Kolbeinn Sigþórsson facts for kids
Kolbeinn playing for Iceland in 2014
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 14 March 1990 | ||
| Place of birth | Reykjavík, Iceland | ||
| Height | 1.86 m | ||
| Playing position | Forward | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1996–2006 | Víkingur | ||
| 2006–2007 | HK | ||
| 2007–2010 | AZ | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2006–2007 | HK | 5 | (1) |
| 2010–2011 | AZ | 32 | (15) |
| 2011–2015 | Ajax | 80 | (31) |
| 2015 | → Jong Ajax | 1 | (0) |
| 2015–2019 | Nantes | 30 | (3) |
| 2016 | → Galatasaray (loan) | 0 | (0) |
| 2018 | → Nantes B | 2 | (2) |
| 2019–2020 | AIK | 35 | (3) |
| 2021 | IFK Göteborg | 17 | (4) |
| Total | 202 | (59) | |
| National team | |||
| 2006–2007 | Iceland U17 | 12 | (7) |
| 2009 | Iceland U19 | 2 | (0) |
| 2007–2011 | Iceland U21 | 16 | (4) |
| 2010–2021 | Iceland | 64 | (26) |
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Kolbeinn Sigþórsson (born on March 14, 1990) is a former professional football player from Iceland. He played as a forward, which means he was mainly responsible for scoring goals.
Kolbeinn started his football journey in Iceland with a youth team called Víkingur Reykjavik. He then made his first professional appearance at just 16 years old with HK Kópavogur. In 2007, he moved to the Netherlands to join AZ Alkmaar and improve his skills. After a great first season in the Eredivisie (the top Dutch league), he moved to Ajax in 2011, where he became a regular player.
In 2015, Kolbeinn joined Nantes in France's top league, Ligue 1. However, he faced some challenges with injuries during his time there. He also had a short loan spell at Galatasaray in 2016. After playing for teams in Sweden, AIK and IFK Göteborg, he decided to retire from football in 2021.
Kolbeinn also played for the Iceland national team from 2010 to 2021. He played 64 games and scored 26 goals, making him one of Iceland's top scorers. He was also part of the team that played in the UEFA Euro 2016 tournament. Before joining the senior team, he played for Iceland's youth teams, including the under-17, under-19, and under-21 squads.
Contents
Kolbeinn's Club Football Journey
Early Career in Iceland
Kolbeinn started playing football at a young age with Víkingur in Iceland. He then briefly joined HK's youth team in March 2006, just before his 16th birthday.
Playing for HK
At HK, Kolbeinn made his first senior team appearance in the 2006 season. He played in five league matches and scored one goal. His talent quickly caught the eye of big European clubs like Real Madrid and Arsenal. He even had two trials with Arsenal before choosing to move to AZ in the Netherlands.
Moving to AZ Alkmaar
Kolbeinn joined AZ in March 2007. He spent some time playing in their youth teams while recovering from injuries. In July 2010, he finally joined the first team. He made his professional debut for AZ on August 5, 2010, in a UEFA Europa League qualification game. He scored his first goal for the club on August 29, 2010.
On January 29, 2011, Kolbeinn had an amazing game against VVV-Venlo, scoring three goals in the first half and ending up with five goals in total! As he continued to score, many big clubs became interested in him. Ajax, a famous Dutch club, offered to buy him.
Time at Ajax
On July 4, 2011, Kolbeinn officially signed a contract with AFC Ajax. He was very excited to work with football legends like Dennis Bergkamp and Frank de Boer. He scored his first goal for Ajax in a friendly match before the season started.
On August 14, 2011, he scored his first league goal for Ajax in a big 5–1 win. He kept scoring, getting 4 goals in his first 4 league matches. Unfortunately, in October 2011, Kolbeinn broke his ankle, which kept him out of action for a long time. He returned to play in April 2012, scoring a goal in a 6–0 win. During that season, he also dislocated his shoulder.
Joining FC Nantes
On July 2, 2015, Kolbeinn signed a five-year contract with FC Nantes, a French club. He was given the number 9 shirt for the 2015–16 Ligue 1 season.
Loan to Galatasaray
In August 2016, Kolbeinn went on loan to Galatasaray in Turkey for a season. However, his loan was ended early in December 2016.
