Kolbeinn Sigþórsson

Kolbeinn Sigþórsson (Icelandic pronunciation: ​[ˈkʰɔlpei̯tn̥ ˈsɪxθou̯r̥sɔn]; born 14 March 1990[2]) is an Icelandic professional footballer who plays as a striker for Swedish club AIK[3] and the Iceland national team.

This is an Icelandic name. The last name is patronymic, not a family name; this person is referred to by the given name Kolbeinn.

Kolbeinn Sigþórsson
Kolbeinn playing for Iceland in 2014
Personal information
Full name Kolbeinn Sigþórsson
Date of birth (1990-03-14) 14 March 1990
Place of birth Reykjavík, Iceland
Height 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)[1]
Playing position(s) Striker
Club information
Current team
 AIK
Number 30
Youth career
1996–2006 Víkingur
2006–2007 HK
2007–2010 AZ
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2006 HK 5 (1)
2010–2011 AZ 32 (15)
2011–2015 Ajax 80 (31)
2015–2019 Nantes 30 (3)
2016 → Galatasaray (loan) 0 (0)
2019– AIK 14 (2)
National team‡
2006–2007 Iceland U17 12 (7)
2009 Iceland U19 2 (0)
2007–2011 Iceland U21 16 (4)
2010– Iceland 57 (26)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 12 October 2019
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 20 January 2020

Before being signed by Ajax for a fee of €4.5 million in the summer of 2011, Kolbeinn came through Víkingur Reykjavik's youth program. He then had a brief spell with HK Kópavogur in his home country and moved on to AZ Alkmaar in the Netherlands.

Before making his debut for the Icelandic national team, Kolbeinn played at under-17, under-19 and under-21 levels. With 26 goals, he is their joint top goalscorer of all-time.

Club career

Víkingur

Kolbeinn began his career in Iceland with Víkingur, where he came through the academy, before deciding to move over to HK's youth team for a brief spell in March 2006 three days before he turned 16. He made his senior debut in the 2006 season.[4][5] He would go on to play 5 league matches for the club, scoring one goal. He soon attracted the interest from top European clubs like Real Madrid and Arsenal, having two trials with the London-based club, before finally deciding to move to AZ.[4][6]

AZ

After joining AZ in March 2007, he initially played in various youth teams before finally joining the first team squad in July 2010, after struggling with injuries. He made his professional debut for AZ on 5 August 2010 in a UEFA Europa League qualification match against IFK Göteborg.[7] He scored his first goal for the club on 29 August 2010 in a match against Excelsior.[8] On 29 January 2011 he scored a hat-trick in the first half in a match against VVV-Venlo, going on to score 5 goals in the match.[9][10] As he kept scoring goals in subsequent matches, AZ tried to extend the player's contract, but the player was not interested. After courting interest from Borussia Dortmund and Newcastle United, Dutch giants Ajax moved in for the player with a 2 million euros bid.[11] The player soon agreed on personal terms with Ajax, but the clubs could not agree on a fee for several weeks.

Ajax

On 4 July 2011 it was announced that the clubs had agreed a fee of €4.5 million and the player signed a contract with the AFC Ajax.[12] In an interview, Kolbeinn stated that it was a dream come true to work with Dennis Bergkamp and Frank de Boer.[13] He scored his first goal for the club in a pre-season friendly against Brøndby IF, scoring with a header in the 38th minute.[14] On 30 July 2011 he made his first appearance in a competitive match for Ajax, as the team lost the Johan Cruyff Shield 1–2 to Twente.[15] On 14 August 2011, Kolbeinn scored his first league goal for Ajax in a 5–1 victory over Heerenveen at the Amsterdam Arena.[16] He scored another goal against VVV Venlo the following week, and two more goals against Vitesse, taking his tally to 4 goals in 4 league matches.[17][18] In October 2011, Kolbeinn fractured his ankle and was ruled out for the rest of the season. However, on 12 March 2012, he trained for the first time in about 5 months without complications. He made his return to the Ajax side on 1 April 2012, coming of the bench to score the last goal in a 6–0 win over Heracles Almelo.

