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Gylfi Þór Sigurðsson (;
transliterated Transliteration is a type of conversion of a text from one script to another that involves swapping letters (thus '' trans-'' + '' liter-'') in predictable ways, such as Greek → , Cyrillic → , Greek → the digraph , Armenian → or ...
as Gylfi Thor Sigurdsson; born 8 September 1989) is an Icelandic professional
footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...
who last played as an
attacking midfielder A midfielder is an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position in association football. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As #Cent ...
for
Premier League The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...
club Everton. Gylfi began his professional career with
Reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of Letter (alphabet), letters, symbols, etc., especially by Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process invo ...
in the
Championship In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion. Championship systems Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship. Title match system In this system ...
and in 2010, was sold to 1899 Hoffenheim, which was Reading's biggest sale at the time. He was voted Player of the Season for two consecutive seasons: for Reading in 2009–10 and for
Hoffenheim Hoffenheim () is a village in Rhein-Neckar-Kreis, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It belongs to the municipality of Sinsheim and, as of 2020, it has a population of 3,191. History The village, settled since prehistoric times, and first mentioned ...
in 2010–11. After a season back in English football with Swansea City, he joined
Tottenham Hotspur Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as Tottenham () or Spurs, is a professional association football, football club based in Tottenham, London, England. It competes in the Premier League, the top flight of English footba ...
for a reported £8 million transfer fee. In 2014, he moved back to Swansea as part of an exchange for Ben Davies. In 2017 he transferred to Everton for a then club-record transfer fee of £40 million, remaining there for five years. Gylfi played for
Iceland Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...
from 2010 to 2020, earning 78
caps Caps are flat headgear. Caps or CAPS may also refer to: Science and technology Computing * CESG Assisted Products Service, provided by the U.K. Government Communications Headquarters * Composite Application Platform Suite, by Java Caps, a Java ...
and scoring 25 goals. He represented the team at their first major tournament,
UEFA Euro 2016 The 2016 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2016 (stylised as UEFA EURO 2016) or simply Euro 2016, was the 15th UEFA European Championship, the quadrennial international men's football championship of Europe o ...
, where his country reached the quarter-finals. He also played at his nation's first ever
FIFA World Cup The FIFA World Cup, often simply called the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of the ' ( FIFA), the sport's global governing body. The tournament ha ...
in
2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...
.


Club career


Reading

Born in
Reykjavík Reykjavík ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Iceland. It is located in southwestern Iceland, on the southern shore of Faxaflói bay. Its latitude is 64°08' N, making it the world's northernmost capital of a sovereign state. With a po ...
, Gylfi played for hometown side FH before joining Breiðablik and was an Icelandic under-17 international. He had spent time on trial with
Preston North End Preston North End Football Club, commonly referred to as Preston, North End or PNE, is a professional football club in Preston, Lancashire, England, who currently play in the EFL Championship, the second tier of the English football league syste ...
before signing for
Reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of Letter (alphabet), letters, symbols, etc., especially by Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process invo ...
on an Academy scholarship on 1 October 2005. He spent three years playing for the
youth Youth is the time of life when one is young. The word, youth, can also mean the time between childhood and adulthood ( maturity), but it can also refer to one's peak, in terms of health or the period of life known as being a young adult. You ...
and
reserve team In sports, a reserve team is a team composed of players under contract to a club but who do not normally play in matches for the first team. Reserve teams often include back-up players from the first team, young players who need playing time to i ...
s. Prior to the 2007–08 season, he and five other youngsters were given professional contracts.


