in his first season with Ajax.
“I was doing my best when a little voice in my head said, ‘You are better than the others.’ Sometimes you really want to tell yourself that but you don’t believe it,” Fischer looked back.
John Guidetti doesn’t need a voice in his head. If anyone is confident, it’s Swedish when he reported to Feyenoord as a mercenary from Manchester City in 2011.
Fierce Boss Guidetti
Zlatanesk is a fierce owner with a dose of self-confidence. Exaggerated, afraid of hierarchy, sometimes annoying, but above all good. Last season, the Rotterdam team took the tenth (!) place. Guidetti’s courage makes Feyenoord the best club again.
His hat-trick against Ajax makes him a legend in the Legion. Just like when the spinning Kuip joins the wave that passes through him during the game.
Aiming to be the best striker in Europe, Guidetti seems to be on the right track until he encounters difficulties. In the final duels in Feyenoord, a virus is keeping him at bay. In the end, Guidetti was inactive for months. “Hell,” he says.
He occasionally shows off his skills at Stoke City, Celtic, Celta de Vigo, Deportivo Alaves and Hannover 96. But it can never be as good as a season in Rotterdam.
plague Ajax
He became even more popular with Feyenoord fans when he scored a Europa League goal for Celta de Vigo against Ajax in Amsterdam in 2016.
He walks in, scores goals, cheers with his hands behind his ears and shouts, “Feyenoord, Feyenoord!” to the raging Ajax crowd. He also holds up three fingers, alluding to his hat-trick in Classic.
Years later, former Ajax and Feyenoord talents are teammates at AIK Solna in Sweden, where they formed a vanguard that would fear any opponent.
Big names in Solna
Journalist Marcus Bring, who follows the Fotboll Sthlm association, says they have a pretty good name in Sweden anyway.
“When the first rumors about Fischer started, everyone was talking about him. People in Sweden have known him since his time at Ajax. He’s still a big name, especially for Solna.”
“Guidetti’s arrival last year was even greater because he is Swedish. However, it was a bit of a disappointment in its first season. Usually it has to do with his physicality. “People sometimes think it’s too heavy,” he said.
In the new season in Sweden – the competition is held every calendar year – the royal couple of football reporters expect a lot from AIK.
“You wouldn’t have thought of playing in Sweden ten years ago, but Guidetti and Fischer are still the best offensive players in the league with their skills.”
Source: NOS
I’m George Gonzalez, a professional journalist and author at The Nation View. With more than 5 years of experience in the field, I specialize in covering sports news for various print media outlets. My passion for writing has enabled me to craft stories that capture the attention of readers all over the world.