Nantes

On 2 July 2015 it was announced that Kolbeinn had signed a five-year contract with French Ligue 1 side FC Nantes, with Ajax receiving a €3.5 million transfer fee in the deal. He was presented by his new club the same day, and given the number 9 shirt for the 2015–16 Ligue 1 season.[19]

Galatasaray (loan)

On 30 August 2016, Kolbeinn joined Galatasaray on season-long loan deal, with a €3.8 million clause to buy him on a permanent basis.[20][21] On 29 December 2016, Galatasaray cancelled his loan.[22]

Return to Nantes

Kolbeinn declined a move to IFK Gothenburg in the 2018 January transfer window over fears the artificial pitches in Sweden could cause more impact damage to his knee.[23]

He made his playing comeback for the FC Nantes reserves in March 2018.[24]

FC Nantes announced on March 8th 2019 that Kolbeinn's contract had been terminated.[25]

AIK

On 31 March 2019 Kolbeinn joined Swedish club AIK, signing a contract valid until 31 December 2021.[26]

International career

After representing Iceland on various youth levels, Kolbeinn made his debut for the Icelandic national team in a friendly against the Faroe Islands on 21 March 2010 scoring the second goal in the 37th minute of the 2–0 home win. His first appearance in a competitive match for Iceland came on 7 September 2010 in a Euro 2012 qualification match against Denmark losing to the opposition in a 1–0 away match. His first goal in a competitive match came on 6 September 2011 in a Euro 2012 qualification match against Cyprus, finding the back of the net in the fifth minute for the only goal in the 1–0 home win. On 27 May, he scored the second goal giving Iceland a 0–2 advantage over France but Iceland went on to lose the match 3–2. Kolbeinn captained the side on 6 February 2013 in a friendly against Russia, held in Marbella, Spain, where Iceland lost with 2 goals to 0.[27] After the match national coach Lars Lagerbäck said Kolbeinn would likely be named as vice-captain to Aron Gunnarsson.[28] That held true when Kolbeinn captained the side after Aron was carried off injured in a World Cup qualifying match against Slovenia in June 2013.[29]

UEFA Euro 2016

Kolbeinn scored in Iceland's opening UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying match, a 3–0 victory over Turkey in Reykjavík.[30] On 12 June 2015, he scored the winning goal in a 2–1 win over the Czech Republic to give Iceland a two-point lead at the top of Group A.[31]

He was called up for the 23-man squad managed by Heimir Hallgrímsson and Lars Lagerbäck for Euro 2016.[32] On 27 June 2016, Kolbeinn scored Iceland's second goal against England in the round of 16 at the Stade de Nice, which proved to be the decisive goal as Iceland upset England with a 2–1 victory to advance to the quarter-finals.[33] Kolbeinn also scored from a Gylfi Sigurðsson cross in the second half of Iceland's quarter-final against France on 3 July, however it was to no avail as Iceland eventually lost 5–2.

World Cup 2018

In May 2018 he was named on the standby list for Iceland’s 23 man squad for the 2018 World Cup in Russia.[34]

Personal life

His brother Andri Sigþórsson was also a professional footballer who now acts as his agent.[35]

Career statistics

Club
As of 2 February 2020[36]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League Cup Continental Other12 Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
HK20061. deild karla5100000051
AZ2010–11Eredivisie32152093004318
Ajax2011–12Eredivisie147002010177
2012–13157222010209
2013–1430104170114212
2014–15217004010267
Total 8031631504110535
Jong Ajax2014–15Eerste Divisie10––0010
Nantes2015–16Ligue 1263310000294
2016–172000000020
2017–182000000020
2018–190000000000
Total 303310000334
AIK 2019 Allsvenskan173007100244
Career total 165531143144121162

