Thursday 14 / November / 2024
Stockholm: Emir Kujovic was perhaps not the best known name in the 23-man Sweden squad announced on Wednesday, but the top scorer in the 2015 Allsvenskan aims to step out of the shadow of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and make a name for himself at Euro 2016.
His electric form for IFK Norrkoping, where he fired 21 goals as they won the Swedish title last year, saw him called up to the squad for the Euro 2016 playoff against Denmark.
The 27-year-old cemented his place in the squad with four goals in five league starts this year, but the single-minded striker is not content to just sit on the bench in France.
"The next goal is of course to play," he told Reuters following the squad announcement. "I'm not happy just by being part of it. I want to play, and I think if I get a chance I will do my very best to do as good as I can."
With Sweden captain Zlatan Ibrahimoivc all but undroppable, Kujovic is competing with two hard-running forwards in Celta Vigo's John Guidetti and Marcus Berg of Panathanaikos for the second spot up front.
"My way of playing is more in the box," Kujovic explained. "I love to score goals and I can do it in many different ways."
Kujovic has flown under the radar for much of his career, breaking through at Halmstad in Sweden and spending two and a half years with Turkish side Kayserispor before returning home and joining Norrkoping.
A threat from set pieces for his club side, the tall, muscular striker possesses a powerful shot on either foot and is a handful in the air.
He also has excellent vision and a good range of passing, but when asked if these qualities might help improve the performances of Ibrahimovic, Sweden's all-time leading goalscorer, Kujovic laughed.
"I think he's good as he is," he beamed. "I just hope that I can get a chance, then I can show what I can do, but Zlatan? I don't think he needs any help."
