Eiður Guðjohnsen facts for kids
Eiður Smári in 2018
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Eiður Smári Guðjohnsen | ||
| Date of birth | 15 September 1978 | ||
| Place of birth | Reykjavík, Iceland | ||
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||
| Position(s) | Forward / Midfielder | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1994 | Valur | 17 | (7) |
| 1995–1998 | PSV | 13 | (3) |
| 1998 | KR Reykjavík | 6 | (0) |
| 1998–2000 | Bolton Wanderers | 55 | (18) |
| 2000–2006 | Chelsea | 186 | (54) |
| 2006–2009 | Barcelona | 72 | (10) |
| 2009–2010 | Monaco | 9 | (0) |
| 2010 | → Tottenham Hotspur (loan) | 11 | (1) |
| 2010–2011 | Stoke City | 4 | (0) |
| 2011 | → Fulham (loan) | 10 | (0) |
| 2011–2012 | AEK Athens | 10 | (1) |
| 2012–2013 | Cercle Brugge | 13 | (6) |
| 2013–2014 | Club Brugge | 46 | (7) |
| 2014–2015 | Bolton Wanderers | 21 | (5) |
| 2015–2016 | Shijiazhuang Ever Bright | 14 | (1) |
| 2016 | Molde | 13 | (1) |
| 2016 | Pune City | 0 | (0) |
| Total | 500 | (114) | |
| International career | |||
| 1992–1994 | Iceland U17 | 27 | (6) |
| 1994 | Iceland U19 | 9 | (2) |
| 1994–1998 | Iceland U21 | 11 | (5) |
| 1996–2016 | Iceland | 88 | (26) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2019–2020 | Iceland U21 (assistant) | ||
| 2020 | FH | ||
| 2020–2021 | Iceland (assistant) | ||
| 2022 | FH | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Eiður Smári Guðjohnsen (born on September 15, 1978) is a famous Icelandic football coach and former player. He played as a forward, which is a position in football where players try to score goals. Eiður had his biggest successes playing for Chelsea in England and Barcelona in Spain.
With Chelsea, he won the Premier League twice and the League Cup. At Barcelona, he won the UEFA Champions League and La Liga. He also played for many other clubs in different countries like Iceland, the Netherlands, France, Greece, Belgium, China, Norway, and India. His club career lasted for 23 years! Many people think he is the greatest Icelandic footballer ever.
Eiður's father, Arnór Guðjohnsen, was also a famous Icelandic football player. In 1996, Eiður made his first appearance for the Iceland national team, coming on as a substitute for his own father. He scored 26 goals in 88 games for Iceland between 1996 and 2016. He was even the captain of the national team for a while. Eiður was part of the Iceland squad that reached the quarter-finals of UEFA Euro 2016, which was Iceland's first big international tournament.
Contents
Eiður's Football Journey: Club Career Highlights
Starting Out: Early Career Steps
Eiður began his professional football career in 1994 with Valur in Reykjavík, Iceland. After that, he moved to the Netherlands in 1995 to play for PSV. There, he even played alongside the famous Brazilian player Ronaldo. After a serious ankle injury, he returned to Iceland to play for KR Reykjavík.
Playing for Bolton Wanderers
In 1998, Eiður joined the English club Bolton Wanderers. He quickly became an important player for the team. In his second season with Bolton, he scored 21 goals in all competitions. This helped Bolton reach the play-offs for promotion and the semi-finals of both the FA Cup and the League Cup.
Becoming a Star at Chelsea
On June 19, 2000, Eiður joined Premier League club Chelsea. He was a key player for Chelsea. In his second season, he formed a strong partnership with another striker, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink. Together, they scored 52 goals for Chelsea that season!
When José Mourinho became the manager, Eiður started playing in a slightly different role, helping the team win two Premier League titles in a row. On October 23, 2004, he scored three goals in one game (a "hat-trick") against Blackburn Rovers.
