Alfreð Finnbogason (born 1 February 1989) is an Icelandic former 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 lea ...
who played as a
striker.
With
Heerenveen
Heerenveen (, ) is a town and Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of Friesland (Fryslân), in the Northern Netherlands. In 2021, the town had a population of 29,790 (1 January) while the m ...
, Alfreð was the Dutch
Eredivisie
The Eredivisie (; "Honour Division" or "Premier Division") is a professional association football league in the Netherlands and the highest level of the Dutch football league system. The league was founded in 1956, two years after the start o ...
's top scorer in the
2013–14 season with 29 goals, a tally topped only by
Luis Suárez
Luis Alberto Suárez DÃaz (; born 24 January 1987) is a Uruguayan professional Association football, footballer who plays as a Striker (association football), striker for Major League Soccer club Inter Miami CF, Inter Miami. Known for his go ...
,
Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro (; born 5 February 1985) is a Portuguese professional Association football, footballer who plays as a Forward (association football), forward for and Captain (association football), captains both Saudi Pr ...
and
Jonathan Soriano in Europe's top leagues that season.
Alfreð made his debut for the
Iceland national team against the
Faroe Islands
The Faroe Islands ( ) (alt. the Faroes) are an archipelago in the North Atlantic Ocean and an autonomous territory of the Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark. Located between Iceland, Norway, and the United Kingdom, the islands have a populat ...
in 2010. He has earned 72 caps to date, scoring 18 goals. He was part of their squad at
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 association football, football ch ...
and the
2018 FIFA World Cup
The 2018 FIFA World Cup was the 21st FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for national association football, football teams organized by FIFA. It took place in Russia from 14 June to 15 July 2018, after the country was awarded t ...
, where he became the first Icelander to score a goal in the
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often called the World Cup, is an international association football competition among the senior List of men's national association football teams, men's national teams of the members of the FIFA, Fédération Internatio ...
.
Club career
Born in
GrindavÃk, Alfreð played for
Ungmennafélag GrindavÃkur's youth teams while also spending two years of his childhood in the Scottish capital
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...
.
Alfreð played for boys' club
Hutchison Vale, and became a fan of
Hibernian, while his father studied in the city.
Breiðablik
upleft, Finnbogason training with Breiðablik
Alfreð joined
Breiðablik in 2005, featuring in the club's highly successful youth team alongside future internationals and/or expatriates
Gylfi Sigurðsson,
Jóhann Berg Guðmundsson
Jóhann Berg Guðmundsson (born 27 October 1990) is an Icelandic professional association football, footballer who plays for Saudi Pro League club Al-Orobah FC, Al-Orobah and the Iceland national football team, Iceland national team. A versati ...
,
Elfar Freyr Helgason,
Guðmundur Kristjánsson,
Kristinn Steindórsson and
Kristinn Jónsson.
He made his senior debut for Breiðablik in 2008. In the
2009 Úrvalsdeild season, he scored 13 goals in 18 league games for Breiðablik. At the end of the campaign, he was voted Young Player of the Year by his fellow players.
Breiðablik also won their first title ever, the
Icelandic Cup.
After the 2009 season, he had a trial with
Tippeligaen side
Viking
Vikings were seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway, and Sweden),
who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded, and settled throughout parts of Europe.Roesdahl, pp. 9� ...
and English
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 sys ...
side
Blackpool
Blackpool is a seaside town in Lancashire, England. It is located on the Irish Sea coast of the Fylde peninsula, approximately north of Liverpool and west of Preston, Lancashire, Preston. It is the main settlement in the Borough of Blackpool ...
.
In 2010, Alfreð was joint league top goalscorer with 14 goals, and voted player of the year by fellow players as Breiðablik won their first league title and participated for the first time in the
UEFA Europa League
The UEFA Europa League (UEL), usually known simply as the Europa League, is an annual association football, football club competition organised since 1971 by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European footb ...
when they played against Scottish side
Motherwell
Motherwell (, ) is a List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, town and former burgh in North Lanarkshire, Scotland, United Kingdom, south east of Glasgow. It has a population of around 32,120. Shires of Scotland, Historically in the p ...