2008–09

Ahead of the 2008–09 season, Gylfi was assigned the number 34 shirt for Reading. He was an unused substitute in the club's 2–1 away win at Dagenham & Redbridge in the first round of the
League Cup In several sports, most prominently association football, a league cup or secondary cup generally signifies a cup competition for which entry is restricted only to teams in a particular league. The first national association football tournament t ...
on 12 August. Two weeks later, he made his debut in the next round against
Luton Town Luton Town Football Club () is a professional association football club based in the town of Luton, Bedfordshire, England, that competes in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1885, it is nicknam ...
, entering the match as a 59th-minute substitute for James Harper in a 5–1 win at the
Madejski Stadium The Madejski Stadium (currently known as the Select Car Leasing Stadium for sponsorship reasons) is a football stadium in Reading. It is the home of Reading Football Club, who play in the EFL Championship. It also provides the finish for the Rea ...
. He scored in Reading's
penalty shoot-out The penalty shootout is a method of determining a winner in sports matches that would have otherwise been drawn or tied. The rules for penalty shootouts vary between sports and even different competitions; however, the usual form is similar to pe ...
loss away to
Stoke City Stoke City Football Club is a professional football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England, which competes in the . Founded as Stoke Ramblers in 1863, it changed its name to Stoke in 1878 and then to Stoke City in 1925 after Stoke ...
in the third round after entering as a substitute. To gain first-team experience, Gylfi signed for
Shrewsbury Town Shrewsbury Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England. The team competes in League One, the third tier of English football. The club plays its home games at the New Meadow, having mo ...
on a one-month
loan In finance, a loan is the lending of money by one or more individuals, organizations, or other entities to other individuals, organizations, etc. The recipient (i.e., the borrower) incurs a debt and is usually liable to pay interest on that d ...
spell on 16 October. Two days later, he scored on his league debut against
AFC Bournemouth AFC Bournemouth () is a professional association football club based in Kings Park, Boscombe, a suburb of Bournemouth, Dorset, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest division of English club football. Formed in 1899 as B ...
in a 4–1 win at the
New Meadow New Meadow, also known as Montgomery Waters Meadow for sponsorship purposes, is a stadium situated on the southern outskirts of Shrewsbury, Shropshire, between the districts of Meole Brace and Sutton Farm, and close to the A5 road (Great Britain) ...
. He made a total of six appearances during his time at Shrewsbury, scoring one goal. He returned to his parent club and featured in Reading's 2–0 loss to Cardiff City in the
FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...
third round on 3 January 2009. On 27 February, he joined
Crewe Alexandra Crewe Alexandra Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of Crewe, Cheshire, that competes in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. Nicknamed 'The Railwaymen' because of ...
on an emergency loan move. Two days later, he made his debut against
Brighton Brighton () is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the City of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze A ...
away, scoring in the 89th minute in a 4–0 win. On 24 March, his loan was extended until the end of the season. He scored two further goals for Crewe, against
Milton Keynes Dons Milton Keynes Dons Football Club (), usually abbreviated to MK Dons, is a professional association football club based in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England. The team competes in , the third tier of the English football league system. The ...
and
Cheltenham Town Cheltenham Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England. From the 2021–22 season, the club compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league syst ...
respectively, but could not prevent the club's relegation to
League Two The English Football League Two (often referred to as League Two for short or Sky Bet League Two for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League Two from 2004 until 2016) is the third and lowest division of the English Football Lea ...
.


