Alfreð Finnbogason facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

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

Quick facts for kids
Alfreð Finnbogason
Personal information
Finnbogason playing for Iceland at the 2018 FIFA World Cup
Full name	Alfreð Finnbogason
Date of birth	(1989-02-01) 1 February 1989 (age 36)
Place of birth	Grindavík, Iceland
Height	1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Position(s)	Striker
Youth career
1995–1999	Grindavík
1999–2001	Hutchison Vale
2002–2005	Fjölnir
2005–2007	Breiðablik
2006–2007	→ Torres (loan)
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2007–2010	Breiðablik	43	(28)
2007	→ Augnablik (loan)	2	(2)
2011–2012	Lokeren	22	(4)
2012	→ Helsingborg (loan)	17	(12)
2012–2014	Heerenveen	65	(53)
2014–2016	Real Sociedad	23	(2)
2015–2016	→ Olympiacos (loan)	7	(1)
2016	→ FC Augsburg (loan)	14	(7)
2016–2022	FC Augsburg	101	(30)
2022–2023	Lyngby	17	(5)
2023–2024	Eupen	29	(1)
Total		340	(145)
International career^‡
2009–2011	Iceland U21	11	(5)
2010–2023	Iceland	73	(18)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 28 March 2024 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 19 November 2023

Alfreð Finnbogason (born February 1, 1989) is an Icelandic former professional footballer. He played as a striker, which means he was a player who focused on scoring goals.

While playing for Heerenveen in the Netherlands, Alfreð was the top scorer in the Eredivisie league during the 2013–14 season. He scored 29 goals that season. Only a few other top players in Europe scored more goals than him that year.

Alfreð first played for the Iceland national team in 2010. He played in 73 games for his country and scored 18 goals. He was part of the Icelandic team at UEFA Euro 2016 and the 2018 FIFA World Cup. At the 2018 World Cup, he made history by becoming the first Icelander to score a goal in the tournament. He retired from international football in August 2024.

Alfreð's Club Journey
Alfreð's International Career
Alfreð's Personal Life
Career Statistics
- Club Appearances and Goals
- International Appearances and Goals
Awards and Honours
See also

Alfreð's Club Journey

Alfreð was born in Grindavík, Iceland. He played for youth teams there. He also spent two years of his childhood in Edinburgh, Scotland. While in Scotland, Alfreð played for a boys' club called Hutchison Vale. He became a fan of the football team Hibernian because his father was studying in the city.

Playing for Breiðablik

Finnbogason training with Breiðablik

Alfreð joined Breiðablik in 2005. He was part of a very successful youth team there. Many players from that team later became international players.

He started playing for Breiðablik's senior team in 2008. In the 2009 Úrvalsdeild season, he scored 13 goals in 18 league games. His fellow players voted him the Young Player of the Year. Breiðablik also won their first ever title, the Icelandic Cup.

After the 2009 season, Alfreð had trials with teams in Norway and England. In 2010, he was one of the top goal scorers in the league with 14 goals. He was also voted player of the year by other players. Breiðablik won their first league title that year. They also played in the UEFA Europa League for the first time.

Time in Lokeren

On November 3, 2010, Breiðablik announced that Alfreð would join the Belgian team Lokeren. He signed a contract with them on November 20, 2010.

Loan to Helsingborgs IF

On March 6, 2012, Alfreð joined the Swedish champions Helsingborgs IF. This was a six-month loan deal.

Alfreð scored one goal and helped with five assists in a big win against Polish champions Śląsk Wrocław. This was during a qualifying round for the UEFA Champions League. By the end of his loan, Alfreð was Helsingborg's top scorer in 2012. He had 12 goals in 17 games across all competitions.

Moving to Heerenveen

On August 16, 2012, Alfreð signed a three-year contract with the Dutch club Heerenveen. He started very well with his new team. He scored two goals in his first home game against Ajax, which ended in a 2–2 draw. He also scored all four goals in a cup game against Kozakken Boys. Alfreð finished the season as the third-highest goal scorer in the Eredivisie. He scored 24 of Heerenveen's 50 league goals.

