Arnor Gudjohnsen is no ordinary footballer. A journeyman career around Europe with Belgian clubs SK Lokeren and Anderlecht might suggest otherwise, but the former Icelandic striker holds one of the most unique records in world football.
On 24th April 1996, Arnor made footballing history when he was substituted for his son Eidur- formerly of Chelsea and Barcelona- during a friendly between Iceland against Estonia in Tallinn. This was the first time that a father and son had both played during an international match, a record that still stands today.
Unfortunately, that is where the history of Icelandic football ends. Its national side has never qualified for a major championship, and reached their lowest FIFA world ranking of 131 last year. But all that could be about to change. Iceland’s national team are on the brink of reaching their maiden World Cup next year in Brazil, and currently sit second in their qualifying group behind regular finalists Switzerland.
In a country more famous for eccentric female singer Bjork and the eruption of unpronounceable volcano Eyjajaffajokull in 2010, this sudden footballing success has come somewhat as a surprise. Arguably it was almost inevitable; Iceland has produced a large number of talented players over the last few years, most notably Eidur Gudjohnsen, as well as playmaker Gylfi Sigurdsson and former Portsmouth defender Hermann Hreidarsson.
In fact, many of these senior players turned out for the under-21 side which qualified for the 2011 European Championships, including a 4-1 win over Germany, a team boasting star names such as Mesut Ozil and Sami Khedria.
So what has changed? Icelandic players have traditionally grown up playing football in poor conditions, mainly due to the country’s unpredictable climate, and their development has often been hindered by sub-standard training facilities. This began to change when the FA invested more money into developing its young talent. Most significantly, indoor pitches were installed with artificial grass, allowing players to escape harsh weather conditions and train all year round.
This improvement is not restricted to grass-roots level either. Recent performances in qualifying, including their 2-0 win over Norway in Reykjavik, have been masterminded by experienced international coach Lars Lagerback, who previously led Sweden to five consecutive major championships and took Nigeria to the World Cup three years ago.
With the majority of Iceland’s national team being based in Scandinavia, the decision to employ a foreign coach appears to have paid dividends. Iceland’s domestic league may still have some catching up to do to meet the growing success of its national side- but while the country’s most talented players continue to move abroad in search of bigger clubs, the standard at home will surely continue to struggle.
Reaching their first World Cup finals would represent a major breakthrough for a team which currently sits 92nd in the world rankings. Nevertheless, given the controversy surrounding England’s position in the rankings, it is easy to dismiss these figures as meaningless.
Neither should the country be worried about qualification for next year’s tournament. UEFA’s decision to upgrade Euro 2016 to 24 teams will benefit the continent’s smaller nations such as Iceland, who should prosper under the new qualifying system.
The future of Icelandic football has never looked brighter. The pressure will now be firmly on the national team to ensure that the country finally has a footballing history it can be proud of.
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