Aron Gunnarsson facts for kids
Aron playing for Iceland at the 2018 FIFA World Cup
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Aron Einar Malmquist Gunnarsson | ||
| Date of birth | 22 April 1989 | ||
| Place of birth | Akureyri, Iceland | ||
| Height | 1.81 m (5 ft 11 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
|
Current team
|
Al-Gharafa | ||
| Number | 24 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2004–2005 | Þór Akureyri | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2005–2006 | Þór Akureyri | 11 | (0) |
| 2006–2008 | AZ | 1 | (0) |
| 2008–2011 | Coventry City | 122 | (6) |
| 2011–2019 | Cardiff City | 271 | (25) |
| 2019–2024 | Al-Arabi | 79 | (7) |
| 2024 | Þór Akureyri | 6 | (1) |
| 2024– | Al-Gharafa | 0 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2005 | Iceland U17 | 7 | (2) |
| 2006–2008 | Iceland U19 | 16 | (1) |
| 2007–2011 | Iceland U21 | 11 | (1) |
| 2008– | Iceland | 107 | (5) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 11:44, 25 September 2024 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 23:11, 6 June 2025 (UTC) |
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Aron Einar Malmquist Gunnarsson (born on April 22, 1989) is a professional footballer from Iceland. He plays as a midfielder for Al-Gharafa in the Qatar Stars League and is also a key player for the Iceland national team. He usually plays as a defensive midfielder, helping to protect his team's goal.
Aron started his football journey at Þór Akureyri in Iceland. He later played one match for the Dutch club AZ before moving to England to join Coventry City in 2008. After playing 133 matches for Coventry, he moved to Cardiff City. With Cardiff, he reached the final of the 2012 Football League Cup final and played in the top English league, the 2013–14 Premier League.
Aron has played for Iceland many times, making his first appearance in 2008. He has played over 100 matches for his country. From 2012 to 2025, he was the captain of the Icelandic team. He led them to their first big tournament, UEFA Euro 2016, where they made it to the quarter-finals!
Contents
Club Career Highlights
Starting His Football Journey
Aron was born in Akureyri, Iceland. He started playing football on gravel pitches. In winter, when it was too snowy for football, he played handball. He even played in the Icelandic handball league when he was just fifteen!
He began his football career with his local team, Þór Akureyri, in 2005. Thanks to new indoor pitches in Iceland, he could train all year round. When he was seventeen, Aron moved to the Netherlands to join the youth academy at AZ. He played his first match for AZ during the 2007–08 season.
Playing for Coventry City
On June 17, 2008, Aron signed with Coventry City, an English team in the EFL Championship. He played his first game for them on the opening day of the season, helping Coventry win 2–0 against Norwich City.
He scored his first goal in an FA Cup match against Premier League team Blackburn Rovers on February 14, 2009. His first league goal was against Crystal Palace. At the end of his first season, Coventry City fans voted him their Player of the Year!
The next season, Aron changed his shirt number to 17. This was to match his brother's number, who is a professional handball player. Aron continued to be a very important player in Coventry's midfield. He played 42 matches that season and scored one goal against Middlesbrough.
In the 2010–11 season, Aron scored against Millwall and later scored his first goal at Coventry City's home stadium, the Ricoh Arena, against Preston North End.
Time at Cardiff City
On July 8, 2011, Aron joined Cardiff City on a free transfer. He made his debut for Cardiff on August 7, playing the whole match in a 1–0 win against West Ham United.
On October 22, Aron scored two goals in a thrilling 5–3 victory against Barnsley. He was named the best player of that match.
Aron played in the entire 2012 Football League Cup final at Wembley Stadium. Cardiff City lost to Liverpool in a penalty shootout.
On August 25, 2013, Aron scored Cardiff's first ever goal in the Premier League! This happened in a 3–2 win against Manchester City. In June 2015, he signed a new contract with Cardiff.
After playing for Iceland in Euro 2016, Aron was a very important player for Cardiff City. His great performances earned him the club's Player of the Year award at the end of the 2016–17 season.
Despite some injuries, Aron helped Cardiff get promoted back to the Premier League in the 2017–18 season. He even scored the winning goal against Nottingham Forest that helped them achieve this! In July 2018, he signed another one-year deal with the club.
Playing in Qatar
In March 2019, it was announced that Aron would leave Cardiff and join Al-Arabi, a club in the Qatar Stars League. He officially joined them in July 2019 and extended his contract in June 2022.
Return to Þór and Al-Gharafa
On August 1, 2024, Aron made a special move back to his first club, Þór Akureyri, signing an 18-month deal. However, in September 2024, he signed with Al-Gharafa, another club in Qatar.
International Career for Iceland
Aron played his first international match for Iceland on February 2, 2008. He was part of the Iceland Under-21 squad for the 2011 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship.
In August 2012, at just 23 years old, Aron was named the permanent captain of the national team. Under his leadership, Iceland reached the play-off round for the FIFA World Cup qualification for the first time ever!
On October 10, 2014, Aron scored his first goal for the senior national team in a 3–0 win against Latvia. He scored again on June 12, 2015, in a 2–1 win over the Czech Republic. A goalless draw against Kazakhstan on September 6, 2015, meant Iceland qualified for their first major international tournament!
Aron captained Iceland at UEFA Euro 2016 in France. Iceland surprised everyone by drawing 1–1 with Portugal, beating Austria, and drawing with Hungary. They then famously knocked out England in the round of 16! They were eventually defeated by France in the quarter-finals. Aron played in all five of these historic games.
In May 2018, he was chosen for Iceland's squad for the 2018 World Cup in Russia. On November 6, 2022, he played his 100th match for Iceland in a friendly game against Saudi Arabia.
On March 26, 2023, Aron scored his first ever hat-trick (three goals in one game) for Iceland! This happened in his 101st match, a huge 7–0 win against Liechtenstein. He became the oldest player to score a hat-trick for his country.
In March 2025, the new manager decided to give the captaincy to a younger player, Orri Óskarsson.
Personal Life
Aron's older brother, Arnór Þór Gunnarsson, is also a professional athlete. He plays handball for the Icelandic national team.
Honours and Achievements
Cardiff City
- Football League/EFL Championship: Won in 2012–13; finished second in 2017–18
- Football League Cup runner-up: 2011–12
Images for kids
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Aron (left) playing for Iceland in 2014
See also
In Spanish: Aron Gunnarsson para niños