2009–10

Gylfi scored his first Reading goal against
Burton Albion Burton Albion Football Club is a professional association football club in the town of Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire, England. The team compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. The club moved its home groun ...
from 35 yards out in a League Cup first round tie at home on 11 August 2009. He scored his first league goal for Reading in a 3–2 defeat at
Peterborough United Peterborough United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, England. The team compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. Peterborough have a long-standing ...
on 19 September 2009. Gylfi was a major contributor in Reading's extraordinary 2009–10 FA Cup run which included wins over
Premier League The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...
sides
Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...
,
Burnley Burnley () is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Burnley in Lancashire, England, with a 2001 population of 73,021. It is north of Manchester and east of Preston, at the confluence of the River Calder and River Bru ...
and
West Bromwich Albion West Bromwich Albion Football Club () is an English professional football club based in West Bromwich, West Midlands, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football. The club was formed in 1878 and has pla ...
. On 13 January 2010, in the third round of the FA Cup against Liverpool, he scored a penalty in injury time to make the score 1–1 and force extra time. Reading went on to win the match 2–1. He scored the winning goal in the 87th minute against Burnley in the fourth round. In the fifth round, he scored the winning goal against West Brom for a 3–2 victory in extra time. In April 2010, Gylfi won the
Championship Player of the Month The EFL Championship Player of the Month is an association football award that recognises the player adjudged the best for each month of the season in the EFL Championship, the English football league system, second tier of English football. ...
Award for March, edging
Peter Løvenkrands Peter Rosenkrands Løvenkrands (born 29 January 1980) is a Danish professional football manager and former player. He played mainly as a striker or as a left winger, and was known for his pace. Løvenkrands began his career in his native Denma ...
of
Newcastle United Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Newcastle upon Tyne, that plays in the Premier League – the top flight of English football. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End ...
,
Graham Dorrans Graham Dorrans (born 5 May 1987) is a Scottish professional footballer who plays as a midfielder. He began his football career at Scottish club Livingston, before joining English club West Bromwich Albion in 2008. In the 2009–10 season, he ...
of West Brom and Adel Taarabt of
Queens Park Rangers Queens Park Rangers Football Club, commonly abbreviated to QPR, is a professional football club based in Shepherd's Bush, West London, England, which compete in the . After a nomadic early existence, they have played home matches at Loftus Ro ...
, scoring five goals in six matches that month. On 2 May, Gylfi scored against
Preston North End Preston North End Football Club, commonly referred to as Preston, North End or PNE, is a professional football club in Preston, Lancashire, England, who currently play in the EFL Championship, the second tier of the English football league syste ...
in the final match of the season. Before the match, Gylfi was named as the 2009–10 Reading Player of the Season, surpassing Jimmy Kébé and
Ryan Bertrand Ryan Dominic Bertrand (born 5 August 1989) is an English professional footballer who plays as a left-back for Premier League club Leicester City. Bertrand began his youth career at Gillingham, before signing for Chelsea in July 2005. He gradu ...
, who finished second and third respectively. Gylfi finished the season with 20 goals in 44 matches in all competitions. His performances and his young age prompted several Premier League clubs to enquire over his availability, but he committed his future to Reading when he signed a three-year contract in May 2010.


2010–11

Gylfi scored his first goal of the 2010–11 season in the first match of the season when he "skipped past two players before smashing in a 25-yard equaliser" against Scunthorpe United in a 2–1 home loss. He followed this on 28 August with a short-range chip in the 22nd minute away at
Leicester City Leicester ( ) is a city, unitary authority and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest settlement in the East Midlands. The city lies on the River Soar and close to the eastern end of the National ...
. The evening after the match, the Icelandic media reported Gylfi was to travel to Germany the following Monday to undergo a medical at 1899 Hoffenheim ahead of a transfer. On 31 August, he completed a transfer to 1899 Hoffenheim, with Reading reporting the fee received exceeded their previous club record sale of £6.5 million from the sale of
Kevin Doyle Kevin Edward Doyle (born 18 September 1983) is an Irish former professional footballer who played as a forward. He played for Wexford F.C. (formerly Wexford Youths), St Patrick's Athletic, and Cork City in his homeland before he moved to Eng ...
.


1899 Hoffenheim

Gylfi made his debut for 1899 Hoffenheim on 10 September 2010, coming on as a substitute with 13 minutes to go in a 2–0 win over
Schalke 04 Fußballclub Gelsenkirchen-Schalke 04 e. V., commonly known as FC Schalke 04 (), Schalke 04 (), or abbreviated as S04 (), is a professional German football and multi-sports club originally from the Schalke district of Gelsenkirchen, North Rhine ...
. One week later, he scored his first goal for Hoffenheim in a 2–2 draw with 1. FC Kaiserslautern after coming on as a 77th-minute substitute. He scored with his first touch, a 20-yard free-kick that levelled the match. His second goal for the club was another free-kick, from 25 yards out against
Mainz 05 1. Fußball- und Sportverein Mainz 05 e. V., usually shortened to 1. FSV Mainz 05, Mainz 05 () or simply Mainz (), is a German sports club, founded in 1905 and based in Mainz, Rhineland-Palatinate. 1. FSV Mainz 05 play in the Bundesliga, the top ...
in a 4–2 away defeat. He added another two goals to his tally in Hoffenheim's home win against
Hannover 96 Hannoverscher Sportverein von 1896, commonly referred to as Hannover 96 (), Hannover, HSV or simply 96, is a German professional football club based in the city of Hanover, Lower Saxony. They played in the Bundesliga for a total of 30 years betwe ...
, one of which was from the penalty spot. On 25 May 2011, Gylfi was voted as 1899 Hoffenheim's fans' Player of the Season, despite only starting 13 matches. He finished the season with ten goals and two assists. During the first half of the 2011–12 season, Gylfi fell out of favour with the club's new manager, making just seven league appearances and was linked with a move away from the club.


