Sölvi Geir Ottesen Jónsson (born 18 February 1984) is an Icelandic former

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 ...

, who played as a

centre back In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield position whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Centre-backs are usually positioned in pairs, with one full-back on either s ...

for Sölvi; he earned 28 caps for the

Iceland national football team The Iceland national football team (in ) represents Iceland in men's international football. The team is controlled by the Football Association of Iceland, and have been a FIFA member since 1947 and an UEFA member since 1957. The team's nickn ...

. Sölvi is among the most decorated

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 ...

ic professional footballers ever. In his professional career, Sölvi picked up seven titles. In Sweden, he won the

Allsvenskan Allsvenskan (; en, the All-Swedish, also known as Fotbollsallsvenskan, en, the Football All-Swedish) is a Swedish professional league for men's association football clubs. It was founded in 1924 and is the top tier of the Swedish football lea ...

and the

Svenska Cupen Svenska Cupen (, ''The Swedish Cup'') is a knockout cup competition in Swedish football and the main Swedish football cup. Svenska Cupen usually refers to the men's tournament, although a women's tournament is also held. Each year 96 teams compe ...

on two occasions. In Denmark he won the Superliga twice and the

Cup A cup is an open-top used to hold hot or cold liquids for pouring or drinking; while mainly used for drinking, it also can be used to store solids for pouring (e.g., sugar, flour, grains, salt). Cups may be made of glass, metal, china, clay, ...

. As he moved to Asia he helped Jiangsu Sainty to win the

Chinese FA Cup The Chinese FA Cup (, abbreviated as CFA Cup) is the national knockout cup competition in China organized by the Chinese Football Association. Its current holders are Shandong Taishan, having beaten Shanghai Port in 2021 for a record seventh tit ...

. He also played a part with

Buriram United Buriram United Football Club ( th, สโมสรฟุตบอลบุรีรัมย์ ยูไนเต็ด) is a professional football club based in Buriram, Thailand. The club has played at the top level of Thai football for the ...

as they won the

Thai League 1 The Thai League 1 ( th, ไทยลีก 1), often referred to as T1, is the top level of the Thai football league system. Contested by 16 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with Thai League 2. Seasons run from August ...

Club career

Early career

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 ...

, Sölvi started his career at Vikingur Reykjavík, where he came through the academy. After progressing the ranks of the youth team, he made his Vikingur Reykjavík debut as an 84th-minute substitute, in a 7–2 win over KS on 25 August 2001. Ottesen went on to make four appearances for the side at the end of the 2001 season. The following 2002 season saw his first team opportunities increased, making a total of ten appearances. The 2003 season saw Ottesen continuing to establish himself in the starting eleven for Vikingur Reykjavík. He went on to make eighteen appearances for the side at the end of the 2003 season. His performance saw him being named 1. deild karla's Team of the Year. Despite signing a three–year contract with for Vikingur Reykjavík, Ottesen was linked with a move away with the club, with Norwegian side Brann and

Football League Second Division The Football League Second Division was the second level division in the English football league system between 1892 and 1992. Following the foundation of the FA Premier League, the Football League divisions were renumbered and the third ti ...

side

Barnsley Barnsley () is a market town in South Yorkshire, England. As the main settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley and the fourth largest settlement in South Yorkshire. In Barnsley, the population was 96,888 while the wider Borough has ...

were interested in signing him. Despite suffering from an injury, Ottesen was a first team regular until July 2004, where he made eight appearances for the side. By the time he departed from the club, Ottesen made 32 appearances in the heart of defence for Vikingur between years 2001 and 2004, spurring interest from abroad.

Djurgården

Sölvi signed for Swedish side

Djurgården Djurgården ( or ) or, more officially, ''Kungliga Djurgården'' (), is an island in central Stockholm, Sweden. Djurgården is home to historical buildings and monuments, museums, galleries, the amusement park Gröna Lund, the open-air museum ...

on 10 July 2004, signing a four and half year contract with the club. Upon joining the club, he said the move would help him develop. However, Ottesen suffered a setback when he suffered an injury. It wasn't until on 21 August 2004 when Ottesen appeared in the first team as an unused substitute, in a 1–0 win over

Örgryte Örgryte is one of the 21 ''stadsdelsnämndsområden'' (a kind of district often translated as borough) of Gothenburg Municipality, Sweden. It is a largely upper middle class residential area, just to the east of the city centre. It has a populati ...