1 Includes UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League matches.

2 Includes Johan Cruyff Shield and Coupe de la Ligue matches.

International
As of 23 January 2020[37]
National teamYearAppsGoals
Iceland
201053
201131
201234
201395
201473
201582
201694
201700
201841
201983
202010
Total5726

International goals
As of match played 14 October 2019. Iceland score listed first, score column indicates score after each Kolbeinn goal.[38]
International goals by date, venue, cap, opponent, score, result and competition
No. Date Venue Cap Opponent Score Result Competition
1 21 March 2010Kórinn, Kópavogur, Iceland1 Faroe Islands2–02–0Friendly
2 29 May 2010Laugardalsvöllur, Reykjavík, Iceland3 Andorra4–04–0
3 17 November 2010Bloomfield Stadium, Tel Aviv, Israel5 Israel2–32–3
4 6 September 2011Laugardalsvöllur, Reykjavík, Iceland8 Cyprus1–01–0UEFA Euro 2012 qualification
5 27 May 2012Stade du Hainaut, Valenciennes, France9 France2–02–3Friendly
6 30 May 2012Gamla Ullevi, Gothenburg, Sweden10 Sweden1–22–3
7 15 August 2012Laugardalsvöllur, Reykjavík, Iceland11 Faroe Islands1–02–0
8 2–0
9 14 August 2013151–01–0
10 6 September 2013Stade de Suisse, Bern, Switzerland16  Switzerland2–44–42014 FIFA World Cup qualification
11 10 September 2013Laugardalsvöllur, Reykjavík, Iceland17 Albania2–12–1
12 11 October 201318 Cyprus1–02–0
13 15 October 2013Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo, Norway19 Norway1–01–1
14 30 May 2014Tivoli-Neu, Innsbruck, Austria22 Austria1–11–1Friendly
15 4 June 2014Laugardalsvöllur, Reykjavík, Iceland23 Estonia1–01–0
16 9 September 201424 Turkey3–03–0UEFA Euro 2016 qualification
17 12 June 201529 Czech Republic2–12–1
18 10 October 201532 Latvia1–02–2
19 29 March 2016Karaiskakis Stadium, Piraeus, Greece37 Greece3–23–2Friendly
20 6 June 2016Laugardalsvöllur, Reykjavík, Iceland39 Liechtenstein1–04–0
21 27 June 2016Stade de Nice, Nice, France43 England2–12–1UEFA Euro 2016
22 3 July 2016Stade de France, Saint-Denis, France44 France1–42–5
23 19 November 2018Kehrwegstadion, Eupen, Belgium48 Qatar2–12–2Friendly
24 7 September 2019Laugardalsvöllur, Reykjavík, Iceland51 Moldova1–03–0UEFA Euro 2020 qualification
25 10 September 2019Elbasan Arena, Elbasan, Albania52 Albania2–22–4
26 14 October 2019Laugardalsvöllur, Reykjavík, Iceland54 Andorra2–02–0

Honours

Ajax[39]