Loan to Swansea City

On 1 January 2012, it was announced Gylfi would join Premier League club Swansea City on loan for the rest of the season. He made his Premier League debut for Swansea on 15 January, coming on at half-time and setting up the winning goal in a 3–2 win over
Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
. On 4 February, Gylfi scored his first goal for the club in a 2–1 win against West Bromwich Albion. He also created Swansea's other goal for
Danny Graham Daniel Graham (born 1978) is an American football player. Daniel Graham may also refer to: * Bob Graham (born 1936), Daniel Robert Graham, American politician *Daniel O. Graham (1926–1995), American general and political activist *Danny Graham ( ...
, taking his tally to three assists in four matches. On 3 March, he scored two goals in a 2–0 victory away at
Wigan Athletic Wigan Athletic Football Club () is an English professional association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, England. The team competes in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1932, ...
, his first from a free-kick. Two weeks later, he scored another brace in a 3–0 away win against
Fulham Fulham () is an area of the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham in West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, bordering Hammersmith, Kensington and Chelsea. The area faces Wandsworth ...
. He scored his next goal at
White Hart Lane White Hart Lane was a Association football, football stadium in Tottenham, North London and the home of Tottenham Hotspur F.C., Tottenham Hotspur Football Club from 1899 to 2017. Its capacity varied over the years; when changed to all-seater i ...
in his team's 3–1 defeat by
Tottenham Hotspur Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as Tottenham () or Spurs, is a professional association football, football club based in Tottenham, London, England. It competes in the Premier League, the top flight of English footba ...
on 1 April. As a result of his fine form, Gylfi was named the
Premier League Player of the Month The Premier League Player of the Month is an association football award that recognises the best adjudged Premier League player each month of the season. The winner is chosen by a combination of an online public vote, which contributes to 10 ...
for March, the first Icelander to win the award. His next goal came in a 3–0 victory over
Blackburn Rovers Blackburn Rovers Football Club is a professional football club, based in Blackburn, Lancashire, England, which competes in the , the second tier of the English football league system. They have played home matches at Ewood Park since 1890. T ...
that put the club on 42 points for the season. On 28 May, Swansea agreed a £6.8 million fee with 1899 Hoffenheim for the permanent transfer of Gylfi, subject to him passing a medical. However, following Swansea manager
Brendan Rodgers Brendan Rodgers (born 26 January 1973) is a Northern Irish professional football manager and former player who is the manager of Premier League club Leicester City. Rodgers began his career as a defender at Ballymena United, where he stayed ...
' move to Liverpool, the deal collapsed, despite
Huw Jenkins Huw Jenkins is vice chairman of the board of BTG Pactual, based in London. He is a managing partner of the firm as well as a member of the Global Management Committee. Jenkins is also chairman of Engelhart Commodities Trading Partners (ECTP), ...
keeping hope in the deal alight. In 18 Premier League matches during his loan spell for Swansea, Gylfi scored seven goals and added four assists.