Playing for Real Sociedad

On July 2, 2014, Alfreð joined the Spanish club Real Sociedad. He made his first appearance for the club later that month. He started in a 2–0 home win against Aberdeen in the UEFA Europa League.

Loan to Olympiacos

The Greek champions Olympiacos had tried to sign Alfreð before. On July 26, 2015, Olympiacos announced they had signed him on loan from Real Sociedad. He scored his first goal for Olympiacos in a friendly game. Alfreð scored his first important goal for Olympiacos against Arsenal on September 29, 2015. This was in a UEFA Champions League game. His goal helped Olympiacos win 3–2, which was their first ever win in England.

On December 5, 2015, he scored his first league goal from a penalty kick. This was in a 4–3 away win against Panthrakikos.

Joining FC Augsburg

Alfreð was loaned to FC Augsburg in Germany on February 1, 2016. He played his first game as a substitute a few days later. He scored his first goal in his third game on February 28, helping Augsburg draw 2–2. He scored seven goals in fourteen games during his loan. Because of this, his move to Augsburg became permanent on July 1, 2016. On September 9, 2017, he scored three goals in a Bundesliga game against FC Köln. Augsburg won that game 3–0. On December 16, 2017, he scored another three goals in a 3–3 draw.

Time with Lyngby

On September 1, 2022, Alfreð signed a one-year contract with Lyngby, a club in the Danish Superliga. He played his first game three days later. He came on as a substitute in a 2–0 home loss.

Eupen and Retirement

On August 18, 2023, Alfreð moved to the Belgian club Eupen. He signed a deal until June 2025. He played his first game for Eupen on August 20, starting in a 3–1 away win. On September 17, he scored his first goal for Eupen. It was a goal in the 80th minute of a 3–1 home loss. After Eupen was moved to a lower league, Alfreð agreed to end his contract on September 5, 2024. He then announced he was retiring from football on November 21, 2024.

Alfreð's International Career

Alfreð played 11 games and scored five goals for Iceland's under-21 team. His first goal for the under-21s was in a 6–2 win against Northern Ireland on September 8, 2009.

He earned his first cap for the Iceland national team in 2010. He came on as a substitute in a friendly game against the Faroe Islands. Alfreð scored in his first game as a starter for Iceland against Israel. That game was a 3–2 loss.

Alfreð was chosen for UEFA Euro 2016. In May 2018, he was named in Iceland's team for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. In their first match at the tournament, Alfreð scored the goal that made the score 1–1 against Argentina. He retired from international football in August 2024.

Alfreð's Personal Life

In 2007, Alfreð spent five months as an exchange student in Sardinia, Italy. During this time, he played for Sassari Torres. He even scored a goal in a win against the Italy U-17 national team.

On April 19, 2013, Alfreð set a new record. He scored his 24th goal of the season, which was the most goals ever scored by an Icelandic footballer playing in a top league in any country. The previous record was 23 goals.

Career Statistics

Club Appearances and Goals

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club	Season	League			Cup		League Cup		Continental		Total
Club	Season	Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Augnablik (loan)	2007	3. deild	2	2	—		—		—		2	2
Breiðablik	2008	Úrvalsdeild	4	1	1	0	3	0	—		8	1
	2009	Úrvalsdeild	18	13	4	2	4	0	—		26	15
	2010	Úrvalsdeild	21	14	1	0	6	5	2	0	30	19
	Total		43	28	6	2	13	5	2	0	64	35
Lokeren	2010–11	Belgian Pro League	15	3	—		—		—		15	3
	2011–12	Belgian Pro League	7	1	3	2	—		—		10	3
	Total		22	4	3	2	0	0	0	0	25	6
Helsingborgs IF	2012	Allsvenskan	17	12	1	0	—		4	1	22	13
Heerenveen	2012–13	Eredivisie	33	24	2	4	—		—		35	28
	2013–14	Eredivisie	32	29	3	2	—		—		35	31
	Total		65	53	5	6	0	0	0	0	70	59
Real Sociedad	2014–15	La Liga	23	2	2	2	—		2	0	27	4
Olympiacos	2015–16	Super League Greece	7	1	3	0	—		3	1	13	2
FC Augsburg (loan)	2015–16	Bundesliga	14	7	0	0	—		—		14	7
FC Augsburg	2016–17	Bundesliga	13	3	1	0	—		—		14	3
	2017–18	Bundesliga	22	12	1	0	—		—		23	12
	2018–19	Bundesliga	18	10	2	1	—		—		20	11
	2019–20	Bundesliga	21	3	0	0	—		—		21	3
	2020–21	Bundesliga	17	0	1	1	—		—		18	1
	2021–22	Bundesliga	10	2	2	0	—		—		12	2
	Total		115	37	7	2	0	0	0	0	122	39
Lyngby	2022–23	Danish Superliga	17	5	0	0	—		—		17	5
Career total			311	143	27	14	13	5	11	2	362	164

