7 facts you did not know about the Icelandic national football team
Sports
By staff
|June 28, 2016
The Icelandic national football team has become a favorite in the international arena after England’s victory at the European Championships and became the smallest nation to advance to the quarter-finals. Here is a little information about a strong and energetic team from Iceland.
1. Icelandic goalkeeper, Hannes Þór Halldórsson, began his professional career relatively late as he had long struggled with a shoulder injury. Hannes is also a film director and directed the TV series Atvinnumennirnir okkar which accompanies some of Iceland’s professional athletes.
The solemn “Viking cry” comes from Scotland. Supporters of the Stjarnan football team performed their song after being inspired by fans of the Scottish team Motherwell in 2014. The Icelandic national team now leads fans into the Vikings’ “war cry” at the end of the game to show their gratitude to the fans. ‘loyalty and support.
Kristbjörg Jónasdóttir, Team captain Aron Einar Gunnarsson’s girlfriend is an accomplished gymnast.
4. Gylfi Þór Sigurðsson, the star player of Iceland, is today the highest paid Icelandic footballer and receives about 40 million ISK in salary per month. Gylfi plays as a midfielder for the Premier League club Swansea City.
5. Former captain of Iceland, Eiður Smári Guðjohnsen, now 37 years old, has had a successful club career across Europe, playing for clubs such as Chelsea and Barcelona. He now has the opportunity to end his career with the national team on a high note.
6. Iceland’s supporters are called “The Twelve” (The Twelve), where they are “the twelfth man on the field”. The club was founded in 2007 by a small group of supporters who believed that the Icelandic national team needed to be welcomed by spectators. The club has since expanded and as was revealed at Iceland’s games, it is extremely short for its team.
7. When Iceland’s new team uniform made its debut earlier this year either people loved it or hated it. The words “for Iceland” or “for Iceland” are printed on the collar.