Winning Trophies with Barcelona
On June 14, 2006, Eiður moved to the Spanish club Barcelona. He joined as a replacement for another great player, Henrik Larsson. He made his debut in a match where Barcelona won the 2006 Supercopa de España. A few days later, he scored the winning goal in his first league game for Barcelona.
Eiður was part of the amazing Barcelona team that won the "Treble" in the 2008–09 season. This means they won three major trophies: La Liga (the Spanish league), the Copa del Rey (the Spanish cup), and the UEFA Champions League (the biggest club competition in Europe).
More Clubs and a Return to England
After Barcelona, Eiður joined Ligue 1 club Monaco in France in 2009.
In January 2010, he returned to England to play for Tottenham Hotspur on loan. He then played for Stoke City and Fulham on loan in 2010-2011.
Adventures in Greece and Belgium
In July 2011, Eiður signed a two-year contract with the Greek club AEK Athens. Fans were incredibly excited, with over 2,500 people greeting him at the airport! He told the press he came to AEK to win trophies. Unfortunately, in October 2011, he suffered a serious injury (a fractured tibia and fibula) that kept him out for the rest of the season.
In October 2012, Eiður moved to Belgium to play for Cercle Brugge. After playing well there, he signed with their city rivals, Club Brugge, in January 2013.
Back to Bolton and Later Career
Eiður returned to his former club, Bolton Wanderers, in November 2014. He played for them again for the rest of the 2014–15 season.
After Bolton, Eiður played for Chinese Super League club Shijiazhuang Ever Bright in China in 2015. In 2016, he joined Molde in Norway. Later that year, he signed with Pune City in India, but an injury kept him from playing. Eiður officially retired from professional football in September 2017.
Representing His Country: International Career
Eiður started playing for Iceland's youth national teams at a very young age. He played for the Under-17 team when he was just 14, and then for the Under-19 and Under-21 teams.
A very special moment happened on April 24, 1996. Eiður, who was 17, played in an international friendly match for the senior Iceland team against Estonia. His 34-year-old father, Arnór, started the match, and Eiður came on in the second half as a substitute for him. This was a unique moment in football history, as a father and son played in the same international match, with the son replacing the father!
Eiður became Iceland's all-time top scorer in October 2007, breaking a record that had stood since 1948. He scored 26 goals in 88 games for his country.
He was part of Iceland's squad for UEFA Euro 2016, which was a huge achievement for the country. Iceland surprised many by reaching the quarter-finals of the tournament. Eiður played in two matches as a substitute, and in the quarter-final against France, he was given the captain's armband. This match, which Iceland lost 5-2, was his last international game.
Eiður's Family and Life Off the Field
Eiður comes from a football family. His father, Arnór, was also a professional footballer. Eiður's half-brother, also named Arnór, signed with Swansea City in 2017 when he was 16.
Eiður has three sons, and all of them play football! His oldest son, Sveinn Aron Guðjohnsen (born in 1998), is a professional player in Norway. His middle son, Andri Guðjohnsen (born in 2002), plays in Belgium. His youngest son, Daníel Guðjohnsen (born in 2006), plays as a striker in Sweden. It's clear that football runs in the Guðjohnsen family!
Coaching Career
After retiring as a player, Eiður started a coaching career. In January 2019, he became the assistant manager for the Iceland national under-21 football team.
In July 2020, Eiður took on a manager role for FH, a club in Iceland. In December 2020, he became an assistant manager for the Iceland men's national team.