. He made his Djurgården debut, starting the whole game, in a 2–0 loss against

Malmö Malmö (, ; da, Malmø ) is the largest city in the Swedish county (län) of Scania (Skåne). It is the third-largest city in Sweden, after Stockholm and Gothenburg, and the sixth-largest city in the Nordic region, with a municipal populat ...

on 20 September 2004. Ottesen appeared three more times, all coming on as a substitute. He later helped Djurgården win the

with them in his first year as a professional after beating

IFK Göteborg Idrottsföreningen Kamraterna Göteborg (officially IFK Göteborg Fotboll), commonly known as IFK Göteborg, IFK (especially locally) or simply Göteborg, is a Swedish professional football club based in Gothenburg. Founded in 1904, it is the ...

3–1 in the final. At the end of the 2004 season, Ottesen went on to make four appearances for the side. At the start of the 2005 season, Ottesen was expecting to compete with Elias Storm over the centre–back position. However, he suffered a groin injury during the pre–season and was sidelined for several months. By May, Ottesen made his recovery from his groin injury. It wasn't until on 13 June 2005 when he made his first appearance of the season, starting the whole match, in a 0–0 draw against IFK Göteborg. However, Ottesen appeared in the remaining matches of the 2005 season at the substitute bench. It wasn't until on 4 August 2005 when he made another appearance for the side, in a 2–2 draw against Hammarby. Although Ottesen made two appearances for the side in the 2005, he was part of the squad that won both the

and Cupen. Shortly after, Ottesen was sidelined for six to eight months after injuring his knee during a friendly match against

Väsby United Athletic Football Club Eskilstuna, also known as AFC Eskilstuna or simply AFC, is a Swedish football club located in Eskilstuna. The club has previously been known under the names FC Café Opera and Väsby United before switching ownership and t ...

. In the 2006 season, Ottesen continue to be rehabilitated his knee since the start of the season. By mid–July, he returned to full training, though his knee hadn't yet fully recovered. It wasn't until on 28 August 2006 when Ottesen made his return since recovering from a knee injury, starting the whole game, in a 3–0 win over Hammarby. Since returning to the first team, he went on to make five more appearances for the side at the end of the 2006 season. In the 2007 season, Ottesen continued to be in a competition over the centre–back position with

Toni Kuivasto Toni Kuivasto (born 31 December 1975) is a retired Finnish footballer who last played for Veikkausliigaside FC Haka. Club career Kuivasto started his career at home-town club FC Ilves, making his Veikkausliiga debut in 1992. He also played for ...

, Markus Johannesson and

Kebba Ceesay Kebba Ceesay (born 14 November 1987) is a Gambian former footballer who played as a defender. He also holds Swedish nationality. Career Ceesay joined Djurgården from IK Brage at the start of the 2007 season, and made his Allsvenskan debu ...

. He scored his first goal for the club in a Swedish Cup, in a 2–0 win over Norrby on 27 April 2007. Despite being sidelined at the beginning of May, he began to play regularly for the side by the end of the month. However, Ottesen suffered an injury that resulted in him sidelined for two months. But he made his return to the first team in the last game of the season, coming on as a late substitute, in a 1–0 loss against

IF Brommapojkarna Idrottsföreningen Brommapojkarna, more commonly known as Brommapojkarna (meaning ''the Bromma boys'') or simply BP, is a Swedish football club located in the borough of Bromma, in the western parts of Stockholm municipality. Brommapojkarna is t ...

. Ottesen made fourteen appearances and scoring once this season. Ahead of the 2008 season, Ottesen was sidelined with a knee injury that kept him out between three to four weeks. But he returned and started the season, as he found himself in and out of the starting line-up for the side. It wasn't until on 14 April 2008 when he scored his first Djurgården goal, in a 2–1 win over Halmstads. His second goal for the side came on 28 April 2008, in a 2–1 win over

Ljungskile Ljungskile () is a locality situated in Uddevalla Municipality, Västra Götaland County Västra Götaland County ( sv, Västra Götalands län) is a county or '' län'' on the western coast of Sweden. The county is the second most populous ...

. By the time he departed Djurgården, Sölvi made thirty–six appearances and scoring three times in all competitions.

