Hólmar Örn Eyjólfsson facts for kids

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Hólmar Örn Eyjólfsson

Hólmar with Iceland U21 in 2010
Personal information
Full name	Hólmar Örn Eyjólfsson
Date of birth	(1990-08-06) 6 August 1990 (age 35)
Place of birth	Sauðárkrókur, Iceland
Height	1.90 m (6 ft 3 in)
Position(s)	Centre back, defensive midfielder
Team information
Current team	Valur
Number	15
Youth career
1995–1997	Tindastóll
1997–2007	HK
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2007–2008	HK	19	(0)
2008–2011	West Ham United	0	(0)
2009	→ Cheltenham Town (loan)	4	(0)
2010	→ Roeselare (loan)	9	(0)
2011–2013	VfL Bochum II	9	(0)
2011–2014	VfL Bochum	45	(1)
2014–2017	Rosenborg	65	(4)
2017–2018	Maccabi Haifa	16	(0)
2017–2018	→ Levski Sofia (loan)	25	(1)
2018–2020	Levski Sofia	32	(5)
2020–2021	Rosenborg	26	(3)
2022–	Valur	75	(3)
International career‡
2006–2007	Iceland U17	12	(0)
2007–2008	Iceland U19	8	(0)
2007–2012	Iceland U21	27	(2)
2012–	Iceland	19	(2)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 23 July 2025 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 18 November 2020

Hólmar Örn Eyjólfsson, born on August 6, 1990, is a talented Icelandic footballer. He plays as a centre-back (a defender) for the club Valur in Iceland's top league. He also plays for the Iceland national team. Hólmar's father, Eyjólfur Sverrisson, was also a famous Icelandic football player and manager.

Playing for Clubs

Early Days in Iceland

Hólmar was born in Sauðárkrókur, Iceland. When he was young, his family lived in Germany for three years. He started playing football at age five for FC Tindastóll. At seven, his family moved to Kópavogur, and he joined HK when he was ten. This is where he began his professional football journey.

Hólmar made his debut for HK on May 13, 2007, at just sixteen years old. He played as a centre-back and helped his team keep a clean sheet (meaning the other team didn't score). He quickly became an important player. At the end of 2007, he was named HK's most promising player. He continued to play well for HK in 2008 before moving to a bigger club.

Time at West Ham United

On July 6, 2008, Hólmar joined Premier League team West Ham United in England. He had already played 19 games for HK. He had even tried out for West Ham earlier that year.

During his time at West Ham, Hólmar played mostly for the club's reserve team. He never played a first-team game for West Ham. He was loaned out to other clubs to get more playing time. In May 2011, he left West Ham when his contract ended. He later said he needed more opportunities to play and grow as a player.

Loan Spells from West Ham

In October 2009, Hólmar went on loan to EFL League Two team Cheltenham Town for one month. He played four games for them before returning to West Ham.

In January 2010, he joined Belgian club Roeselare on loan until the end of the season. He wanted more playing time. He quickly became a regular player there. He helped Roeselare in their relegation play-offs, but the team was still moved down to a lower league. He played sixteen games for Roeselare and was even named one of their top five players that season.

Playing in Germany for VfL Bochum

On June 27, 2011, Hólmar signed a three-year contract with German team Bochum. His father, who had played in Germany, advised him to move there.

Hólmar had a tough start at Bochum due to an injury. He made his debut in December 2011. He slowly started getting more chances to play. In December 2012, he received a red card in a game. He also got another red card in February 2013, but that one was later overturned. He played 19 games in his second season.

In the 2013-14 season, Hólmar often started games from the substitute bench. He sometimes played as a right-back. In February 2014, he scored his first goal for Bochum, helping them win 1-0. At the end of the season, Bochum was promoted to the Bundesliga (Germany's top league). Hólmar left the club after three years.

Success with Rosenborg

On August 11, 2014, Hólmar joined Norwegian club Rosenborg. He signed a one-year contract with an option to extend.