Tottenham Hotspur

On 4 July 2012, Gylfi joined Tottenham Hotspur from 1899 Hoffenheim for a reported £8 million transfer fee. He was the first signing for newly appointed Spurs manager
André Villas-Boas Luís André de Pina Cabral e Villas-Boas (; born 17 October 1977) is a Portuguese football manager, who most recently was the manager of Ligue 1 club Marseille. He is one of a growing number of top-level managers who have never played football ...
. On 18 July, he scored his first goal for the club in a friendly against
Stevenage Stevenage ( ) is a large town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, about north of London. Stevenage is east of junctions 7 and 8 of the A1(M), between Letchworth Garden City to the north and Welwyn Garden City to the south. In 1946, Stevena ...
after coming on as a second-half substitute. On 26 September, he scored his first competitive goal for the club in a
League Cup In several sports, most prominently association football, a league cup or secondary cup generally signifies a cup competition for which entry is restricted only to teams in a particular league. The first national association football tournament t ...
third round tie away against
Carlisle United Carlisle United Football Club ( , ) is a professional association football club based in Carlisle, Cumbria, England. The team compete in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. They have played their home games at Brunton Par ...
, closing the scoring in a 3–0 win. Brian McDermott confirmed Reading made three unsuccessful bids to bring Gylfi back to his former club during the January 2013 transfer window, including a club record offer on deadline day thought by
BBC Sport BBC Sport is the sports division of the BBC, providing national sports coverage for BBC television, radio and online. The BBC holds the television and radio UK broadcasting rights to several sports, broadcasting the sport live or alongside flag ...
to be around £10 million. On 25 February, Gylfi scored his first Premier League goal for Tottenham, the second goal in a 3–2 win against
West Ham United West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club that plays its home matches in Stratford, East London. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. The club plays at the London Stadium, hav ...
. In the following match, a 2–1
North London derby The North London derby is the meeting of the association football clubs Arsenal F.C. and Tottenham Hotspur F.C., both of which are based in North London, England. Fans of both clubs consider the other to be their main rivals, and the derby is co ...
win against Arsenal, he provided the assist for
Gareth Bale Gareth Frank Bale (born 16 July 1989) is a Welsh professional footballer who plays as a winger for Major League Soccer club Los Angeles FC and the Wales national team. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wingers of his generation ...
. In the 2013–14 season, Gylfi scored twice in a 2–0 win against
Norwich City Norwich City Football Club (also known as The Canaries or The Yellows) is an English professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk. The club competes in the EFL Championship following their relegation from the Premier League in the 20 ...
on 14 September 2013. This win took Spurs up to second in the Premier League table. Gylfi's momentum in the Tottenham team continued on 28 September 2013, scoring in a 1–1 home draw against
Chelsea Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to: Places Australia * Chelsea, Victoria Canada * Chelsea, Nova Scotia * Chelsea, Quebec United Kingdom * Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames ** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...
.


Return to Swansea City

In July 2014, Tottenham announced a deal had been reached with Swansea City for Gylfi to re-join his former club, with Swansea left-back Ben Davies joining Spurs. On the move, Gylfi said, "I really enjoyed my time here last time. I know the club, I know the manager, I know the players and I obviously know the fans and the city as well, so that wasn't that difficult for me." In the opening match of the 2014–15 season, he set up the opener and scored the winning goal as Swansea defeated
Manchester United Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...
2–1 at
Old Trafford Old Trafford () is a football stadium in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, England, and the home of Manchester United. With a capacity of 74,310 it is the largest club football stadium (and second-largest football stadium overall after Wemb ...
, making this the first time the ''Red Devils'' have lost their opening home game since 1972. Gylfi continued his good start to his Swansea return with another three assists in his next two matches. In a home match against Arsenal on 9 November 2014, Gylfi curled a free-kick over the wall and into the corner of the net from 25 yards to equalise in an eventual 2–1 win. Gylfi scored in a 4–1 away defeat against Liverpool at
Anfield Anfield is a football stadium in Anfield, Liverpool, Merseyside, England, which has a seating capacity of 53,394, making it the seventh largest football stadium in England. It has been the home of Liverpool F.C. since their formation in 1892. ...
on 29 December. On 17 January 2015, a wayward pass by Gylfi allowed Chelsea's
Oscar Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to: People * Oscar (given name), an Irish- and English-language name also used in other languages; the article includes the names Oskar, Oskari, Oszkár, Óscar, and other forms. * Oscar (Irish mythology), ...
to score after 50 seconds in an eventual 5–0 home defeat for Swansea. A week later, he scored and was sent off in added time at the end of a 3–1 defeat away to Blackburn Rovers in an FA Cup fourth round tie, with Swansea already having been down to ten men after the earlier dismissal of
Kyle Bartley Kyle Louis Bartley (born 22 May 1991) is an English professional footballer who plays as a central defender for club West Bromwich Albion. Bartley started his career with Arsenal, making his debut in 2009. He spent some of the 2009 season and ...
. Amidst rumours of a £25 million move to Everton, Gylfi signed a new four-year contract with Swansea on 2 August 2016. He scored his first goal of the 2016–17 season on 11 September against Chelsea with a second-half penalty in a game which finished 2–2. He ended the season with 9 goals and 13 assists which helped the Swans avoid relegation. In summer 2017, Gylfi refused to participate in Swansea's pre-season tour of the United States, proclaiming he was not in right frame of mind to go with the club because of uncertainty over his future.


