Kolbeinn Sigþórsson

Kolbeinn Sigþórsson

Kolbeinn playing against Austria in 2014
Personal information
Full name Kolbeinn Sigþórsson
Date of birth (1990-03-14) 14 March 1990
Place of birth Reykjavík, Iceland
Height 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)[1]
Playing position Striker
Club information
Current team
 Nantes
Youth career
1996–2006 Víkingur
2006–2007 HK
2007–2010 AZ
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2006 HK 5 (1)
2010–2011 AZ 32 (15)
2011–2015 Ajax 80 (31)
2015 Jong Ajax 1 (0)
2015– Nantes 26 (3)
2016 → Galatasaray (loan) 0 (0)
National team‡
2006–2007 Iceland U17 12 (7)
2009 Iceland U19 2 (0)
2007–2011 Iceland U21 16 (4)
2010– Iceland 44 (22)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 19:02, 29 December 2016 (UTC).
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 3 July 2016

Kolbeinn Sigþórsson (born 14 March 1990[2]) is an Icelandic professional footballer who plays as a striker for French club Nantes, and the Iceland national team.

Before being signed by Ajax for a fee of €4.5 million in the summer of 2011, Kolbeinn came through Víkingur Reykjavik's youth program. He then had a brief spell with HK Kópavogs in his home country and moved on to AZ Alkmaar in the Netherlands.

Before making his debut for the Icelandic national team, Kolbeinn played at under-17, under-19 and under-21 levels. With 22 goals, he is their second top goalscorer of all-time.

Club career

HK

Kolbeinn began his career in Iceland with Víkingur, where he came through the academy, before deciding to move over to HK's youth team for a brief spell in March 2006 three days before he turned 16. He made his senior debut in the 2006 season.[3][4] He would go on to play 5 league matches for the club, scoring one goal. He soon attracted the interest from top European clubs like Real Madrid and Arsenal, having two trials with the London-based club, before finally deciding to move to AZ.[3][5]

AZ

After joining AZ in March 2007, he initially played in various youth teams before finally joining the first team squad in July 2010, after struggling with injuries. He made his professional debut for AZ on 5 August 2010 in a UEFA Europa League qualification match against IFK Göteborg.[6] He scored his first goal for the club on 29 August 2010 in a match against Excelsior.[7] On 29 January 2011 he scored a hattrick in the first half in a match against VVV-Venlo, going on to score 5 goals in the match.[8][9] As he kept scoring goals in subsequent matches, AZ tried to extend the player's contract, but the player was not interested. After courting interest from Borussia Dortmund and Newcastle United, Dutch giants Ajax moved in for the player with a 2 million euros bid.[10] The player soon agreed personal terms with Ajax, but the clubs couldn't agree a fee for several weeks.

Ajax

On 4 July 2011 it was announced that the clubs had agreed a fee of €4.5 million and the player signed a contract with the AFC Ajax.[11] In an interview, Kolbeinn stated that it was a dream come true to work with Dennis Bergkamp and Frank de Boer.[12] He scored his first goal for the club in a pre-season friendly against Brøndby IF, scoring with a header in the 38th minute.[13] On 30 July 2011 he made his first appearance in a competitive match for Ajax, as the team lost the Johan Cruijff Shield 1–2 to Twente.[14] On 14 August 2011, Kolbeinn scored his first league goal for Ajax in a 5–1 victory over Heerenveen at the Amsterdam Arena.[15] He scored another goal against VVV Venlo the following week, and two more goals against Vitesse, taking his tally to 4 goals in 4 league matches.[16][17] In October 2011, Kolbeinn fractured his ankle and was ruled out for the rest of the season. However, on 12 March 2012, he trained for the first time in about 5 months without complications. He made his return to the Ajax side on 1 April 2012, coming of the bench to score the last goal in a 6–0 win over Heracles Almelo.

Nantes

On 2 July 2015 it was announced that Kolbeinn had signed a five-year contract with French Ligue 1 side FC Nantes, with Ajax receiving a €3.5 million transfer fee in the deal. He was presented by his new club the same day, and given the number 9 shirt for the 2015–16 Ligue 1 season.[18]

Galatasaray (loan)

On 30 August 2016, Kolbeinn joined Galatasaray on season-long loan deal, with a €3.8 million clause to buy him on a permanent basis.[19][20] On 29 December 2016, Galatasaray cancelled his loan.[21]

He sustained a knee injury while on international duty on September 2016. An MRI scan has identified damage to the medial meniscus of Kolbeinn Sigthorsson's left knee and on 5th September 2016 he underwent a surgical procedure in Turkey but unfortunately he could not return to football activity due to recurring pain. He has gone to Barcelona where he met experts who have tried various ways to prevent him from returning to surgery but on 22nd June 2017 he underwent a 2nd surgery in Sweden (doctor Jon Karlsson) and on 26th August 2017 he is expected to make his comeback with Nantes FC for the 2017/2018 season.