SønderjyskE

Following his spell in Sweden, Sölvi signed a three-year contract with

SønderjyskE SønderjyskE is a Danish sport corporation. They have a football team (SønderjyskE Fodbold, based in Haderslev), two handball teams (SønderjyskE Håndbold, one male based in Sønderborg, one female based in Aabenraa) and an ice hockey team (S ...

of the

Danish Superliga The Danish Superliga ( da, Superligaen, ) is the current Danish football championship tournament, and administered by the Danish Football Association. It is the highest football league in Denmark and is currently contested by 12 teams each yea ...

in the summer of 2008. The move was reportedly cost "close to one million DKK. Swedish kronor - about 800,000 kr". Ottesen made his SønderjyskE debut, starting the whole game, in a 2–0 loss against AC Horsens in the opening game of the season. In a 1–1 draw against FC Copenhagen on 4 August 2008, Ottesen started the whole match, as his performance earned him a Man of the Match by Ekstrabladet. In a follow–up match against

Vejle Vejle () is a city in Denmark, in the southeast of the Jutland Peninsula at the head of Vejle Fjord, where the Vejle River and Grejs River and their valleys converge. It is the site of the councils of Vejle Municipality ('' kommune'') and the R ...

on 11 August 2008, setting up the club's opening goal of the game, in a 2–1 loss. He scored his first goal for the club, in a 2–1 loss against

Aalborg Aalborg (, , ) is Denmark's fourth largest town (behind Copenhagen, Aarhus, and Odense) with a population of 119,862 (1 July 2022) in the town proper and an urban population of 143,598 (1 July 2022). As of 1 July 2022, the Municipality of Aalb ...

three weeks later on 31 August 2008. Since joining the club, Ottesen quickly established himself in the starting eleven, playing in the centre–back position. It wasn't until on 8 April 2009 when he scored his second goal of the season, in a 2–1 loss against F.C. Copenhagen. Ottesen later scored two more goals against

Odense BK Odense Boldklub (; also known as Odense BK or the more commonly used OB) is a Danish professional football club based in the city Odense. The club has won three Danish championships and five Danish Cup trophies. OB play in the Danish Superliga ...

and

Esbjerg Esbjerg (, ) is a seaport town and seat of Esbjerg Municipality on the west coast of the Jutland peninsula in southwest Denmark. By road, it is west of Kolding and southwest of Aarhus. With an urban population of 71,698 (1 January 2022)

, win against them saw SønderjyskE avoid relegation. Despite being sidelined on five occasions during the 2008–09 season, he went on to make twenty–seven appearances and scoring four times in all competitions. Ahead of his second season with SønderjyskE, a report suggested that he would soon go on trial with Scottish giants

Glasgow Celtic The Celtic Football Club, commonly known as Celtic (), is a Scottish professional football club based in Glasgow, which plays in the Scottish Premiership. The club was founded in 1887 with the purpose of alleviating poverty in the immigran ...

. Icelandic newspaper

Fréttablaðið ''Fréttablaðið'' ( en, The Newspaper) is a free Icelandic newspaper. It is distributed five days per week. History and profile ''Fréttablaðið'' was established in 2001. It was originally owned primarily by the media group ''365''. The paper ...

stated that he had been invited to train with during pre-season with a view to a deal subject to permission from his then current club, SønderjyskE. But he stayed at SønderjyskE for the second season. At the start of the 2009–10 season, Ottesen appeared in the opening game of the season against

Randers Randers () is a city in Randers Municipality, Central Denmark Region on the Jutland peninsula. It is Denmark's sixth-largest city, with a population of 62,802 (as of 1 January 2022).Brøndby on 7 March 2010. He then captained the side for the first time, starting the whole game, in a 2–0 against FC Copenhagen on 21 March 2010. Despite suffering from an injury later in the 2009–10 season, Ottesen was able to return to the first team and scored his second goal of the season, in a 2–0 win over Odense BK on 3 May 2010. Following another successful relegation battle to stay in the top division, he went on to make twenty–nine appearances and scoring two times in all competitions. It was announced on 18 March 2010 that he will leave the club at the end of the 2009–10 season, regardless of the club's future in the top division. Six years after departing the club, Ottesen was inducted to Sønderjyske's Hall of Fame.

