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) | ||
| Playing position | 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) | |
| National team | |||
| 1992–1994 | Iceland U17 | 27 | (6) |
| 1994 | Iceland U19 | 9 | (2) |
| 1994–1998 | Iceland U21 | 11 | (5) |
| 1996–2016 | Iceland | 88 | (26) |
| Teams managed | |||
| 2019–2020 | Iceland U21 (assistant) | ||
| 2020 | FH | ||
| 2020–2021 | Iceland (assistant) | ||
| 2022 | FH | ||
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Eiður Smári Guðjohnsen (born 15 September 1978) is a famous Icelandic football coach and former player. He played as a forward and is known for his time with Chelsea in England and Barcelona in Spain. Many people think he is the greatest Icelandic footballer ever.
Eiður's father, Arnór Guðjohnsen, was also an international football player for Iceland. Eiður made his first big international appearance for Iceland in 1996. He came on as a substitute for his own father! He scored 26 goals in 88 games for his country between 1996 and 2016. He was also the captain of the Iceland national team for a while. Eiður was part of the Icelandic team that made it to the quarter-finals of UEFA Euro 2016, which was their first major tournament.
Contents
Eiður's Football Journey: Club Career Highlights
Eiður played for many different clubs during his 23-year career. He played in Iceland, the Netherlands, England, Spain, France, Greece, Belgium, China, Norway, and India.
Starting Out: Early Career in Iceland and Netherlands
Eiður started his career in 1994 with Valur in Reykjavík, Iceland. After that, he moved to the Netherlands to play for PSV from 1995. He even played alongside the famous Brazilian player, Ronaldo, there. After a bad ankle injury, he went back to Iceland to play for KR Reykjavík.
Making a Mark: Bolton Wanderers
In 1998, Eiður joined the English club Bolton Wanderers. He quickly became a regular player. In his second season with Bolton, he scored 21 goals. He helped his team reach the play-offs and the semi-finals of two big cup competitions.
Becoming a Star: Time at Chelsea
On 19 June 2000, Eiður signed with Premier League club Chelsea for £4.5 million. In his first season, he scored 13 goals. In his second season, he and his teammate Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink scored a combined 52 goals for Chelsea!
Later, under manager José Mourinho, Eiður played in a slightly different position. He helped Chelsea win the Premier League title two times in a row. On 23 October 2004, he scored three goals in one game against Blackburn Rovers.
European Glory: Playing for Barcelona
On 14 June 2006, Eiður moved to Spain to play for La Liga club Barcelona. He was signed to replace Henrik Larsson. He made his first appearance in a cup game, helping Barcelona win. A few days later, he scored the winning goal in his first league game.
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 Copa del Rey, and the UEFA Champions League.
Adventures in Other Leagues
After Barcelona, Eiður joined Ligue 1 club Monaco in France in 2009.
In 2010, he returned to England on loan to Tottenham Hotspur. He also played for Stoke City and Fulham on loan.
In 2011, Eiður signed a two-year deal with Greek club AEK Athens. Fans were very excited to see him, with over 2,500 people greeting him at the airport! Sadly, he suffered a serious leg injury in October 2011, which kept him out for the rest of the season.
Belgium and Back to Bolton
In 2012, Eiður moved to Belgium, first playing for Cercle Brugge and then for their city rivals, Club Brugge.
In November 2014, Eiður returned to his former club, Bolton Wanderers. He signed for them again for the rest of the 2014–15 season. He made his second debut for Bolton in December 2014. In April 2015, his manager said it was one of Eiður's best weeks ever. He scored for Iceland, scored a late goal for Bolton, and became a father for the fourth time!
Later Career and Retirement
Eiður continued his career by playing for Shijiazhuang Ever Bright in China in 2015. The next year, he joined Molde in Norway. He also played briefly for Pune City in India before an injury ended his season there. Eiður officially retired from professional football in September 2017.
Representing His Country: International Career
Eiður started playing for Iceland's youth teams at a young age. He played for the Under-17 team when he was just 14. He then moved up to the Under-19 and Under-21 teams.
A special moment happened on 24 April 1996. 17-year-old Eiður came on as a substitute for his 34-year-old father, Arnór, in a game against Estonia. This was a unique moment in football history! Both Eiður and Arnór wished they could have played on the field together, but it never happened. Eiður broke his leg a month later, and by the time he recovered, his father had retired.
Eiður became Iceland's all-time top scorer on 13 October 2007, when he scored two goals against Latvia. He passed the previous record of 17 goals.
He was part of Iceland's team for UEFA Euro 2016. At 37 years old, he was one of the older players. He played in two matches as a substitute. Iceland surprised everyone by reaching the quarter-finals, where they lost to France. This was Eiður's last international match.
Eiður's Family and Life
Eiður has a half-brother named Arnór, just like their father. This Arnór also plays football and signed with Swansea City in 2017.
Eiður has three sons, and all of them play football! His oldest son, Sveinn Aron, is a professional player in Norway. His middle son, Andri Guðjohnsen, plays in Belgium. His youngest son, Daníel Tristán, plays as a striker in Sweden. It seems football talent 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, he took over as manager of FH in Iceland.
- In December 2020, he became an assistant manager for the Iceland men's national team.
Trophies and Awards
Eiður won many important titles during his playing career:
With Chelsea
- Premier League: 2004–05, 2005–06 (Won the top English league twice!)
- Football League Cup: 2004–05 (Won a major English cup)
- FA Charity/Community Shield: 2000, 2005 (Won the season-opening match twice)
With Barcelona
- La Liga: 2008–09 (Won the top Spanish league)
- Copa del Rey: 2008–09 (Won a major Spanish cup)
- Supercopa de España: 2006, 2009 (Won the Spanish Super Cup twice)
- UEFA Champions League: 2008–09 (Won the biggest club competition in Europe!)
- UEFA Super Cup: 2009 (Won a European super cup)
Individual Awards
- Icelandic Footballer of the Year: He won this award many times: 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009.
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See also
In Spanish: Eiður Guðjohnsen para niños
