Benjamin Sesko is one of the most exciting young players at Euro 2024.
The RB Leipzig striker scored seven goals in seven games to close the Bundesliga season, seeing him finish on 14 goals in only 17 starts.
Sesko had a stunning 2024 heading into the Euros Credit: Getty
He has starred for Leipzig in his first campaign at the club following a move from RB Salzburg, and at only 20 years old, he has a very, very bright future ahead of him.
Sesko will be aiming to continue his scoring form at the European Championship where he is set to come up against England in the group stage.
In qualifying for the tournament, he scored five goals and assisted two for Slovenia and he will be a major threat for the Gareth Southgate’s Three Lions to deal with.
In Slovenia’s first game against Denmark, Sesko didn’t score, but he was a threat throughout and hit the woodwork with a thunderous strike.
Standing at 6ft 4in, Sesko is a huge physical presence but he still possesses technical ability and incredible speed on the pitch.
This has led to comparisons to Manchester City superstar Erling Haaland with even his teammates at Leipzig likening the two.
Sesko joined Salzburg after Haaland left and he spoke about the comparison while at the club, saying: “Such comparisons motivate me and give me energy.
“They do not represent pressure. I will listen and learn so I can be even better than he is.
“My teammates at the club tell me that Haaland and I are very similar, especially in terms of speed. Most of them even tell me that I’m better than him!”
Sesko’s stature and speed has seen him compared to Haaland Credit: Getty
His similarity to Haaland has seen him use the Premier League Golden Boot winner as an example but it’s another striker that he idolises.
Sesko grew up with iconic forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic as his role-model.
He would watch videos of the former Barcelona, Manchester United, AC Milan and PSG star, but not because of the way he played.
“Zlatan Ibrahimovic was my idol,” he told the Guardian last year.
“I’m not saying I play like him but he was having fun, enjoying himself on the pitch, doing what he wanted to do. It makes me really happy when I see that kind of player.
“Every single video I could find, I was looking at him.”
Sesko loved Zlatan’s happiness on the pitch Credit: Getty
So with Sesko’s play style similar to Haaland’s and his attitude to football taking inspiration from Ibrahimovic, he is primed to be a star.
And his stats are backing that up already, with some of the world’s best teams now interested in signing him.
Two of those teams are Arsenal and Chelsea with the Slovenian being a long-term target for the Premier League giants.
talkSPORT understands that Chelsea were considering a move this summer with Sesko an alternative option to Victor Osimhen.
And a battle was set to ensue, with the Gunners looking to swoop in first with a new striker their top priority this summer.
However, he snubbed a possible Premier League move by signing a new contract at Leipzig.
It means a move will have to wait for Arsenal, who are understood to want a more physical striker to add a different dimension to their attack.
Haaland has arguably been the difference between the Gunners and a Premier League title over the last two years, so now they will still be keen to turn to the next best thing to finally beat Man City to the trophy.
And they will view Euro 2024 as the perfect opportunity to see some more of Sesko on the biggest stage, and if the early stages are anything to go by, the queue of teams wanting this Slovenian superstar is only going to grow.