Copenhagen

As the deal with Glasgow Celtic failed to materialize, Ottesen signed a three-year contract with defending Superliga champions

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...

instead on 23 June 2010. Ottesen made his FC Copenhagen debut, starting the whole game, in a 3–0 win against his former club, SønderjyskE, in the opening game of the season. He then made his UEFA Champions League debut against BATE Borisov in the first leg of the third qualifying round, in a 0–0 draw. FC Copenhagen went on to win 3–2 in the second leg. Following a 2–1 loss against Rosenberg in the first leg, the then 26 year old Ottesen could hardly have popped up at a more important time to register his first goal for [Copenhagen, in the UEFA Champions League Play-Off Round against Rosenberg. In the biggest game of his career so far, his perfectly-placed header secured Copenhagen a spot in the group stage for only the second time in the club's history. Four days later on 29 August 2010, Ottesen scored his second goal for the side, in a 2–1 win over AC Horsens. Since joining the club, he found himself in a competition with Mathias Jørgensen and Mikael Antonsson over the centre–back position. During a 2–0 win over Brøndby on 19 September 2010, Ottesen fractured his arm and was sidelined between four to six weeks. It wasn't until on 24 October 2010 when he made his return from injury, coming on as a substitute in the 70th minute, in a 3–0 win over

Silkeborg Silkeborg () is a Danish town with a population of 49,747 (1 January 2022).Lyngby Kongens Lyngby (, Danish for "the King's Heather Town"; short form Lyngby) is the seat and commercial centre of Lyngby-Taarbæk Municipality in the northern suburbs of Copenhagen, Denmark. Lyngby Hovedgade is a busy shopping street and the site of ...

on 30 October 2010, Ottesen came on as a late substitute and scored in a 3–2 win. However, he then suffered a back injury in January 2011 and sidelined for four months. While on the sidelines, the club won the league title after winning 2–1 against Lyngby on 21 April 2011. It wasn't until on 16 May 2011 when he returned to the first team, coming on as a late substitute, in a 1–1 draw against AC Horsens. At the end of the 2010–11 season, Ottesen went on to make twenty appearances and scoring three times in all competitions. In the 2011–12 season, Ottesen started the season well when he scored his first goals of the season, in a 2–2 draw against Odense BK on 23 July 2011. Four days later, on 27 July 2011, Ottesen scored his second goal of the season, in a 1–0 win over Shamrock Rovers in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League Third Qualifying Round. FC Copenhagen was through to the next round after beating Shamrock Rovers 2–0 in the second leg (3–0 on aggregate). Despite suffering an injury at the start of the season, he regained his first team place for the side, playing in the centre–back position. Ottesen scored his fourth goal of the season, in a 3–1 loss against

Viktoria Plzeň Viktoria usually refers to Viktoria, a name which is the same as Victoria (name), but may also refer to: Places * FK Viktoria Stadion, stadium of Viktoria Žižkov * Viktoria-Luise-Platz, building in Berlin * Viktoriastadt, now known as Victoria ...

in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League play–off qualifying round. In the second leg of the UEFA Champions League play–off qualifying round against Viktoria Plzeň, FC Copenhagen lost 2–1 once again (5–2 on aggregate), eliminating them from the tournament. He was part of the club's defence squad to keep three clean sheets in a row between 10 September 2011 and 18 September 2011 against Lyngby BK, Vorskla Poltava and Aalborg BK. After being dropped for one match against

Nordsjælland North Zealand, also North Sealand ( da, Nordsjælland), refers to the northern part of the Danish island of Zealand which is not clearly defined but generally covers the area north of Copenhagen. The Danish tourist authorities have recently in ...

on 24 October 2011, Ottesen scored on his return three days later, in a 3–0 win over Bröndby in the third round of the Sydbank Pokalen, followed up by scoring his sixth goal of the season, in a 3–1 win over Odense BK. After being dropped from the first team for the match against Bröndby on 20 November 2011, he scored his seventh goal of the season, in a 2–0 win over Nordsjælland in the quarter–finals of the Sydbank Pokalen. Once again, Ottesen was part of the club's defence squad to keep three clean sheets in a row between 11 March 2012 and 25 March 2012 against SönderjyskE,

FC Midtjylland FC Midtjylland (, "Central Jutland") is a Danish professional football club based in Herning and Ikast in the western part of Jutland. The club is the result of a merger between Ikast FS and Herning Fremad. Midtjylland competes in the Danish Supe ...

and Silkeborg IF. He then scored his eighth goal of the season, in a 5–0 win over

HB Køge HB Køge () is a professional Danish football club based primarily in the town of Herfølge, and secondly in the town of Køge, both in the Køge Municipality, part of 'Region of Zealand', in the eastern part of Zealand, south of Copenhagen. It ...

