Þóra Björg Helgadóttir

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This is an Icelandic name. The last name is a patronymic, not a family name; this person is properly referred to by the given name Þóra.
Þóra B. Helgadóttir

Before Iceland's Euro 2013 play-off against Ukraine in October 2012
Personal information
Full nameÞóra Björg Helgadóttir
Date of birth (1981-05-05) 5 May 1981
Place of birthReykjavík, Iceland
Height1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Playing positionGoalkeeper
Club information
Current clubFC Rosengård
Number1
Youth career
2000–2003Duke Blue Devils
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps†(Gls)†
1995–1996Breiðablik6(0)
1997KR1(0)
1997–2001Breiðablik54(0)
2002–2003KR20(1)
2004Kolbotn
2005–2006Breiðablik28(1)
2007Oud-Heverlee Leuven
2007–2009R.S.C. Anderlecht
2007LdB FC Malmö
2009Kolbotn22(0)
2010–Malmö75(0)
2012–2013→ Western Sydney Wanderers (loan)8(0)
National team‡
1995–1998Iceland U-1714(0)
1997–1999Iceland U-193(0)
1997–2004Iceland U-2127(0)
1998–Iceland98(0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 10 July 2013.

† Appearances (Goals).

‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 1 June 2013

Þóra Björg Helgadóttir (born 5 May 1981), commonly Anglicised as Thóra Helgadóttir, is an Icelandic footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Damallsvenskan club FC Rosengård and the Icelandic national team. She represented her country in the 2009 and 2013 editions of the UEFA Women's Championship. Þóra is the younger sister of Ásthildur Helgadóttir, former captain of the women's national team.

Club career

Þóra made her debut in the domestic Úrvalsdeild league as a 14-year-old. Playing with Breiðablik and later with KR, she went on to win eight league titles and six Icelandic Women's Cups.[1]

From 2000 until 2003 Þóra attended Duke University, where she studied mathematics and history, and played varsity soccer.

Þóra had already spent the 2004 season in Norway as Bente Nordby's understudy at Kolbotn, when in January 2007 the opportunity to move to Belgium came up through her career outside football.[2] In August 2007 she left Anderlecht to join sister Ásthildur in Sweden at Malmö, who needed a goalkeeper due to Caroline Jönsson's anterior cruciate ligament injury.[3]

In 2009 Þóra played for Kolbotn and was named Toppserien Player of the Year. She signed a three-year contract with Malmö in November 2009.[4]

In the 2012–13 winter season, Þóra played on loan for Western Sydney Wanderers in the Australian W-League.[5]

International career

Five days after turning 17, Þóra made her senior international debut for Iceland in a 1–0 friendly defeat to the United States on 10 May 1998.

Playing an international friendly against Sweden at Myresjöhus Arena in Växjö, 6 April 2013

At UEFA Women's Euro 2009, Þóra played in two matches as Iceland were eliminated in the first round.

National team coach Siggi Eyjólfsson selected Þóra in the Iceland squad for UEFA Women's Euro 2013,[6] although she was recovering from a hamstring injury.[7] Guðbjörg Gunnarsdóttir took the goalkeeping position at the final tournament, playing in the three group matches and the 4–0 quarter-final defeat to hosts Sweden.

Personal life

Celebrity goldfish Sigurwin, the mascot of the Iceland women's national football team, was released into Þóra's care after UEFA Women's Euro 2013.[8] Sigurwin came to prominence during the tournament when Ludvig Lindström of Global Happiness Organization (GHO) publicly criticised the players for keeping him in a jar and making jokes about flushing him down the toilet.[9][10]

Honours

Sport person of Kópavogur 2005 and 2006.

References

  1. ↑ "Thóra Helgadóttir". UEFA.com. UEFA. Retrieved 4 August 2013. 
  2. ↑ "Þóra Björg Helgadóttir á leiðinni til Belgíu". MBL.is (in Icelandic). Morgunblaðið. 9 January 2007. Retrieved 8 August 2013. 
  3. ↑ "EXTRA: Isländsk landslagsmålvakt ersätter "Carre"" (in Swedish). Damfotboll.com. 1 August 2007. Retrieved 8 August 2013. 
  4. ↑ "Årets spiller til Malmö" (in Norwegian). Verdens Gang. 10 November 2009. Retrieved 8 August 2013. 
  5. ↑ "No Chance of a Meltdown for this Cool Icelander". Football Federation Australia. 12 December 2012. Retrieved 8 August 2013. 
  6. ↑ Stefánsson, Stefán (24 June 2013). "Familiar squad for Iceland". uefa.com. UEFA. Retrieved 8 August 2013. 
  7. ↑ "Helgadóttir: Iceland want more". UEFA.com. UEFA. 10 July 2013. Retrieved 8 August 2013. 
  8. ↑ "Sigurwin í góðum málum hjá Þóru". RUV.is (in Icelandic). RÚV. 23 July 2013. Retrieved 8 August 2013. 
  9. ↑ "„Þeim væri nær að æfa sig betur í fótbolta en að vera að kvelja dýr“". DV.is (in Icelandic). DV. 22 July 2013. Retrieved 8 August 2013. 
  10. ↑ Karlsson, Kristopher (22 July 2013). "Islands landslag anmäls för djurplågeri" (in Swedish). Aftonbladet. Retrieved 8 August 2013. 

External links

Þóra Björg Helgadóttir – FIFA competition record

FC Rosengård – current squad
Iceland squad – 2009 UEFA Women's European Championship
Iceland
Iceland squad – 2013 UEFA Women's European Championship
Iceland
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