.
Lokeren
On 3 November 2010,
Breiðablik confirmed that an offer for Alfreð from
Belgian side
Lokeren had been accepted.
After completing a medical, Alfreð signed a two-and-a-half-year contract with the club on 20 November 2010.
Helsingborgs IF (loan)
On 6 March 2012, Alfreð joined Swedish champions
Helsingborgs IF
Helsingborgs Idrottsförening, commonly referred to as Helsingborgs IF, Helsingborg or (especially locally) HIF (), is a Swedish professional football club located in Helsingborg. They play in the Swedish second tier, Superettan, following releg ...
on a six-month loan deal, ending on 15 August 2012.
Alfreð scored one goal and made five assists in a 6–1 aggregate win against Polish champions
Śląsk Wrocław
Wrocławski Klub Sportowy Śląsk Wrocław Spółka Akcyjna, commonly known as WKS Śląsk Wrocław (), is a Polish professional Association football, football club based in Wrocław that plays in , the second level of the Polish football leagu ...
in the
2012–13 UEFA Champions League Third qualifying round.
At the end of the loan period, Alfreð was Helsingborg's top scorer of 2012 with 12 goals in 17 all competitions matches.
Heerenveen
On 16 August 2012, Alfreð signed a three-year contract with Dutch
Eredivisie
The Eredivisie (; "Honour Division" or "Premier Division") is a professional association football league in the Netherlands and the highest level of the Dutch football league system. The league was founded in 1956, two years after the start o ...
club
Heerenveen
Heerenveen (, ) is a town and Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of Friesland (Fryslân), in the Northern Netherlands. In 2021, the town had a population of 29,790 (1 January) while the m ...
.
He made a promising start for his new club, scoring two goals in his home debut against top side
Ajax
Ajax may refer to:
Greek mythology and tragedy
* Ajax the Great, a Greek mythological hero, son of King Telamon and Periboea
* Ajax the Lesser, a Greek mythological hero, son of Oileus, the king of Locris
* Ajax (play), ''Ajax'' (play), by the an ...
in a 2–2 draw and later scoring all four goals away to
third division side
Kozakken Boys in the
KNVB Cup
The KNVB Beker (; ), branded as the TOTO KNVB Beker for sponsorship reasons, is a competition in the Netherlands organised by the Royal Dutch Football Association (KNVB) since 1898. It was based on the format of the English FA Cup. Outside the N ...
. Alfreð ended the season as the third-highest goalscorer of the Eredivisie, scoring 24 of Heereveen's 50 league goals.
Real Sociedad
On 2 July 2014, Alfreð signed for Spanish
La Liga
The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Primera División, commonly known as the Primera División or La Liga, and officially known as LaLiga EA Sports for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Spain and the highest ...
club
Real Sociedad
Real Sociedad de Fútbol, more commonly referred to as Real Sociedad ( ; ''Royal Society'') in English, and Erreala or Reala in Basque language, Basque, is a Spanish professional sports club in the city of San Sebastián, Donostia / San Sebastián, ...
for a €7.5 million transfer fee, rising to €10 million with add-ons. He made his debut for the club later that month, starting in a 2–0 home win against
Aberdeen
Aberdeen ( ; ; ) is a port city in North East Scotland, and is the List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, third most populous Cities of Scotland, Scottish city. Historically, Aberdeen was within the historic county of Aberdeensh ...
for
the season's
UEFA Europa League
The UEFA Europa League (UEL), usually known simply as the Europa League, is an annual association football, football club competition organised since 1971 by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European footb ...
.
