Sigursteinn Gíslason facts for kids
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Sigursteinn Davíð Gíslason | ||
| Date of birth | 25 June 1968 | ||
| Place of birth | Akranes, Iceland | ||
| Date of death | 16 January 2012 (aged 43) | ||
| Place of death | Reykjavík, Iceland | ||
| Height | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Defender, midfielder | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1986–1987 | KR | 5 | (0) |
| 1988–1998 | ÍA | 164 | (17) |
| 1999–2003 | KR | 72 | (1) |
| 1999–2000 | → Stoke City (loan) | 8 | (0) |
| 2004 | Víkingur R. | 8 | (0) |
| Total | 257 | (18) | |
| International career | |||
| 1993–1999 | Iceland | 22 | (0) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2005 | KR (caretaker) | ||
| 2008–2011 | Leiknir Reykjavík | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Sigursteinn Davíð Gíslason (born June 25, 1968 – died January 16, 2012) was an Icelandic football player and manager. He played as a defender or midfielder, mostly on the left side of the field. Sigursteinn spent most of his playing career in his home country, Iceland.
He started his career with KR and later played for ÍA and Víkingur Reykjavík. During the 1999–2000 season, Sigursteinn also played eight matches for the English club Stoke City. After he stopped playing, he became a coach at KR and later managed Leiknir Reykjavík. Sadly, Sigursteinn had to stop coaching because of an illness.
Contents
Playing Career Highlights
Club Football Journey
Sigursteinn was born in Akranes, but he began his football journey with KR Reykjavík. He joined their reserve team in 1985. In 1986, he helped his team win the Reykjavík Championship.
He made his first-team debut for KR on August 16, 1987. He played five games for KR before moving to his hometown club.
Joining ÍA and Winning Titles
In 1988, Sigursteinn joined ÍA in Akranes. He got injured in his first game but later scored his first goal for the club. By 1990, he was a regular player, starting almost every league match.
In 1991, ÍA was promoted back to the top division. Sigursteinn helped ÍA win the Úrvalsdeild (Iceland's top league) in 1992. Over the next four years, ÍA won five league championships in a row! This was a huge achievement. In 1994, Sigursteinn was named Icelandic Player of the Year. He stayed with ÍA until the end of the 1998 season, playing over 160 games.
Return to KR and English Loan
On January 14, 1999, Sigursteinn went back to his first club, KR. In his first season back, KR won the Icelandic league for the first time since 1968. He played 20 league and cup matches that season.
In November 1999, he joined the English club Stoke City on loan. He played his first game for Stoke on November 23, 1999. He played eight league matches and four games in the Football League Trophy, which Stoke won that season.
After his loan, Sigursteinn returned to KR. The team continued to be successful, winning two more league championships in 2002 and 2003. This brought his personal total to nine Icelandic league titles! He played 72 league matches for KR in his second time with the club. He also played in 10 European matches. He finished his playing career with a short time as a player-assistant manager at Víkingur Reykjavík in 2004.
Playing for Iceland
Sigursteinn was first called up to the Iceland national team on October 17, 1993. He played 58 minutes in his first match against Tunisia. In 1994, he played ten matches for Iceland, including three qualifying games for UEFA Euro 1996.
He continued to play for his country for the next three years. On August 15, 1999, he played his 22nd and final game for Iceland against the Faroe Islands.
Coaching Career
Sigursteinn started his coaching journey in 1988, leading the under-14 team at ÍA. He also worked as an assistant manager at Víkingur. In November 2004, he became the reserve team coach at his old club, KR.
In July 2005, Sigursteinn became the caretaker manager for KR's first team. A caretaker manager takes charge temporarily when the main manager leaves. He led the team to four wins in a row. He then returned to being an assistant manager for KR until the end of 2008.
At the end of the 2008 season, Sigursteinn became the manager of 1. deild karla team Leiknir Reykjavík. He signed new players and appointed his former teammate, Gunnar Einarsson, as his assistant. In 2009, Leiknir finished seventh in the league.