Everton

On 16 August 2017, Gylfi signed for fellow Premier league side Everton for a reported £40 million transfer fee (with £5 million in potential add-ons), a club-record deal. Eight days later, he scored his first goal for Everton while making his full debut, with a shot from 50 yards in the
UEFA Europa League The UEFA Europa League (abbreviated as UEL, or sometimes, UEFA EL), formerly the UEFA Cup, is an annual football club competition organised since 1971 by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European football clubs. It ...
play-off round second leg against
Hajduk Split Hrvatski nogometni klub Hajduk Split, commonly referred to as Hajduk Split () or simply Hajduk, is a Croatian professional football club based in Split, that competes in the Croatian First League, the top tier in Croatian football. Since 1979, t ...
. On 26 November 2017, he scored his first Premier League goal in an Everton shirt against
Southampton Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...
, but lost the match 1–4. He ended the 2017–18 season with 6 goals and 5 assists in 31 appearances. Gylfi started the 2018–19 season with Everton with an assist to Michael Keane in a friendly match against
Valencia Valencia ( va, València) is the capital of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, Valencia and the Municipalities of Spain, third-most populated municipality in Spain, with 791,413 inhabitants. It is ...
, while losing the match 2–3. On 29 September 2018, he scored his first brace with the club in a 3–0 victory against
Fulham Fulham () is an area of the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham in West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, bordering Hammersmith, Kensington and Chelsea. The area faces Wandsworth ...
. On 26 December 2018, he assisted and scored a penalty in a 5–1 victory against
Burnley Burnley () is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Burnley in Lancashire, England, with a 2001 population of 73,021. It is north of Manchester and east of Preston, at the confluence of the River Calder and River Bru ...
. Gylfi scored his 100th goal in English football during Everton's second round EFL Cup tie against Salford City on 16 September 2020. On 20 February 2021, he scored a penalty in a 2–0 league win over
Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...
at
Anfield Anfield is a football stadium in Anfield, Liverpool, Merseyside, England, which has a seating capacity of 53,394, making it the seventh largest football stadium in England. It has been the home of Liverpool F.C. since their formation in 1892. ...
, sealing Everton's first away win over their
rivals A rivalry is the state of two people or groups engaging in a lasting competitive relationship. Rivalry is the "against each other" spirit between two competing sides. The relationship itself may also be called "a rivalry", and each participant o ...
since September 1999. On 10 September 2021, Gylfi was left out of Everton's final Premier League squad for the 2021–22 season. He left the club in June 2022 when his contract expired.