Olympiacos (loan)
Greek champions
Olympiacos
Olympiacós Sýndesmos Filáthlon Peiraiós (, Olympic Association of Fans of Piraeus) is a major multi-sport club based in Piraeus, Greece. Olympiacos is parent to a number of different competitive departments which participate in football, ...
had previously tried to sign the 26-year-old Icelandic, but failed to reach an agreement with his former club, Heerenveen. Despite the rival interest of
PAOK
PAOK (, Πανθεσσαλονίκειος Αθλητικός Όμιλος Κωνσταντινοπολιτών, ''Panthessalonikeios Athlitikós Ómilos Constantinopoliton'', ''Pan-Thessalonian Athletic Club of Constantinopolitans''), commonly ...
, on 26 July 2015, Olympiacos officially announced that they had signed him on loan from Real Sociedad. He scored his first goal in a friendly game against
BeÅŸiktaÅŸ
Beşiktaş () is a district and municipality of Istanbul Province, Turkey. Its area is 18 km2 and its population is 175,190 (2022). It is located on the European shore of the Bosphorus strait. It is bordered on the north by Sarıyer and ...
on 9 August 2015. Alfreð scored his first competitive and the winning goal for Olympiacos against
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 29 September 2015, in their
Champions League Group F Group F may refer to:
* A set of international motor racing regulations used in touring car racing
Touring car racing is a motorsport road racing competition that uses race-prepared touring cars. It has both similarities to and significant dif ...
clash, earning Olympiacos their first ever win on English soil, in a 3–2 win at
Emirates Stadium
The Emirates Stadium (known as Arsenal Stadium for UEFA competitions) is a association football, football stadium in Holloway, London, England. It has been the home stadium of Arsenal F.C., Arsenal Football Club since its completion in 2006. ...
.
On 5 December 2015, he scored his first goal with a penalty kick in the
Super League
Super League (also known as the Betfred Super League for sponsorship reasons, and legally Super League Europe Ltd.) is a professional rugby league competition, and the highest level of the British rugby league system, which consists of twelve t ...
in a 4–3 away win against
Panthrakikos.
FC Augsburg
He was loaned to
FC Augsburg
Fußball-Club Augsburg 1907 e. V., commonly known as FC Augsburg (), is a Football in Germany, German professional football club based in Augsburg, Bavaria. FC Augsburg play in the Bundesliga, the top tier of the German football league system. T ...
on 1 February 2016. He made his debut as a substitute against
Ingolstadt
Ingolstadt (; Austro-Bavarian language, Austro-Bavarian: ) is an Independent city#Germany, independent city on the Danube, in Upper Bavaria, with 142,308 inhabitants (as of 31 December 2023). Around half a million people live in the metropolitan ...
five days later in a 2–1 defeat. He scored his first goal in his third appearance on 28 February, helping Augsburg to a 2–2 draw with
Borussia Mönchengladbach
Borussia Verein für Leibesübungen 1900 e.V. Mönchengladbach, better known as Borussia Mönchengladbach () and colloquially known as just Gladbach, is a professional Association football, football club based in Mönchengladbach, North Rhine-W ...
. He would go on to score seven goals in fourteen appearances, and the loan was made permanent on 1 July 2016. On 9 September 2017, he scored a hat-trick in a Bundesliga game against
FC Köln, in which Augsburg won by 3–0. On 16 December 2017, he scored another hat-trick in a 3–3 draw against
SC Freiburg
Sport-Club Freiburg e.V., commonly known as SC Freiburg (), is a Football in Germany, German professional football club, based in the city of Freiburg im Breisgau, Baden-Württemberg. It plays in the Bundesliga, having been promoted as champions ...
.
Lyngby
On 1 September 2022, Finnbogason signed a one-year contract with recently promoted
Danish Superliga
The Danish Superliga (, ) is a professional association football league in Denmark and the highest level of the Danish football league system. The league is currently contested by 12 teams each year, with 2 teams relegated. It is the current ...
club
Lyngby
Kongens Lyngby (, Danish language, 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 stre ...