References
  1. Nantes, FC. "Football Club de Nantes – Site Officiel". fcnantes.com.
  2. "Iceland - K. Sigþórsson - Profile with news, career statistics and history - Soccerway". us.soccerway.com. Retrieved 29 February 2020.
  3. https://www.aikfotboll.se/nyheter/aik-fotboll-varvar-kolbeinn-sigthorsson
  4. "Sky Sports Scout – Kolbeinn Sigthorsson". Sky Sports. 11 February 2011. Retrieved 27 August 2011.
  5. "Kolbeinn Sigþórsson". KSÍ. Retrieved 23 October 2013.
  6. "Kolbeinn Sigthorsson happy he chose AZ over Arsenal". tribalfootball.com. 7 October 2010. Retrieved 27 August 2011.
  7. "IFK Göteborg vs. AZ". Soccerway. 5 August 2010. Retrieved 27 August 2011.
  8. "AZ vs. Excelsior". Soccerway. 29 August 2010. Retrieved 27 August 2011.
  9. "IJslander Sigthórsson schittert tegen armzalig VVV" (in Dutch). Voetbal International. 29 January 2011. Retrieved 26 August 2011.
  10. Berend Scholten (2 February 2011). "Sigthórsson writes his name into AZ folklore". UEFA. Retrieved 26 August 2011.
  11. "Ajax biedt AZ twee miljoen euro voor Sigthórsson" (in Dutch). Voetbal International. 3 May 2011. Retrieved 26 August 2011.
  12. "Ajax contracteert Sigþórsson" (in Dutch). Ajax.nl. 4 July 2011. Retrieved 26 August 2011.
  13. "Sigthórsson: 'Droom om met Bergkamp te werken'" (in Dutch). Voetbal International. 4 July 2011. Retrieved 26 August 2011.
  14. "Ajax steamrolls past Brøndby IF". Ajax.nl. 20 July 2011. Archived from the original on 25 March 2012. Retrieved 27 August 2011.
  15. "Twente vs. Ajax". Soccerway. 30 July 2011. Retrieved 27 August 2011.
  16. "Ajax vs. Heerenveen". Soccerway. 14 August 2011. Retrieved 27 August 2011.
  17. "VVV vs. Ajax". Soccerway. 21 August 2011. Retrieved 27 August 2011.
  18. "Ajax vs. Vitesse". Soccerway. 26 May 2011. Retrieved 27 August 2011.
  19. "Nantes presenteert Kolbeinn Sigthorsson". De Telegraaf. 2 July 2015. Retrieved 3 July 2011.
  20. "Kolbeinn Sigthorsson joins Galatasaray on loan". French Football News.
  21. "KAP". kap.org.tr.
  22. "Kolbeinn Sigthorsson'un sözleşmesi feshedildi". galatasaray.org (in Turkish). Galatasaray. 29 December 2016. Retrieved 29 December 2016.
  23. "Kolbeinn Sigthorsson a refusé de partir à Göteborg". L'Équipe. 21 February 2018.
  24. "FC Nantes : 3 bonnes raisons de relancer Kolbeinn Sigthorsson".
  25. https://twitter.com/FCNantes/status/1103962937461559296
  26. https://www.aikfotboll.se/nyheter/aik-fotboll-varvar-kolbeinn-sigthorsson
  27. "Kolbeinn: Spilið ekki nógu gott" (in Icelandic). mbl.is. 6 February 2013. Retrieved 6 February 2013.
  28. "Lars Lagerback: Ágætis líkur á að Kolbeinn verði varafyrirliði" (in Icelandic). fotbolti.net. 6 February 2013. Retrieved 6 February 2013.
  29. "Slóvenar sóttu þrjú stig í Laugardalinn" (in Icelandic). mbl.is. 7 June 2013. Retrieved 16 June 2013.
  30. "Impressive Iceland too strong for ten-man Turkey". UEFA. 9 September 2015.
  31. "Iceland 2–1 Czech Rep". BBC. 12 June 2015.
  32. "A karla – Lokahópur fyrir EM 2016" (in Icelandic). Knattspyrnusamband Íslands. 9 May 2016. Archived from the original on 12 May 2016. Retrieved 10 May 2016.
  33. "England 1 Iceland 2: Fairytale continues as Hodgson's men crash out". FourFourTwo. 27 June 2016. Retrieved 28 June 2016.
  34. https://www.goal.com/en/amp/news/world-cup-squad-injured-gylfi-sigurdsson/17guw991qjit61qqhhfn9lyhon
  35. "Sigthorsson AWOL following loan – Kita". ESPN.com. 13 January 2017.
  36. "K. Sigþórsson – Profile". Soccerway.
  37. "Kolbeinn Sigþórsson". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmerman.
  38. "Kolbeinn Sigþórsson". Football Association of Iceland (in Icelandic). Retrieved 28 June 2016.
  39. "Kolbeinn Sigþórsson – Career Honours". Soccerway.
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