International Appearances and Goals

Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team	Year	Apps	Goals
Iceland	2010	2	1
	2011	4	0
	2012	6	2
	2013	8	1
	2014	3	1
	2015	7	2
	2016	10	4
	2017	5	0
	2018	7	4
	2019	5	0
	2020	4	0
	2021	0	0
	2022	2	0
	2023	10	3
Total		73	18

Scores and results list Iceland's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Alfreð goal.

List of international goals scored by Alfreð Finnbogason
No.	Date	Venue	Cap	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	17 November 2010	Bloomfield Stadium, Tel Aviv, Israel	2	Israel	1–3	2–3	Friendly
2	29 February 2012	Podgorica City Stadium, Podgorica, Montenegro	7	Montenegro	1–1	1–2	Friendly
3	7 September 2012	Laugardalsvöllur, Reykjavík, Iceland	9	Norway	2–0	2–0	2014 FIFA World Cup qualification
4	7 June 2013	Laugardalsvöllur, Reykjavík, Iceland	15	Slovenia	2–1	2–4	2014 FIFA World Cup qualification
5	12 November 2014	King Baudouin Stadium, Brussels, Belgium	23	Belgium	1–1	1–3	Friendly
6	13 November 2015	National Stadium, Warsaw, Poland	29	Poland	2–2	2–4	Friendly
7	17 November 2015	Štadión pod Dubňom, Žilina, Slovakia	30	Slovakia	1–0	1–3	Friendly
8	6 June 2016	Laugardalsvöllur, Reykjavík, Iceland	34	Liechtenstein	3–0	4–0	Friendly
9	5 September 2016	Olimpiyskyi National Sports Complex, Kyiv, Ukraine	38	Ukraine	1–0	1–1	2018 FIFA World Cup qualification
10	6 October 2016	Laugardalsvöllur, Reykjavík, Iceland	39	Finland	2–2	3–2	2018 FIFA World Cup qualification
11	9 October 2016	Laugardalsvöllur, Reykjavík, Iceland	40	Turkey	2–0	2–0	2018 FIFA World Cup qualification
12	2 June 2018	Laugardalsvöllur, Reykjavík, Iceland	46	Norway	1–1	2–3	Friendly
13	7 June 2018	Laugardalsvöllur, Reykjavík, Iceland	47	Ghana	2–0	2–2	Friendly
14	16 June 2018	Otkritie Arena, Moscow, Russia	48	Argentina	1–1	1–1	2018 FIFA World Cup
15	15 October 2018	Laugardalsvöllur, Reykjavík, Iceland	52	Switzerland	1–2	1–2	2018–19 UEFA Nations League A
16	17 June 2023	Laugardalsvöllur, Reykjavík, Iceland	66	Slovakia	1–1	1–2	UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying
17	11 September 2023	Laugardalsvöllur, Reykjavík, Iceland	69	Bosnia and Herzegovina	1–0	1–0	UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying
18	16 October 2023	Laugardalsvöllur, Reykjavík, Iceland	71	Liechtenstein	2–0	4–0	UEFA Euro 2024 qualification