. He made his debut three days later, coming off the bench in the 64th minute for
Tochi Chukwuani in a 2–0 home loss to
Randers
Randers () is a city in Randers Municipality, Central Denmark Region on the Jutland peninsula. It is List of cities and towns in Denmark, Denmark's sixth-largest city, with a population of 64,511 ().[Belgian Pro League
The Belgian Pro League (; ; ), officially the Jupiler Pro League () for sponsor Jupiler, is a professional association football league in Belgium and the highest level of the Belgian football league system. Contested by 16 clubs from the 2023 ...]
club
Eupen
Eupen (, , ; ; ; former ) is the capital of German-speaking Community of Belgium and is a city and municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Belgium, Belgian Liège Province, province of Liège, from the Germany, German border (Aachen ...
on a deal until June 2025. He made his debut for the club on 20 August, starting in a 3–1 away victory against
Kortrijk
Kortrijk ( , ; or ''Kortrik''; ), sometimes known in English as Courtrai or Courtray ( ), is a Belgian City status in Belgium, city and Municipalities in Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region, Flemish Provinces of Belgium, province of We ...
. On 17 September, he scored his first goal for the ''Pandas'', a consolation goal in the 80th minute of a 3–1 home loss to
Standard Liège
Royal Standard de Liège, commonly referred to as Standard Liège ( ; ; ) or simply Standard in Belgium, is a Belgian professional football club based in the city of Liège.
They are one of the most successful clubs in Belgium, having won t ...
. Following Eupen's relegation to the
Challenger Pro League
The Challenger Pro League, previously known as 1B Pro League is the second-highest division in the Football in Belgium, Belgian football Belgian football league system, league system, one level below the Belgian Pro League. It was created by the ...
, Alfreð reached an agreement with the club to terminate his contract on 5 September 2024. He then announced his retirement from football on 21 November 2024.
International career
Alfreð earned 11 caps and scored five goals for Iceland at
under-21 level. His first goal came on 8 September 2009 in a
2011 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship Group 5 qualifier 6–2 win against
Northern Ireland under-21s at
The Showgrounds,
Coleraine
Coleraine ( ; from , 'nook of the ferns'Flanaghan, Deirdre & Laurence; ''Irish Place Names'', page 194. Gill & Macmillan, 2002. ) is a town and Civil parishes in Ireland, civil parish near the mouth of the River Bann in County Londonderry, No ...
.
Alfreð won his first cap for the
Iceland national team in 2010, coming on as a
substitute in a
friendly match
An exhibition game (also known as a friendly, scrimmage, demonstration, training match, pre-season game, warmup match, or preparation match, depending at least in part on the sport) is a sport, sporting event whose prize money and impact on th ...
against the
Faroe Islands
The Faroe Islands ( ) (alt. the Faroes) are an archipelago in the North Atlantic Ocean and an autonomous territory of the Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark. Located between Iceland, Norway, and the United Kingdom, the islands have a populat ...
.
Alfreð scored on his full debut for Iceland against
Israel
Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...
in a 3–2 loss at
Bloomfield Stadium in
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv-Yafo ( or , ; ), sometimes rendered as Tel Aviv-Jaffa, and usually referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the Gush Dan metropolitan area of Israel. Located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline and with a popula ...
.
Alfreð has 50 caps and 14 goals for the senior team.
He 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 association football, football ch ...
. In May 2018 he 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 national association football, football teams organized by FIFA. It took place in Russia from 14 June to 15 July 2018, after the country was awarded t ...
in Russia. In their first match at the tournament, Alfreð scored the equalising goal as Iceland drew 1–1 with
Argentina
Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...
. In August 2024, Alfreð retired from international football.
Personal life
In 2007, Alfreð spent five months as an exchange student in
Sardinia
Sardinia ( ; ; ) is the Mediterranean islands#By area, second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, and one of the Regions of Italy, twenty regions of Italy. It is located west of the Italian Peninsula, north of Tunisia an ...