In 2010, Leiknir started the season very well, winning five of their first six matches. Sigursteinn guided the team to a third-place finish that season. They just missed out on being promoted to the top division on the very last day. Sigursteinn was named 1. deild Manager of the Year.
In September 2010, Sigursteinn announced he would continue to manage Leiknir for the 2011 season. He managed the first match of the season on May 13, 2011. This was his last game as manager, as he had to take sick leave four days later due to illness. His assistants took over the team. On July 11, 2011, Leiknir decided to hire a new manager.
Personal Life and Legacy
Sigursteinn was born in Akranes, Iceland, on June 25, 1968. He was married to Anna Elín Daníelsdóttir. They had two sons, Magnús Sveinn and Teitur Leó, and a daughter, Unnur Elín. They also had another daughter, Sóley, who sadly passed away when she was a baby.
While living in Akranes, Sigursteinn worked for the town council in addition to playing football. In 1999, he and Anna moved to Reykjavík when he joined KR. He later worked for a transportation company and a shipping company.
In May 2011, Sigursteinn was diagnosed with a serious illness. He had surgery and medication, which helped him live for several more months. On June 18, 2011, a special charity football match was held in his honor between his former clubs, KR and ÍA. Almost 4,000 people came to watch the game.
Sigursteinn passed away on January 16, 2012, at the National University Hospital in Reykjavík. He was 43 years old. His funeral was held at the Hallgrímskirkja, a very large church in Iceland. Many football players and managers in Iceland shared kind words about him. They remembered him as a great coach, a wonderful person, and a leader who always put his team first.
Career Statistics
Club
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| KR | 1987 | Úrvalsdeild | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | – | – | 5 | 0 |
| ÍA | 1988 | Úrvalsdeild | 12 | 2 | 0 | 0 | – | – | – | – | 12 | 2 |
| 1989 | Úrvalsdeild | 13 | 1 | 0 | 0 | – | – | – | – | 13 | 1 | |
| 1990 | Úrvalsdeild | 18 | 3 | 0 | 0 | – | – | – | – | 18 | 3 | |
| 1991 | 1. deild karla | 17 | 5 | 0 | 0 | – | – | – | – | 17 | 5 | |
| 1992 | Úrvalsdeild | 17 | 2 | 3 | 0 | – | – | – | – | 20 | 2 | |
| 1993 | Úrvalsdeild | 15 | 1 | 4 | 0 | – | – | 1 | 0 | 20 | 1 | |
| 1994 | Úrvalsdeild | 17 | 2 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 1 | 0 | 18 | 2 | |
| 1995 | Úrvalsdeild | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | – | – | 18 | 0 | |
| 1996 | Úrvalsdeild | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 2 | 0 | 18 | 0 | |
| 1997 | Úrvalsdeild | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | – | – | – | – | 10 | 1 | |
| 1998 | Úrvalsdeild | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | – | – | 11 | 0 | |
| KR | 1999 | Úrvalsdeild | 16 | 1 | 0 | 0 | – | – | – | – | 16 | 1 |
| Stoke City (loan) | 1999–2000 | Second Division | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 12 | 0 |
| KR | 2000 | Úrvalsdeild | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | – | – | 18 | 0 |
| 2001 | Úrvalsdeild | 17 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 0 | – | – | 24 | 0 | |
| 2002 | Úrvalsdeild | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | – | – | 9 | 0 | |
| 2003 | Úrvalsdeild | 15 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 24 | 0 | |
| Víkingur R. | 2004 | Úrvalsdeild | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | – | – | 15 | 0 |
| Career Total | 257 | 18 | 12 | 0 | 20 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 297 | 18 | ||
- A. The "Other" column includes games and goals in the Icelandic Super Cup and Football League Trophy.
International
Source:
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Iceland | 1993 | 1 | 0 |
| 1994 | 10 | 0 | |
| 1995 | 3 | 0 | |
| 1996 | 4 | 0 | |
| 1997 | 3 | 0 | |
| 1999 | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 22 | 0 | |