on 15 April 2012. After being dropped the next six matches, Ottesen scored on his return on 13 May 2012, in a 2–2 draw against SönderjyskE. But he was dropped from the squad for the Danish Cup Final, as the club went on to win the trophy after beating AC Horsens 1–0. At the end of the 2011–12 season, Ottesen went on to make thirty–six appearances and scoring nine times in all competitions. In the 2012–13 season, Ottesen was featured in the first two league matches of the season. He played in both legs against Club Brugge in the third qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League, as they won 3–2 on aggregate. His first goal for the club this season came on 25 August 2012, in a 3–2 win over Randers. However, Ottesen's first team opportunities became limited, having fallen out with new Manager Ariël Jacobs, as well as, his own injury concern when he suffered a back injury. At one point, Jacobs said that Ottesen has an unprofessional attitude, which contributed to their fallen out. Despite making two rare appearances later in the 2012–13 season, the club, once again, won the league. At the end of the 2012–13 season, he went on to make nine appearances and scoring once in all competitions. It was announced on 10 June 2013 that Ottesen will be leaving Copenhagen, as his contract expires at the end of the 2012–13 season. Although he ruled out joining another Danish club, he was linked with a move back to Sweden, with Djurgården interested in signing him. During his time at

Sölvi played an important role with the champions, making 43 appearances in the

with a tally of 8 goals.

Ural

On 1 August 2013, he moved to Russia by signing a two-year contract to

Ural Ural may refer to: *Ural (region), in Russia and Kazakhstan *Ural Mountains, in Russia and Kazakhstan *Ural (river), in Russia and Kazakhstan * Ual (tool), a mortar tool used by the Bodo people of India *Ural Federal District, in Russia *Ural econ ...

. In an interview with

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 ...

, Sölvi described that he "immediately took pleasure in the

Russian Premier League The Russian Premier League (RPL; russian: Российская премьер-лига; РПЛ), also written as Russian Premier Liga, is the top division professional association football league in Russia. It was established at the end of 2001 ...

. This really is a great adventure. To play in such a challenging football league makes it even more fun. I am facing very strong opponents every week; some world-class players in bigger teams such as

Zenit Zenit, meaning "zenith", may refer to: Spaceflight and rocketry * Zenit (rocket family), a Soviet family of space launch vehicles * Zenit (satellite), a type of Soviet spy satellite * Zenit sounding rocket, a Swiss rocket Sports * Zenit (sports ...

CSKA Moscow CSKA Moscow (russian: ЦСКА Москва) is a Russian sports club based in Moscow. It was created in 1911 in the Russian Empire on base of OLLS (Skiing Society, founded 1901). Later, during the Soviet Union, Soviet era, it was a central piece ...

and

Rubin Kazan FC Rubin Kazan (russian: Футбо́льный клуб Руби́н Каза́нь, ''Futbolny klub Rubin Kazan'' , Tatar: Рубин Казан) is a Russian professional football club based in the city of Kazan. They play in the second-tier ...

". However, Ottesen's debut suffered a setback when he suffered an injury that kept him out for a month. It wasn't until on 30 September 2013 when Ottesen made his Ural debut, starting the whole game, in a 1–1 draw against

FC Rostov FC Rostov (russian: link=no, Футбольный клуб Ростов) is a Russian professional football club based in Rostov-on-Don, Rostov Oblast. The club are members of the Russian Premier League, and play at the Rostov Arena. After the 20 ...

. Since joining the club, Ottesen quickly became a first team regular for the side, playing in the centre–back position. His performance, at one point, saw him named the club's Player of the Month for November and December. Ottesen set up the club's second goal of the game for Denis Dorozhkin, who scored a winning goal, in a 2–1 win over Kuban Krasnodar on 10 May 2014. Despite being sidelined on two occasions later in the 2013–14 season, he helped the side finish eleventh place in the league and finished his first season, making eighteen appearances. In the 2014–15 season, Ottesen continued to be in the first team regular for the side, playing in the centre–back position. However, during a match

Torpedo Moscow Football Club Torpedo Moscow (russian: link=no, ФК "Торпедо" Москва, ''FK Torpedo Moskva''), known as Torpedo Moscow, is a Russian professional football club based in Moscow that was founded in 1924 and returned to the Russian Pre ...