Career Statistics
Club Appearances and Goals
| Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Valur | 1994 | Úrvalsdeild | 17 | 7 | — | — | — | 17 | 7 | |||||
| PSV | 1995–96 | Eredivisie | 13 | 3 | — | 2 | 0 | — | 15 | 3 | ||||
| 1996–97 | Eredivisie | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | |||
| Total | 13 | 3 | — | 2 | 0 | — | 15 | 3 | ||||||
| KR | 1998 | Úrvalsdeild | 6 | 0 | — | — | 6 | 0 | ||||||
| Bolton Wanderers | 1998–99 | First Division | 14 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 3 | 0 | 18 | 5 | |
| 1999–2000 | First Division | 41 | 13 | 5 | 4 | 8 | 3 | — | 1 | 1 | 55 | 21 | ||
| Total | 55 | 18 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 3 | — | 4 | 1 | 73 | 26 | |||
| Chelsea | 2000–01 | Premier League | 30 | 10 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 37 | 13 |
| 2001–02 | Premier League | 32 | 14 | 7 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 3 | — | 47 | 23 | ||
| 2002–03 | Premier League | 35 | 10 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 44 | 10 | ||
| 2003–04 | Premier League | 26 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 10 | 3 | — | 41 | 13 | ||
| 2004–05 | Premier League | 37 | 12 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 11 | 2 | — | 57 | 16 | ||
| 2005–06 | Premier League | 26 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 37 | 3 | |
| Total | 186 | 54 | 25 | 10 | 16 | 6 | 34 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 263 | 78 | ||
| Barcelona | 2006–07 | La Liga | 25 | 5 | 6 | 3 | — | 8 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 43 | 12 | |
| 2007–08 | La Liga | 23 | 2 | 6 | 1 | — | 8 | 0 | — | 37 | 3 | |||
| 2008–09 | La Liga | 24 | 3 | 5 | 1 | — | 5 | 0 | — | 34 | 4 | |||
| 2009–10 | La Liga | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Total | 72 | 10 | 17 | 5 | — | 21 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 114 | 19 | |||
| Monaco | 2009–10 | Ligue 1 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 11 | 0 | ||
| Tottenham Hotspur | 2009–10 | Premier League | 11 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 14 | 2 | ||
| Stoke City | 2010–11 | Premier League | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 5 | 0 | ||
| Fulham | 2010–11 | Premier League | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 10 | 0 | ||
| AEK Athens | 2011–12 | Super League Greece | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 4 | 0 | — | 14 | 1 | ||
| Cercle Brugge | 2012–13 | Belgian Pro League | 13 | 6 | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | 14 | 7 | |||
| Club Brugge | 2012–13 | Belgian Pro League | 18 | 3 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 18 | 3 | ||
| 2013–14 | Belgian Pro League | 28 | 4 | 1 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | — | 31 | 4 | |||
| Total | 46 | 7 | 1 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | — | 49 | 7 | ||||
| Bolton Wanderers | 2014–15 | Championship | 21 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 24 | 6 | ||
| Shijiazhuang Ever Bright | 2015 | Chinese Super League | 14 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 14 | 1 | |||
| Molde | 2016 | Tippeligaen | 13 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 13 | 1 | |||
| Pune City | 2016 | Indian Super League | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Career total | 500 | 114 | 56 | 22 | 27 | 9 | 63 | 11 | 10 | 2 | 656 | 158 | ||
International Appearances and Goals
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Iceland | 1996 | 1 | 0 |
| 1997 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1998 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1999 | 3 | 1 | |
| 2000 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2001 | 7 | 2 | |
| 2002 | 4 | 3 | |
| 2003 | 7 | 3 | |
| 2004 | 7 | 4 | |
| 2005 | 5 | 3 | |
| 2006 | 5 | 1 | |
| 2007 | 5 | 2 | |
| 2008 | 6 | 3 | |
| 2009 | 6 | 2 | |
| 2010 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2011 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2012 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2013 | 10 | 0 | |
| 2014 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2015 | 3 | 1 | |
| 2016 | 7 | 1 | |
| Total | 88 | 26 | |
Honours and Achievements
Chelsea
- Premier League: 2004–05, 2005–06
- Football League Cup: 2004–05
- FA Charity/Community Shield: 2000, 2005
Barcelona
- La Liga: 2008–09
- Copa del Rey: 2008–09
- Supercopa de España: 2006, 2009
- UEFA Champions League: 2008–09
- UEFA Super Cup: 2009
Individual Awards
- Icelandic Footballer of the Year: 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009
See also
In Spanish: Eiður Guðjohnsen para niños