International career

Gylfi took part in the 2008 U19 European Championship qualifying, scoring twice in qualification and twice in the elite round, but Iceland lost out to group winners
Bulgaria Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedon ...
by three points and missed out on the finals. In November 2007, Gylfi made his under-21 debut for Iceland, playing 30 minutes against
Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
in a 3–0 loss. He made his first appearance in the 2009 European Under-21 Championship qualifying four days later, coming as an extra-time substitute, and played in the remaining matches. In Iceland's last match, he scored the opener against
Slovakia Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the s ...
, but Slovakia's
Miroslav Stoch Miroslav Stoch (born 19 October 1989) is a Slovak professional footballer, who currently plays as a winger for Motorlet Prague and competed for the Slovakia national team. He has earned 60 caps for Slovakia since his debut in 2009, and was in ...
equalised to make it 1–1. Iceland failed to qualify for the play-offs but made a bright start to the 2011 campaign. He made his campaign debut in October against
San Marino San Marino (, ), officially the Republic of San Marino ( it, Repubblica di San Marino; ), also known as the Most Serene Republic of San Marino ( it, Serenissima Repubblica di San Marino, links=no), is the fifth-smallest country in the world an ...
, scoring two goals within 16 minutes in a 6–0 thrashing. In May 2010, Gylfi made his full Iceland debut in a convincing 4–0 win over
Andorra , image_flag = Flag of Andorra.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Andorra.svg , symbol_type = Coat of arms , national_motto = la, Virtus Unita Fortior, label=none (Latin)"United virtue is stro ...
and provided the assist for the second goal from a free-kick. Gylfi also helped Iceland's U21 side reach the 2011 UEFA European Under-21 Championship, playing in both play-off legs against
Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
as Iceland won 4–2 on aggregate. In the second leg, Gylfi scored two second-half goals to ensure Iceland won the match 2–1. On 13 October 2014, Gylfi scored both goals (one of which was a penalty) as Iceland defeated the
Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
in a
UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying The UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying tournament was a football competition that was played from September 2014 to November 2015 to determine the 23 UEFA member men's national teams joining the automatically qualified host team France in the UEFA Euro 2 ...
match. In the reverse fixture the following 3 September at the
Amsterdam Arena The Johan Cruyff Arena ( nl, Johan Cruijff Arena ; officially stylised as Johan Cruijff ArenA) is the main stadium of the Dutch capital city of Amsterdam and the home stadium of football club AFC Ajax since its opening. Built from 1993 to 1996 ...
, he converted another spot-kick for the only goal of the match, after
Gregory van der Wiel Gregory Kurtley van der Wiel (born 3 February 1988) is a Dutch former footballer who played as a right-back. Born in Amsterdam, Van der Wiel is a product of the AFC Ajax youth system. In 2010, he was awarded the Johan Cruyff Award for " Young ...
fouled
Birkir Bjarnason Birkir Bjarnason (born 27 May 1988) is an Icelandic professional Association football, footballer who plays as a central midfielder for Süper Lig club Adana Demirspor and the Iceland national football team, where he is their all-time leader in ...
. Gylfi was selected for
UEFA Euro 2016 The 2016 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2016 (stylised as UEFA EURO 2016) or simply Euro 2016, was the 15th UEFA European Championship, the quadrennial international men's football championship of Europe o ...
. On 18 June, he scored Iceland's goal in their second group stage match against
Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia a ...
, a 1–1 draw at the
Stade Vélodrome The Stade Vélodrome (; oc, Estadi Velodròm, ), known as the Orange Vélodrome for sponsorship reasons, is a multi-purpose stadium in Marseille, France. It is home to the Olympique de Marseille football club of Ligue 1 since it opened in 1937, ...
. In May 2018, Gylfi was named in Iceland's 23-man squad for the
2018 FIFA World Cup The 2018 FIFA World Cup was the 21st FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for men's national Association football, football teams organized by FIFA. It took place in Russia from 14 June to 15 July 2018, after the country was awa ...
in Russia. During the group stage match against
Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...
, he scored a penalty in the 76th minute, but Iceland lost 2–1 and were eliminated at the group stage. Gylfi scored twice against
Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...
on 8 October 2020, earning Iceland a play-off place for the chance to fight for a place at the
UEFA Euro 2020 The 2020 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2020 (stylised as UEFA EURO 2020) or simply Euro 2020, was the 16th UEFA European Championship, the quadrennial international men's football championship of Europe ...
finals.