Back at Nantes
Kolbeinn returned to Nantes. He chose not to move to another club, IFK Gothenburg, in January 2018 because he was worried that the artificial pitches in Sweden might hurt his knee more. He made his comeback playing for the FC Nantes reserve team in March 2018. His contract with Nantes ended on March 8, 2019.
Playing in Sweden
On March 31, 2019, Kolbeinn joined the Swedish club AIK. He played for them until the end of 2020. On January 27, 2021, he signed with another Swedish team, IFK Göteborg. He left IFK Göteborg in December 2021 when his contract finished.
Kolbeinn's International Career for Iceland
Kolbeinn played for various youth teams in Iceland before making his debut for the senior national team.
First Senior Appearances
He played his first game for the senior team in a friendly match against the Faroe Islands on March 21, 2010, and he scored a goal in that 2–0 win. His first competitive match for Iceland was on September 7, 2010, in a Euro 2012 qualification game against Denmark. He scored his first competitive goal for Iceland on September 6, 2011, against Cyprus, which was the only goal in a 1–0 win.
Kolbeinn even captained the Iceland team in a friendly game against Russia in February 2013. The national coach, Lars Lagerbäck, said Kolbeinn would likely become the vice-captain. He did captain the team again in June 2013 during a World Cup qualifying match when the main captain, Aron Gunnarsson, was injured.
UEFA Euro 2016 Success
Kolbeinn scored in Iceland's first qualifying match for UEFA Euro 2016, helping them win 3–0 against Turkey. On June 12, 2015, he scored the winning goal in a 2–1 victory over the Czech Republic, which put Iceland in a strong position in their group.
He was chosen for Iceland's 23-man squad for the Euro 2016 tournament. On June 27, 2016, Kolbeinn scored Iceland's second goal against England in the Round of 16. This goal was very important as Iceland surprisingly won 2–1, moving on to the quarter-finals! Kolbeinn also scored against France in the quarter-final, but Iceland unfortunately lost that game 5–2.
World Cup 2018
In May 2018, Kolbeinn was on the standby list for Iceland's squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. His international career with the national team ended in 2021.
Kolbeinn's Family Life
Kolbeinn's brother, Andri Sigþórsson, was also a professional football player. Andri now works as Kolbeinn's agent. Kolbeinn's niece, Amanda Andradóttir, is also a football player.
Career Statistics Summary
Here's a quick look at Kolbeinn's total appearances and goals for his clubs and national team.
Club Totals
| Club | League Apps | League Goals | Cup Apps | Cup Goals | Continental Apps | Continental Goals | Other Apps | Other Goals | Total Apps | Total Goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HK | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 5 | 1 | ||
| AZ | 32 | 15 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 3 | – | 43 | 18 | |
| Ajax | 80 | 31 | 6 | 3 | 15 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 105 | 35 |
| Jong Ajax | 1 | 0 | – | – | – | 1 | 0 | |||
| Nantes | 30 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 33 | 4 |
| Galatasaray (loan) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Nantes B | 2 | 2 | – | – | – | 2 | 2 | |||
| AIK | 35 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 44 | 4 |
| IFK Göteborg | 17 | 4 | 1 | 0 | – | – | 18 | 4 | ||
| Career total | 202 | 59 | 14 | 4 | 31 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 251 | 68 |
International Totals
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Iceland | 2010 | 5 | 3 |
| 2011 | 3 | 1 | |
| 2012 | 3 | 4 | |
| 2013 | 9 | 5 | |
| 2014 | 7 | 3 | |
| 2015 | 8 | 2 | |
| 2016 | 9 | 4 | |
| 2017 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2018 | 4 | 1 | |
| 2019 | 8 | 3 | |
| 2020 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2021 | 4 | 0 | |
| Total | 64 | 26 | |
Football Achievements
Kolbeinn won several important titles during his career, especially with Ajax.
Ajax
- Eredivisie (Dutch League Champion): 2011–12, 2012–13, 2013–14
- Johan Cruyff Shield (Dutch Super Cup): 2013
Images for kids
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Kolbeinn playing for Iceland in 2014
See also
In Spanish: Kolbeinn Sigþórsson para niños
