Birkir Bjarnason facts for kids
Birkir playing for Iceland at the 2018 FIFA World Cup
|
|||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 27 May 1988 | ||
| Place of birth | Akureyri, Iceland | ||
| Height | 1.83 m | ||
| Playing position | Central midfielder | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Brescia | ||
| Number | 8 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| KA Akureyri | |||
| Austrått | |||
| Figgjo | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2006–2011 | Viking | 103 | (16) |
| 2008 | → Bodø/Glimt (loan) | 22 | (5) |
| 2012–2013 | Standard Liège | 16 | (0) |
| 2012–2013 | → Pescara (loan) | 24 | (2) |
| 2013 | Pescara | 1 | (0) |
| 2013–2014 | Sampdoria | 14 | (0) |
| 2014–2015 | Pescara | 35 | (10) |
| 2015–2017 | FC Basel | 42 | (14) |
| 2017–2019 | Aston Villa | 48 | (5) |
| 2019 | Al-Arabi | 5 | (1) |
| 2020–2021 | Brescia | 39 | (6) |
| 2021–2023 | Adana Demirspor | 41 | (5) |
| 2023 | Viking | 11 | (2) |
| 2023– | Brescia | 37 | (5) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2004 | Iceland U17 | 7 | (2) |
| 2005–2007 | Iceland U19 | 14 | (3) |
| 2006–2011 | Iceland U21 | 25 | (4) |
| 2010– | Iceland | 113 | (15) |
† Appearances (Goals). |
|||
Birkir Bjarnason is a professional football player from Iceland. He was born on May 27, 1988. Birkir plays as a central midfielder for the Italian club Brescia. He is also a very important player for the Iceland national team. In fact, he has played more games for Iceland than anyone else!
Contents
Club Career: Birkir's Journey in Football
Starting Out: Viking FK
Birkir began his football journey in his hometown of Akureyri, Iceland. In 1999, his family moved to Norway. There, he joined youth teams like Figgjo. In 2005, he joined Viking, a bigger club.
He scored his first goal for Viking in 2006. Birkir quickly became a regular player. He helped Viking avoid being moved down to a lower league. In 2007, his team finished third in the league, which was a great achievement.
In 2008, Birkir played on loan for Bodø/Glimt. He helped them finish fourth in their league. His good playing caught the eye of bigger clubs. He stayed with Viking until 2012, playing over 100 games and scoring 16 goals.
Moving to Europe: Standard Liège and Pescara
In 2012, Birkir signed a five-year deal with Standard Liège in Belgium. He played 16 matches for them.
Later in 2012, Birkir moved to Italy. He joined Pescara, a team that had just moved up to Serie A, Italy's top league. He scored his first goal for Pescara against Napoli. After his loan, Pescara bought him permanently in 2013.
Sampdoria and Return to Pescara
On September 2, 2013, Birkir joined another Italian top-league team, Sampdoria. He played 14 games for them.
In 2014, Birkir returned to Pescara. He was even made the team's captain for the 2014–15 season! He had a fantastic season, scoring 12 goals in 38 games. He helped Pescara reach the play-offs to try and get promoted to Serie A. They played well but narrowly missed out on promotion.
Swiss Success: FC Basel
In July 2015, Birkir moved to Switzerland. He signed a three-year contract with Swiss Super League club FC Basel. He quickly made an impact, scoring his first goal in a UEFA Champions League qualifying game. He also scored his first league goal for Basel in September.
Under his coach, Birkir helped Basel win the Swiss Super League championship in the 2015–16 season. This was Basel's seventh title in a row! Birkir continued to play well for Basel in the 2016–17 season. He played a total of 72 games for Basel and scored 17 goals.
English Adventure: Aston Villa
On January 25, 2017, Birkir signed a contract with Aston Villa, an English club. He scored his first goal for Aston Villa in a cup game in August 2017.
Back to Italy: Brescia and Adana Demirspor
In January 2020, Birkir returned to Italy. He signed with Serie A team Brescia. Before that, he had a short time playing in Qatar for Al-Arabi.
In August 2021, Birkir moved to Turkey. He joined Süper Lig club Adana Demirspor. He scored his first goal for them in September 2021.
Coming Home: Return to Viking and Brescia
On March 31, 2023, Birkir made a special return to his old club, Viking, in Norway. He signed a one-year contract.
However, in August 2023, Birkir returned to Brescia in Italy. He left Viking for the second time, even though they were doing very well in their league.
International Career: Playing for Iceland
Birkir started playing for the senior Iceland national team in 2010. He has played more games for Iceland than any other player, with 113 appearances! He also played for Iceland's youth teams, including the Under-17, Under-19, and Under-21 teams.
He scored his first goal for Iceland in 2012 against France. He also scored important goals during the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifiers. His goals helped Iceland reach the World Cup play-offs. However, they lost to Croatia and did not qualify for the World Cup that year.
Birkir was chosen to play for Iceland in the UEFA Euro 2016 tournament. This was a huge moment for Iceland! He scored Iceland's first-ever goal in a major tournament. This goal was against Portugal in their first group match.
On June 27, 2016, Birkir played against England in the Euro 2016 knockout stage. Iceland surprised everyone by winning 2–1, moving on to the quarter-finals!
In May 2018, Birkir was part of Iceland's team for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. This was another historic moment for Icelandic football.
Honours: Trophies and Achievements
Birkir has won some important titles during his career:
FC Basel
- Swiss Super League: 2015–16 (This means his team won the top league in Switzerland!)
Aston Villa
- EFL Championship play-offs: 2019 (His team won a special play-off tournament to get promoted to a higher league.)