He made his debut for Rosenborg on August 24, 2014. He quickly became a key defender. In September 2014, he scored his first goal for the club. Rosenborg finished second in the league that year.

Before the 2015 season, Hólmar signed a new three-year contract. He helped Rosenborg win the league championship for the first time since 2010. They also won the Norwegian Football Cup, achieving a "double" (winning both the league and the cup). He played 48 games that season.

In 2016, Hólmar continued to be a strong player for Rosenborg. He scored two goals that season. Rosenborg won the league championship again in September 2016, making it two years in a row. They also won the Norwegian Football Cup again, completing another double! He played 35 games that season.

Moving to Maccabi Haifa

On December 23, 2016, Hólmar signed a 4.5-year contract with Israeli Premier League team Maccabi Haifa. He became a regular player there. He played 16 games in his first season. He later said that changes in the coaching staff made his time there difficult.

Playing for Levski Sofia

On September 1, 2017, Hólmar was loaned to Bulgarian club Levski Sofia. He quickly became a key defender for them. He helped the team keep many clean sheets. In April 2018, he scored his first goal for Levski Sofia. He helped them reach the Bulgarian Cup final, but they lost on penalties. He played 31 games that season.

After his loan, Hólmar joined Levski Sofia permanently in 2018. He continued to play well, scoring two goals early in the 2018-19 season. However, he suffered a serious knee injury in October 2018, which kept him out for the rest of the season.

He returned to play in August 2019 after recovering from his injury. He scored three goals that season and was even named Player of the Month twice. The season was paused due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He later had another injury and missed the end of the 2019-20 season. He played 23 games that season.

Return to Rosenborg

On September 19, 2020, Hólmar returned to Rosenborg, signing a three-year contract. He immediately joined the first team. He scored his first goal in his second spell with the club in November 2020. He played 12 games that season. In 2021, he played 19 games and scored 2 goals.

Playing for His Country

Youth National Teams

Hólmar preparing to take a kick during a match against Germany U21 in 2010.

Hólmar first played for the Iceland U17 in July 2006. He played 12 times for them. He was even named by UEFA as a player to watch in the future.

In August 2007, he joined the Iceland U19 team. He played eight games for them between 2007 and 2008.

Hólmar was called up to the Iceland U21 team in November 2007. He scored his first goal for the U21 team in October 2009. He helped Iceland U21 qualify for the 2011 European Championship. He played three games in that tournament. He also captained the U21 team several times. He played 27 games for Iceland U21, setting a record for appearances.

Senior National Team

Hólmar preparing to take a kick during a match against Germany U21 in 2010.

Hólmar was first called up to the Iceland national team in May 2012. He made his debut on May 30, 2012. After a break, he returned to the national team in November 2014.

In May 2016, he was on the standby list for the UEFA Euro 2016 squad. He later scored his first goal for Iceland in January 2018, in a 6-0 win against Indonesia. In May 2018, he was part of Iceland's squad for the FIFA World Cup in Russia. Although he didn't play in the tournament, it was a big achievement to be part of the team.

He scored his second goal for Iceland in January 2020, in a 1-0 win against Canada. He continued to play for the national team throughout 2020.

Personal Life

Hólmar is married to Jona. They have two children: a daughter named Sylvia, born in November 2015, and a son, born in March 2020.

Hólmar grew up admiring famous footballers like Gabriel Batistuta, Raúl, and Steven Gerrard. Besides Icelandic, he can speak German, Norwegian, and English.

Career Statistics

Club

International

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

List of international goals scored by Hólmar Örn Eyjólfsson

No.	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	15 January 2020	Championship Soccer Stadium, Irvine, United States	Canada	1–0	1–0	Friendly

Honours

Rosenborg

• Norwegian League: 2015, 2016
• Norwegian Football Cup: 2015, 2016

See also

In Spanish: Hólmar Örn Eyjólfsson para niños