Why Conrad Harder Could be the Heir to Viktor Gyökeres’ Throne by Zach Lowy
Center Forward
1.85m
Left-footed
From Viktor Gyökeres to Morten Hjulmand, we’ve seen quite a few Scandinavian players emerge as fan favorites at Sporting CP. The next Scandinavian to become an indispensable figure at Sporting could very well be Conrad Harder.
Born in Holte, Denmark, Harder developed in FC Nordsjælland’s academy and quickly rose through the ranks for club and country. After scoring 27 goals in 24 matches for Nordsjælland’s U-19 side, Harder made his first-team debut in the final Danish Superliga match of the 2022/23 season. Bit by bit, Harder started to become accustomed to the top level of European football and even played in the Europa Conference League, with Nordsjælland seeking to protect their young asset by tying him down to a four-year contract. However, just 11 days later, Sporting would end up signing him on a five-year deal.
Despite only racking up 13 goal contributions in 41 matches for Nordsjælland – five of those coming in his final six matches – Sporting saw fit to shell out €19 million for the Danish striker, rising to €22 million with add-ons. Having failed to acquire Panathinaikos’ Greek striker Fotis Ioannidis, Sporting instead turned their attention to Harder as a replacement for the departing Portuguese veteran Paulinho. Harder rejected a move to Brighton & Hove Albion to join the Portuguese champions, and it hasn’t taken long for him to justify that decision.
After coming on for the final minutes of their 2-0 win vs. Lille, Harder made his full debut on September 22, 2024 and scored a goal and an assist to lead Sporting to a 2-0 win vs. newly promoted AVS. One month later, he was back at it again, grabbing a brace (including a 94th-minute winner) in a 2-1 victory at Portimonense in the Taça de Portugal. And on November 10, he helped to salvage Rúben Amorim’s final match as Sporting manager, coming off the bench and grabbing two goals in the 89th and 94th minute as the Lions prevailed 4-2 in Braga.
Starting appearances have been hard to come by with Gyökeres ahead in the pecking order, but that hasn’t stopped Harder from making an impression in Lisbon. Despite not being the tallest striker, Harder is capable of dominating in physical duels, hassling his opponent for possession, and making himself a nuisance on and off the ball. His clean ball-striking ability matches well with his work ethic and mobility, and he’s versatile enough to deputize in a number of positions across the attack. However, perhaps his biggest attribute is his movement. He’s a player who is constantly snuffing out chances and looking to pounce at a moment’s notice.
We saw an example of this in Sporting’s 6-0 victory vs. Amarante in the Taça de Portugal. After squandering an open-goal opportunity to make it 3-0, Harder didn’t wallow in despair and cut a dejected figure – instead, he needed just a few seconds to time his run to perfection on the edge of the box, cushion it onto his left foot, before releasing a powerful effort into the bottom right corner.
Harder has had to make do with brief cameos off the bench, and yet, he’s managed to deliver some vital contributions in his first season in Portugal: in fact, among Sporting’s squad, only Gyökeres (74) is scoring at a faster rate in Liga Portugal than Harder (one goal every 120 minutes). Although there are certain things he needs to work at, like passing ability, weak-footed shooting, and decision-making, at 19 years of age, time is certainly on his side. It doesn’t matter where you play him – he’s going to make an impact and showcase his skills, averaging a goal contribution every 68.4 minutes in all competitions. Most of these goals have come in high-pressure scenarios, such as Sporting’s recent cup win vs. Santa Clara. Two minutes after coming off the bench, Harder was able to charge into the box, get on the end of a cross, and open the scoring. Whilst Pedro Ferreira leveled proceedings at the final second, Gyökeres would restore their lead in the 113th minute to snatch a last-gasp victory in the Taça de Portugal.
Sporting have gone through a rough patch since Amorim’s exit with four wins and a draw in their last seven, prompting them to part ways with João Pereira and bring in Rui Borges as the club’s third manager of the campaign. Having relinquished the top spot to Benfica, Sporting will be looking to reclaim first place with a derby win vs. Benfica on Sunday, and there’s reason to believe that their Danish teenager will have a big role to play.
As long as he keeps playing like this, it’s going to become harder and harder to leave Conrad Harder on the bench.