on 16 August 2014, he scored an own goal to give the opposition team a 2–0 lead in stoppage time, as Ural lost 2–0. Despite being sidelined on two occasions, Ottesen went on to make fifteen appearances for the side. By the time he departed the club, Ottesen made 33 appearances for Ural in the

Jiangsu Sainty

On 14 February 2015, Sölvi transferred to

Chinese Super League The Chinese Football Association Super League, commonly known as Chinese Super League or CSL, currently known as the China Ping An Chinese Football Association Super League for sponsorship reasons, is the highest tier of professional association ...

side Jiangsu Sainty, signing a two–year contract with the club. Ottesen made his Jiangsu Sainty debut in the opening game of the season against

Shanghai SIPG Shanghai Port FC (), previously named Shanghai SIPG, is a professional football club that participates in the Chinese Super League under licence from the Chinese Football Association (CFA). The team is based in Pudong, Shanghai, and their home sta ...

, starting the whole game, in a 2–1 loss. After missing two matches with a groin injury, he scored on his return, in a 2–1 win over Shijiazhuang Ever Bright on 5 April 2015. His second goal for the club came on 27 June 2015, in a 4–1 loss against Shanghai SIPG. He later scored two more goals later in the season. He celebrated his 7th career title in winning the

with

Jiangsu Jiangsu (; ; pinyin: Jiāngsū, Postal romanization, alternatively romanized as Kiangsu or Chiangsu) is an Eastern China, eastern coastal Provinces of the People's Republic of China, province of the China, People's Republic of China. It is o ...

under coach

Dan Petrescu Daniel Vasile Petrescu (; born 22 December 1967) is a Romanian football manager and former player, who is currently in charge of Liga I club CFR Cluj. As a player, Petrescu was deployed as a full-back or a winger and represented Premier Leag ...

after beating Shanghai SIPG 1–0 on aggragate when the match in the second leg went extra time. At the end of the 2015 season, Ottesen went on to make thirty–one appearances and scoring four times in all competitions.

Wuhan Zall

On 4 February 2016, Ottesen transferred to

China League One The Chinese Football Association China League (), also known as China League One or Chinese Jia League (中甲联赛), is the second level of professional football in China. Above League One is the Chinese Super League. Prior to the formation of ...

club

Wuhan Zall Wuhan Yangtze River Football Club, formerly Wuhan Zall Football Club (), is a professional Chinese football club that currently participates in the Chinese Super League under licence from the Chinese Football Association (CFA). The team is based i ...

. He made his Wuhan Zall debut, starting the whole game, in a 1–1 draw against

Beijing Sport University Beijing Sport University (BSU) (), formerly known as "Central Institute of Physical Education" () and "Beijing Institute of Physical Education" (), is a nation-level public university located in Beijing, China. It is one of the National Key Univ ...

in the opening game of the season. Ottesen then set up an equalising goal for Guto, in a 1–1 draw against Tianjin Tianhai on 22 May 2016. Ottesen captained the side for the first time, where he helped the side keep a clean sheet, in a 0–0 draw against

Qingdao Huanghai Qingdao Football Club () was a professional Chinese football club that participated in the Chinese Super League under licence from the Chinese Football Association (CFA). The team was based in Qingdao and their home stadium was the Qingdao Gu ...

on 12 June 2016. He scored his first goal for the club, in a 4–2 loss against Beijing Sport University on 3 July 2016. Ottesen later scored two more goals later in the 2016 season against Qingdao Huanghai and

Shanghai Shenxin Shanghai Shenxin Football Club () was a professional football club that participated in China's football league system between 2003 and 2019 under licence from the Chinese Football Association (CFA). The team was based in Jinshan District, Shangha ...

. However, his playing time was reduced, due to his suspension that saw him banned for three matches. Ottesen made 23 appearances while getting on the scoresheet three times in the 2016 season with

and filing for 6th place in the league. At the end of the 2017 season, the club announced his departure along with Guto and

Michael Barrantes Michael Barrantes Rojas (; born 4 October 1983) is a Costa Rican professional footballer who currently plays as a midfielder for Cartaginés. On 6 November 2011, he scored two goals for Aalesund in the 2011 Norwegian Cup Final, in a 2–1 w ...