International career

After representing Iceland on various youth levels, Kolbeinn made his debut for the Icelandic national team in a friendly against the Faroe Islands on 21 March 2010 scoring the second goal in the 37th minute of the 2–0 home win. His first appearance in a competitive match for Iceland came on 7 September 2010 in a Euro 2012 qualification match against Denmark losing to the opposition in a 1–0 away match. His first goal in a competitive match came on 6 September 2011 in a Euro 2012 qualification match against Cyprus, finding the back of the net in the fifth minute for the only goal in the 1–0 home win. On 27 May, he scored the second goal giving Iceland a 0–2 advantage over France but Iceland went on to lose the game 3–2. Kolbeinn captained the side on 6 February 2013 in a friendly against Russia, held in Marbella, Spain, where Iceland lost with 2 goals to 0.[22] After the match national coach Lars Lagerbäck said Kolbeinn would likely be named as vice-captain to Aron Einar Gunnarsson.[23] That held true when Kolbeinn captained the side after Aron was carried off injured in a World Cup qualifying match against Slovenia in June 2013.[24]

UEFA Euro 2016

Kolbeinn scored in Iceland's opening UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying match, a 3–0 victory over Turkey in Reykjavík.[25] On 12 June 2015, he scored the winning goal in a 2–1 win over the Czech Republic to give Iceland a two-point lead at the top of Group A.[26]

He was called up for the 23-man squad managed by Heimir Hallgrímsson and Lars Lagerbäck for Euro 2016.[27] On 27 June 2016, Kolbeinn scored Iceland's second goal against England in the round of 16 at the Stade de Nice, which proved to be the decisive goal as Iceland upset England with a 2–1 victory to advance to the quarter-finals.[28] Kolbeinn scored from a Gylfi Sigurðsson cross in the second half of Iceland's quarter-final against France on 3 July, however it was to no avail as Iceland eventually lost 5-2.

Career statistics

Club performance

As of 23 May 2016[29]
Club performance League Cup Continental Other Total
Season Club League Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Iceland League Icelandic Cup Europe1 Other Total
2006HK1. deild karla5100000051
Netherlands League KNVB Beker Europe Other2 Total
2010–11AZEredivisie32152093004318
2011–12Ajax147002010177
2012–13157222010209
2013–1430104170114212
2014–15217004010267
France League Coupe de France Europe Other2 Total
2015–16NantesLigue 1263310000294
Totals Iceland 5100000051
Netherlands 11246832434114853
France 263310000294
Career totals 143501142434118258
Statistics accurate as of match played on 10 May 2015.

1 Includes UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League matches.

2 Includes Johan Cruijff Shield and Coupe de la Ligue matches.

Reserves performance
Club performance League Total
Season Club League Apps Goals Apps Goals
Netherlands League Total
2014–15Jong AjaxEerste Divisie1010
Total Netherlands 1010
Career total 1010

International

As of 3 July 2016[30]
National teamYearAppsGoals
Iceland
201053
201131
201234
201395
201473
201582
201694
Total4422

International goals

As of match played 3 July 2016. Iceland score listed first, score column indicates score after each Kolbeinn goal.[31]
International goals by date, venue, cap, opponent, score, result and competition
No. Date Venue Cap Opponent Score Result Competition
1 21 March 2010Kórinn, Kópavogur, Iceland1 Faroe Islands2–02–0Friendly
2 29 May 2010Laugardalsvöllur, Reykjavík, Iceland3 Andorra4–04–0
3 17 November 2010Bloomfield Stadium, Tel Aviv, Israel5 Israel2–32–3
4 6 September 2011Laugardalsvöllur, Reykjavík, Iceland8 Cyprus1–01–0UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying
5 27 May 2012Stade du Hainaut, Valenciennes, France9 France2–02–3Friendly
6 30 May 2012Gamla Ullevi, Gothenburg, Sweden10 Sweden1–22–3
7 15 August 2012Laugardalsvöllur, Reykjavík, Iceland11 Faroe Islands1–02–0
8 2–0
9 14 August 2013151–01–0
10 6 September 2013Stade de Suisse, Bern, Switzerland16  Switzerland2–44–42014 FIFA World Cup qualification
11 10 September 2013Laugardalsvöllur, Reykjavík, Iceland17 Albania2–12–1
12 11 October 201318 Cyprus1–02–0
13 15 October 2013Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo, Norway19 Norway1–01–1
14 30 May 2014Tivoli-Neu, Innsbruck, Austria22 Austria1–11–1Friendly
15 4 June 2014Laugardalsvöllur, Reykjavík, Iceland23 Estonia1–01–0
16 9 September 201424 Turkey3–03–0UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying
17 12 June 201529 Czech Republic2–12–1
18 10 October 201532 Latvia1–02–2
19 29 March 2016Karaiskakis Stadium, Piraeus, Greece37 Greece3–23–2Friendly
20 6 June 2016Laugardalsvöllur, Reykjavík, Iceland39 Liechtenstein1–04–0
21 27 June 2016Stade de Nice, Nice, France43 England2–12–1UEFA Euro 2016
22 3 July 2016Stade de France, Saint-Denis, France44 France1–42–5