, Italy, playing for
Sassari Torres during the stay, where he managed to score in a win against the Italy U-17 national team.
On 19 April 2013, Alfreð set a record for the most goals scored in a season by an Icelandic footballer playing in a top division in any country after he scored his 24th goal of the season, and also his last of the season. The previous record-holder had also played in the Netherlands,
Pétur Pétursson, who scored 23 goals in 33 matches for
Feyenoord
Feyenoord Rotterdam () is a Netherlands, Dutch professional association football, football club based in Rotterdam, which plays in the Eredivisie, the top tier in Dutch football league system, Dutch football. Founded as Wilhelmina in 1908, the ...
in the
1979–80 Eredivisie
The Dutch Eredivisie in the 1979–80 season was contested by 18 teams. Ajax won the championship.
League standings
Results
See also
* 1979–80 Eerste Divisie
* 1979–80 KNVB Cup
References
Eredivisie official website - info on all se ...
.
Career statistics
Club
International
:''Scores and results list Iceland's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Alfreð goal.''
Honours
Breiðablik
*
Úrvalsdeild
The Besta deild karla () is a professional association football league in Iceland and the highest level of the Icelandic football league system. The competition was founded in 1912 as the Icelandic Championship. Because of the harsh winters in I ...
:
2010
The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...
*
Icelandic Cup:
2009
2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...
Olympiacos
*
Super League Greece
The Super League Greece 1 (), or Stoiximan Super League for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Greece and the highest level of the Greek football league system. The league was formed on 16 July 2006 and repla ...
:
2015–16
Individual
*
Icelandic Premier League: Player of the Year:
2010
The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...
*
Icelandic Premier League: Young Player of the Year:
2009
2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...
*
Icelandic Premier League Silver Boot:
2010
The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...
*
Icelandic Premier League Bronze Boot:
2009
2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...
*
Icelandic Premier League Team of the Year:
2009
2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...
,
2010
The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...
*
Eredivisie top scorer:
2013–14 (29 goals)
*
Danish Superliga
The Danish Superliga (, ) is a professional association football league in Denmark and the highest level of the Danish football league system. The league is currently contested by 12 teams each year, with 2 teams relegated. It is the current ...
Team of the Month:
July 2023
References
External links
Alfreð Finnbogasonat ''
Voetbal International
''Voetbal International'' (VI) is a Dutch football magazine. It is the oldest Dutch football magazine that is still running.
History and profile
''Voetbal International'' was established in 1965. VI was one of the founding members of ESM. It l ...
''
*
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Finnbogason, Alfred
Living people
1989 births
Alfred Finnbogason
Alfred Finnbogason
Alfred Finnbogason
Men's association football forwards
Alfred Finnbogason
Alfred Finnbogason
UEFA Euro 2016 players
2018 FIFA World Cup players
Alfred Finnbogason
Allsvenskan players
Belgian Pro League players
Eredivisie players
La Liga players
Super League Greece players
Bundesliga players
Danish Superliga players
SEF Torres 1903 players
Alfred Finnbogason
K.S.C. Lokeren Oost-Vlaanderen players
Helsingborgs IF players
SC Heerenveen players
Real Sociedad footballers
Olympiacos F.C. players
FC Augsburg players
Lyngby Boldklub players
K.A.S. Eupen players
Alfred Finnbogason
Alfred Finnbogason
Expatriate men's footballers in Scotland
Alfred Finnbogason
Expatriate men's footballers in Italy
Alfred Finnbogason
Expatriate men's footballers in Belgium
Alfred Finnbogason
Expatriate men's footballers in Sweden
Alfred Finnbogason
Expatriate men's footballers in the Netherlands
Alfred Finnbogason
Expatriate men's footballers in Spain
Alfred Finnbogason
Expatriate men's footballers in Greece
Alfred Finnbogason
Expatriate men's footballers in Germany
Alfred Finnbogason
Expatriate men's footballers in Denmark