Buriram United

On 6 February 2017, it was announced that

side

had completed the signing of the Icelandic defender from Chinese League One club

. In doing so, Ottesen became the first Icelandic footballer to play in the Thai League 1 division. Upon joining the club, he said: "There was an invitation from Thailand that I was excited about and I just jumped on this offer from Buriram United". In taking on yet another challenge in entering

, Ottesen made 12 appearances scoring one goal, which he scored on his debut against

Chonburi Chonburi ( th, ชลบุรี, , IAST: , ) is the capital of Chonburi Province and Mueang Chonburi District in Thailand. It is about 100 km southeast of Bangkok, on the coast of the Gulf of Thailand. Its name means 'city of water'. Chonb ...

in the opening game of the season. Despite his departure on 18 June 2017, Ottesen, nevertheless, received a medal when

were the league winners.

Guangzhou R&F

Halfway through the

China Super League The Chinese Football Association Super League, commonly known as Chinese Super League or CSL, currently known as the China Ping An Chinese Football Association Super League for sponsorship reasons, is the highest tier of professional football in ...

season, on 13 July 2017, it was reported that Sölvi would make his return to China, this time to help

Guangzhou R&F Guangzhou City Football Club (广州城) is a Chinese professional football club that competes in the Chinese Super League under licence from the Chinese Football Association (CFA). The team is based in Guangzhou, Guangdong, and their home venu ...

in the top flight. It came after when the club was interested in signing him. Ottesen made his Guangzhou R&F debut, starting the whole game, in a 3–2 loss against Changchun Yatai on 16 July 2017. He then scored his first goal for the club, in a 4–1 win over

Liaoning Liaoning () is a coastal province in Northeast China that is the smallest, southernmost, and most populous province in the region. With its capital at Shenyang, it is located on the northern shore of the Yellow Sea, and is the northernmost ...

on 6 August 2017. However, he was sent–off for a second bookable offence, in a 2–0 loss against

Guizhou Hengfeng Guizhou FC (; ) was a professional Chinese football club. The team was based in Guiyang, Guizhou and their home stadium was the 51,636 seater Guiyang Olympic Sports Center. Their majority shareholders were Hengfeng Real Estate, Guizhou Zhicheng ...

on 13 August 2017. After making five appearances for Guangzhou R&F, the side finished 5th in the league table in the 2017 season. It was announced on 23 November 2017 that Ottesen departed Guangzhou R&F to return to his homeland.

Víkingur

On 1 January 2018, Sölvi returned to the club he played for as a youth, Víkingur, signing a three-year deal. Ottesen made his first appearance for the club since leaving fourteen years ago, appearing as captain against Valur and started the whole game, as Víkingur drew 0–0 in the opening game of the season. Ottesen started in every match since making his debut and performed impressively. This lasted until he suffered an injury early in the game against Valur on 22 July 2018, resulting in his substitution. Following this, Ottesen was sidelined for the rest of the season. At the end of the 2018 season, he went on to make fifteen appearances in all competitions. At the start of the 2019 season, Ottesen managed to recover from his injury and started the season well when he scored in the opening game of the season, in a 3–3 draw against Valur. His second goal of the season came on 15 May 2019, in a 4–3 loss against

Stjarnan Ungmennafélagið Stjarnan, commonly known as Stjarnan, is an Icelandic multi-sports club specialising in handball, football, basketball, volleyball and gymnastics located in Garðabær.and in the top 10 in the World and they have won the League ...

. However, in a 1–0 loss against

KR Reykjavík KR is the ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 and WMO country code for South Korea. KR or Kr may also refer to: Sports * KR (basketball club), associated with Knattspyrnufélag Reykjavíkur * Knattspyrnufélag Reykjavíkur, an Icelandic football club * Kickoff ...

on 25 May 2019, he was sent–off for a professional foul in the 77th minute. A month later, Ottesen scored his third goal of the season, in a 3–2 win over ÍBV in the quarter–finals of the Icelandic Cup. Since returning to the first team, he continued to regain his first team place and retaining his captaincy. On 14 September 2019, he captained his side to triumph as they won the 2019 Icelandic Cup, their first trophy in forty–eight years after beating

Fimleikafélag Hafnarfjarðar Fimleikafélag Hafnarfjarðar ( en, Hafnarfjörður Gymnastics Club), commonly referred to as FH, is an Icelandic multi-sports club based in Hafnarfjörður. The club competes in football, handball, athletics, and fencing. It was founded in 1929 ...

