Fresh from their extraordinary exploits at Euro 2016, Iceland travel to their first World Cup finals as the tournament’s smallest ever participating country – in population terms – but, as a settled side with a vast amount of international experience, they have every chance of creating more shockwaves in Russia.
Unsurprisingly, a sizeable number of the players who did the country proud two years ago in France have been retained for further national service in Russia by coach Heimir Hallgrímsson, the man who, having co-coached Iceland at Euro 2016 with experienced Swede Lars Lagerbäck, qualified the team for the World Cup alone.
I have studied Hallgrímsson’s 23-man squad in depth and below are some interesting facts, figures and oddities that have emerged from my research.
I am compiling similar information on the other 13 European teams in the build-up to the Big Kick-off on Thursday, June 14. The pieces on England, France and Sweden are already on the site. You may find it useful to look at those and compare and contrast.
Here is the Iceland squad with the players’ current club, caps and goals:
Goalkeepers
Hannes Halldórsson (Randers, 48/0), Rúnar Rúnarsson (Nordsjælland, 3/0), Frederik Schram (Roskilde, 3/0)
Defenders
Kári Árnason (Aberdeen, 65/4), Hólmar Eyjólfsson (Levski Sofia, 9/1), Samúel Fridjónsson (Vålerenga, 3/0), Sverrir Ingi Ingason (Rostov, 18/3), Hördur Magnússon (Bristol City, 15/2), Birkir Sævarsson (Valur, 78/1), Ragnar Sigurdsson (Rostov, 75/3), Ari Skúlason (Lokeren, 54/0),
Midfielders
Birkir Bjarnason (Aston Villa, 65/9), Rúrik Gíslason (Sandhausen, 45/3), Jóhann Berg Gudmundsson (Burnley, 65/7), Aron Gunnarsson (Cardiff, 77/2), Emil Hallfredsson (Udinese, 62/1), Gylfi Sigurdsson (Everton, 55/18), Ólafur Skúlason (Karabükspor, 35/1), Arnór Ingvi Traustason (Malmö, 18/5)
Forwards
Jón Dadi Bödvarsson (Reading, 36/2), Alfred Finnbogason (Augsburg, 45/11), Albert Gudmundsson (PSV Eindhoven, 4/3), Björn Sigurdarson (Rostov, 11/1),
The total number of international caps gained by the 23 players is 889. The number of caps gained in competitive fixtures (i.e. World Cup and Euro matches) is 522. The number of caps gained at final tournaments is 58. The number of caps gained at the World Cup finals is 0.
The total number of international goals scored by the 23 players is 77. The number of goals scored in competitive fixtures is 50. The number of goals scored at final tournaments is 6. The number of goals scored at the World Cup finals is 0.
The number of players in the squad appearing at their first final tournament is 8. The number of players appearing at their first World Cup is 23.
There are 15 survivors from the Euro 2016 squad: Halldórsson, Árnason, Ingason, Magnússon, R Sigurdsson, A Skúlason, Sævarsson, Bjarnason, J Gudmundsson, Gunnarsson, Hallfredsson, G Sigurdsson, Traustason, Bödvarsson and Finnbogason.
Ten of those players started all five of Iceland’s Euro 2016 final tournament matches: Halldórsson, Árnason, R Sigurdsson, A Skúlason, Sævarsson, Bjarnason, J Gudmundsson, Gunnarsson, G Sigurdsson and Bödvarsson.
Five of the squad members have never played a competitive international: Rúnarsson, Schram, Eyjólfsson, Fridjónsson and A Gudmundsson.
Eleven players have appeared in over 25 competitive internationals. Their records are as follows:
Sævarsson – Pld 47 W19 D10 L18 (of which at final tournaments Pld 5 W2 D2 L1)
Gunnarsson – Pld 46 W20 D10 L16 (Pld 5 W2 D2 L1)
R Sigurdsson – Pld 45 W21 D10 L14 (Pld 5 W2 D2 L1)
Árnason – Pld 45 W21 D9 L15 (Pld 5 W2 D2 L1)
Bjarnason – Pld 42 W20 D9 L13 (Pld 5 W2 D2 L1)
G Sigurdsson – Pld 41 W20 D9 L12 (Pld 5 W2 D2 L1)
J Gudmundsson – Pld 39 W16 D9 L14 (Pld 5 W2 D2 L1)
Hallfredsson – Pld 37 W14 D7 L16 (Pld 1 W0 D1 L0)
Halldórsson – Pld 36 W20 D8 L8 (Pld 5 W2 D2 L1)
A Skúlason – Pld 31 W16 D8 L7 (Pld 5 W2 D2 L1)
Finnbogason – Pld 29 W14 D7 L8 (Pld 3 W0 D2 L1)
None of the players are unbeaten in competitive internationals.
Traustason has been on the winning side on each of his two final tournament appearances.
Gylfi Sigurdsson is the squad’s leading scorer in competitive internationals – and the only one in double figures – with 16 goals, twice as many as the next in line, eight-goal Bjarnason. Sigurdsson is also the leading marksman in World Cup qualifiers with eight, followed by Jóhann Berg Gudmundsson and Finnbogason on five.
Gudmundsson and Finnbogason’s five competitive goals have all come in World Cup qualifiers, as have the four international goals scored by Árnason.
Iceland have won all of the six World Cup matches in which Gylfi Sigurdsson has scored.
Bjarnason has the most final tournament goals in the squad, having scored twice at Euro 2016. Ragnar Sigurdsson, Gylfi Sigurdsson, Traustason and Bödvarsson also scored once at that tournament.
Every outfield player in the squad bar two – Ari Skúlason and Fridjónsson – has scored at least one international goal, with 13 of those 18 having also found the net in a competitive international.
Three players started all ten 2018 World Cup qualifiers – Sævarsson, Ragnar Sigurdsson and Gylfi Sigurdsson – while five others started nine.
Gylfi Sigurdsson was Iceland’s top scorer in 2018 World Cup qualifying with four goals from a team total of 16. Eight other players found the net, including one – Elmar Bjarnason (one goal) – who is not in the squad.
Magnússon scored a last-minute winner against Group D rivals Croatia in 2018 World Cup qualifying (1-0 in Reykjavik).
Magnússon is the only member of the squad to have found the net in four World Cup qualifiers against Croatia, although seven other players in the 23 have started all of those four fixtures: Halldórsson, Árnason, R Sigurdsson, Bjarnason, J Gudmundsson, Gunnarsson and G Sigurdsson.
Árnason has actually faced Croatia five times in the competition, once as a substitute in a qualifier for the 2006 World Cup
No member of the squad has played against Argentina or Nigeria.
All but one of the 23 players belong to foreign clubs, the exception being the squad’s most-capped player, Sævarsson, who is with Icelandic champions Valur.
Six of the 22 foreign-based players play their club football in England, and there are three who operate in Russia, all for the same club – FC Rostov. Furthermore, all three goalkeepers play in Denmark. In total, clubs from 13 European countries are represented in Hallgrímsson’s squad.
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