Honours

Club

Ajax[32]

References

  1. ↑ http://www.fcnantes.com/groupepro/20152016/fiche.php?numjoueur=143
  2. ↑ "Kolbeinn Sigthórsson - Goal.com". Goal.com.
  3. 1 2 "Sky Sports Scout – Kolbeinn Sigthorsson". Sky Sports. 2011-02-11. Retrieved 2011-08-27.
  4. ↑ "Kolbeinn Sigþórsson". KSÍ. Retrieved 2013-10-23.
  5. ↑ "Kolbeinn Sigthorsson happy he chose AZ over Arsenal". tribalfootball.com. 2010-10-07. Retrieved 2011-08-27.
  6. ↑ "IFK Göteborg vs. AZ". Soccerway. 2010-08-05. Retrieved 2011-08-27.
  7. ↑ "AZ vs. Excelsior". Soccerway. 2010-08-29. Retrieved 2011-08-27.
  8. ↑ "IJslander Sigthórsson schittert tegen armzalig VVV" (in Dutch). Voetbal International. 2011-01-29. Retrieved 2011-08-26.
  9. ↑ Berend Scholten (2011-02-02). "Sigthórsson writes his name into AZ folklore". Uefa.com. Retrieved 2011-08-26.
  10. ↑ "Ajax biedt AZ twee miljoen euro voor Sigthórsson" (in Dutch). Voetbal International. 2011-05-03. Retrieved 2011-08-26.
  11. ↑ "Ajax contracteert Sigþórsson" (in Dutch). Ajax.nl. 2011-07-04. Retrieved 2011-08-26.
  12. ↑ "Sigthórsson: 'Droom om met Bergkamp te werken'" (in Dutch). Voetbal International. 2011-07-04. Retrieved 2011-08-26.
  13. ↑ "Ajax steamrolls past Brøndby IF". Ajax.nl. 2011-07-20. Retrieved 2011-08-27.
  14. ↑ "Twente vs. Ajax". Soccerway. 2011-07-30. Retrieved 2011-08-27.
  15. ↑ "Ajax vs. Heerenveen". Soccerway. 2011-08-14. Retrieved 2011-08-27.
  16. ↑ "VVV vs. Ajax". Soccerway. 2011-08-21. Retrieved 2011-08-27.
  17. ↑ "Ajax vs. Vitesse". Soccerway. 2011-05-26. Retrieved 2011-08-27.
  18. ↑ "Nantes presenteert Kolbeinn Sigthorsson". Telegraaf. 2015-07-02. Retrieved 2011-07-03.
  19. ↑ "Kolbeinn Sigthorsson joins Galatasaray on loan". French Football News.
  20. ↑ https://www.kap.org.tr/tr/Bildirim/555343
  21. ↑ "Kolbeinn Sigthorsson'un sözleşmesi feshedildi". galatasaray.org (in Turkish). Galatasaray. 29 December 2016. Retrieved 29 December 2016.
  22. ↑ "Kolbeinn: Spilið ekki nógu gott" (in Icelandic). mbl.is. 2013-02-06. Retrieved 2013-02-06.
  23. ↑ "Lars Lagerback: Ágætis líkur á að Kolbeinn verði varafyrirliði" (in Icelandic). fotbolti.net. 2013-02-06. Retrieved 2013-02-06.
  24. ↑ "Slóvenar sóttu þrjú stig í Laugardalinn" (in Icelandic). mbl.is. 2013-06-07. Retrieved 2013-06-16.
  25. ↑ "Impressive Iceland too strong for ten-man Turkey". UEFA. 9 September 2015.
  26. ↑ "Iceland 2–1 Czech Rep.". BBC. 12 June 2015.
  27. ↑ "A karla – Lokahópur fyrir EM 2016" (in Icelandic). Knattspyrnusamband Íslands. 9 May 2016. Archived from the original on 12 May 2016. Retrieved 10 May 2016.
  28. ↑ "England 1 Iceland 2: Fairytale continues as Hodgson's men crash out". FourFourTwo. 27 June 2016. Retrieved 28 June 2016.
  29. ↑ "K. Sigþórsson – Profile". Soccerway.
  30. ↑ Kolbeinn Sigþórsson at National-Football-Teams.com
  31. ↑ "Kolbeinn Sigþórsson". Football Association of Iceland (in Icelandic). Retrieved 28 June 2016.
  32. ↑ "Kolbeinn Sigþórsson – Career Honours". Soccerway.
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