1–0. At the end of the 2019 season, Ottesen went on to make twenty–four appearances and scoring three times in all competitions. Following this, Ottesen was named Viking athlete of the year at the club's award ceremony in Reykjavik. The start of the 2020 season saw Ottesen regained his first team place, as well as, his captaincy for Víkingur. However in a match against KR Reykjavík on 4 July 2020, he received a straight red card in the 78th minute, as the club lost 2–0. After serving a three match suspension, Ottesen returned to the starting line–up for a match against Grótta, as KR Reykjavík drew 2–2 on 23 July 2020. He then scored his first goal of the season, in a 4–2 loss against Breiðablik on 16 August 2020. Ottesen, once again, was sent–off in the 5th minute of the game against Olimpija Ljubljana in the first round of the UEFA Europa League, as the club lost 2–1, eliminating KR Reykjavík from the tournament. After missing two matches due to fitness concern, he returned to the starting line–up against ÍA, as the club drew 2–2. KR Reykjavía avoided relegation when the abandoned on 30 October 2020 due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

, resulting in the club finishing in tenth place. At the end of the 2020 season, Ottesen went on to make fifteen appearances and scoring once in all competitions. Following this, he went on a successful operation on his injury. In 2021, in his final season, he went on to win both the league and the cup in Iceland.

International career

In August 2004, Ottesen was called up to the Iceland U21 squad for the first time He made his debut for the U21 side against Estonia U21, as Iceland U21 lost 2–1. Ottesen went on to make eleven appearances for the U21 side. On 29 September 2005, Ottesen was called up by

for the first time. He made his first appearance against

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...

on 7 October 2005, starting the whole game, in a 3–2 loss. After three years away from the national team, Ottesen was called up by Iceland once again and started the whole game, in a 1–0 win over

Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...

on 19 November 2008. In September 2010, he captained the national side on two occasions against

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

and

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark ...

. Ottesen captained the side two more times the following year and assisted two times, in a 5–3 loss against

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...

on 7 October 2011. However, in a match against

Cyprus Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is geo ...

on 11 September 2012, Ottesen was sent off in the 86th minute for a professional foul, as Iceland lost 1–0. Following the match, he served a two match suspension. It wasn't until on 14 November 2012 when Ottesen returned from suspension, starting the whole match, in a 2–0 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 ...

. His latest appearances came a decade later against

Latvia Latvia ( or ; lv, Latvija ; ltg, Latveja; liv, Leţmō), officially the Republic of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas Republika, links=no, ltg, Latvejas Republika, links=no, liv, Leţmō Vabāmō, links=no), is a country in the Baltic region of ...

in October 2015 and

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...

in January 2016. In November 2017, Ottesen announced his retirement from international football. He has been capped twenty-eight times for

Career Statistics

Personal life

Ottesen was married to Sandra Karlsdóttir and together, they had three children. Ottesen revealed that one of his children has been diagnosed with autism. During his early football career, he worked full time at a liquor store. In April 2017, Ottesen purchased a mansion in Fossvogur and resided there since returning from China and Thailand.

Honours

Club

Víkingur FC * Icelandic Cup:

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

* Icelandic Premier Division:

2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October–November 2021 ...

* Icelandic Cup:

; FC Copenhagen: *

: 2010–11, 2012–13 *

Danish Cup The Danish Cup ( da, Landspokalturneringen; often referred to as Pokalen) is the official "knockout" cup competition in Danish football, run by the Danish Football Association. The cup has been contested annually since 1955. The winner will quali ...

: 2011–12 ; Djurgårdens IF: *

2005 File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discovered in ...

: 2004,

; Jiangsu Sainty: *

2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...

References

External links

* *
Danish Superliga statistics

Solvi Ottesen World Football Statistics
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ottesen, Solvi 1984 births Living people Solvi Ottesen Association football defenders Solvi Ottesen Solvi Ottesen Solvi Ottesen Solvi Ottesen Solvi Ottesen Djurgårdens IF Fotboll players SønderjyskE Fodbold players F.C. Copenhagen players FC Ural Yekaterinburg players Jiangsu F.C. players Wuhan F.C. players Solvi Ottesen Guangzhou City F.C. players Solvi Ottesen Allsvenskan players Danish Superliga players Russian Premier League players Chinese Super League players China League One players Solvi Ottesen Expatriate footballers in Sweden Solvi Ottesen Expatriate footballers in Denmark Solvi Ottesen Expatriate footballers in Russia Solvi Ottesen Expatriate footballers in China Solvi Ottesen Expatriate footballers in Thailand