Personal life

In June 2019, Gylfi married Alexandra Ívarsdóttir, who had been
Miss Iceland Miss Iceland or Miss Universe Iceland ( is, Ungfrú Ísland) is a national beauty pageant in Iceland. Began 2023 the winner represents Iceland at Miss Universe pageant. History The competition has been carried out since 1950; in the first yea ...
in 2008. They had been dating from 2010. Through his sister, he is the uncle of Karólína Lea Vilhjálmsdóttir of the
Iceland women's national football team The Iceland women's national football team represents Iceland in international women's football. They are currently ranked as the 17th best women's national team in the world by FIFA as of December 2019. On 30 October 2008, the national team q ...
.


2021 arrest

On 16 July 2021, a 31-year-old Premier League footballer was arrested "on suspicion of child sex offences" and was released on bail while investigations continued, stated
Greater Manchester Police Greater Manchester Police (GMP) is the territorial police force responsible for law enforcement within the metropolitan county of Greater Manchester in North West England. , Greater Manchester Police employed 6,866 police officers, 3,524 memb ...
without naming the player. Everton stated that they "suspended a first-team player pending a police investigation", but did not confirm if it was the same player arrested by Greater Manchester Police. Icelandic newspaper ''
Morgunblaðið ''Morgunblaðið'' (, ''The Morning Paper'') is an Icelandic newspaper. ''Morgunblaðið''s website, mbl.is, is the most popular website in Iceland. History ''Morgunblaðið'' was founded by Vilhjálmur Finsen and Ólafur Björnsson, brother of ...
'' reported that the player arrested for alleged child sex offences was Gylfi. Danish beverage State Energy, which had signed Gylfi only a month earlier, removed all advertising with his image on it. In October 2022, with Gylfi not charged but still under a travel ban, politician
Njáll Trausti Friðbertsson Njáll Trausti Friðbertsson (born 31 December 1969) is an Icelandic Independence Party (Iceland), Independence Party politician. He was elected to the Althing in 2016 Icelandic parliamentary election, 2016, by the Northeast (Althing constituency) ...
said that he would discuss the player's case with the Foreign Affairs Committee.


Career statistics


Club


International

:''Scores and results list Iceland's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Gylfi goal.''


Honours

Individual *
Premier League Player of the Month The Premier League Player of the Month is an association football award that recognises the best adjudged Premier League player each month of the season. The winner is chosen by a combination of an online public vote, which contributes to 10 ...
: March 2012 * Football League Championship Player of the Month: March 2010 * Reading Player of the Season: 2009–10 *
Hoffenheim Hoffenheim () is a village in Rhein-Neckar-Kreis, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It belongs to the municipality of Sinsheim and, as of 2020, it has a population of 3,191. History The village, settled since prehistoric times, and first mentioned ...
Player of the Season: 2010–11 * Icelandic Footballer of the Year: 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 *
Icelandic Sportsperson of the Year The Icelandic Sportsperson of the Year ( is, Íþróttamaður ársins) is an annual award given to the best Icelandic sportsperson of the year. The winner is selected by the Icelandic Association of Sports Journalists. It was first given in 1956 to ...
: 2013, 2016 * Swansea City Player of the Season: 2015–16, 2016–17


References


External links


Profile
at the Everton F.C. website * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Sigurdsson, Gylfi 1989 births Living people Gylfi Sigurdsson Gylfi Sigurdsson Association football midfielders Gylfi Sigurdsson Gylfi Sigurdsson Reading F.C. players Shrewsbury Town F.C. players Crewe Alexandra F.C. players TSG 1899 Hoffenheim players Swansea City A.F.C. players Tottenham Hotspur F.C. players Everton F.C. players English Football League players Bundesliga players Premier League players Gylfi Sigurdsson Gylfi Sigurdsson Gylfi Sigurdsson UEFA Euro 2016 players 2018 FIFA World Cup players Gylfi Sigurdsson Expatriate footballers in England Expatriate footballers in Germany Expatriate footballers in Wales Gylfi Sigurdsson Gylfi Sigurdsson Gylfi Sigurdsson