Arnór Smárason (born 7 September 1988) is an Icelandic
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 plays for Icelandic first-tier Besta deild karla side ÍA Akranes. He can play in all the positions on the midfield.
Early life
Arnór was born in
Akranes
Akranes () is a port town and municipality on the west coast of Iceland, around north of the capital Reykjavík.
The area where Akranes is located was settled in the 9th century; however, it did not receive a municipal charter until 1942.
His ...
, Iceland, and is a cousin of Pétur Pétursson. He started his football career at the local club ÍA Akranes, before moving to Norway at age 15 together with his family. He played a year with
Molde FK
Molde Fotballklubb () is a association football, football club based in Molde Municipality, Molde, Norway, that competes in Eliteserien, the top flight of Norwegian football league system, Norwegian football. Founded on 19 June 1911, the club w ...
as his father was attending
Molde University College
Molde University College - Specialized University in Logistics (, abbreviated ''HiM'' or ''HiMolde'') is a Norway, Norwegian Higher education in Norway, specialized university. It is located in the town of Molde (town), Molde in Molde Municipalit ...
, before returning to Iceland. A year later, Arnór moved to the Netherlands to join up with the youth teams of
SC Heerenveen
Sportclub Heerenveen (; West Frisian language, West Frisian: Sportklub It Hearrenfean) is a Dutch professional association football, football club from Heerenveen. They currently play in the Eredivisie, the top level of football in the Netherla ...
, following a successful trial.
Club career
Hereenveen
Arnór signed his first professional contract with Hereenveen on 9 September 2007, aged 19. He made his senior debut the same season, during the spring of 2008, whilst also signing a new three-year deal with the
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 ...
side.
During the following season, in 2008–09, Arnór became a regular starter for Heerenveen. He made his continental debut for the club in the
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 ...
on 18 September 2008, coming on as a late sub in a 1–1 draw against the Portuguese side Vitória. Nearly a month later, on 19 October 2008, Arnór scored his first competitive goal for the club in a 2–2 draw against Roda. That season Heerenveen finished 5th in the Eredivisie and went all the way to the final 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 ...
. They eventually won against
Twente
Twente ( , Tweants dialect: ''Tweante'') is a region in the eastern Netherlands. It encompasses the most urbanised and easternmost part of the province of Overijssel. Twente is most likely named after the Tuihanti or Tvihanti, a Germanic people ...
, 2–2 after full-time and 5–4 on penalties, though Arnór remained on the bench as an unused sub. In all, Arnór played 27 games for Hereenveen during the season and scored 5 goals.
Due to a serious back injury, Arnór missed most of the 2009–10 league play. He was sent to the clinic of Bayern Munich club doctor
Hans-Wilhelm Müller-Wohlfahrt
Dr. Hans-Wilhelm Müller-Wohlfahrt, born 12 August 1942 in Leerhafe, Wittmund, East Frisia is a German orthopedist and sports physician.
He gained recognition for his roles as Germany's national football team doctor for 23 years (1995–2018) ...
, who treated him during the spring of 2010. He returned to the pitch in March the same year, playing two competitive games throughout the season. At the same time, Heerenveen communicated that Arnór would leave the club as a free transfer the upcoming summer, due to the club's financial difficulties.
Esbjerg
In June 2010, he moved to
Esbjerg fB
Esbjerg forenede Boldklubber (; commonly known as Esbjerg fB or EfB in short) is a Danish professional Association football, football club based in Esbjerg, West Jutland, Jylland, that plays in the Danish 1st Division, 1st division, the sec ...
in Denmark. Arnór signed a three-year deal with the Superliga club. He went straight into Esbjerg's first team and played his first game in the opening round of the 2010-11 season, a 0–3 loss against
Odense
Odense ( , , ) is the third largest city in Denmark (after Copenhagen and Aarhus) and the largest city on the island of Funen. As of 1 January 2025, the city proper had a population of 185,480 while Odense Municipality had a population of 210, ...
. He scored his first goal for the club on 28 August 2010 against
Silkeborg
Silkeborg () is a Denmark, Danish town with a population of 52,571 (1 January 2025). when the team disappointingly finished at the foot of the table and was relegated to the 1st Division.
Esbjerg made a quick return to the Danish top tier. With six rounds left of the 2011–12 Danish 1st Division, they were crowned champions and had already won their promotion. Arnór played 19 games for his side throughout the season, being used as a rotation player, scoring 5 goals.
Arnór started his first game of the 2012–13 season in the third round against
SønderjyskE
SønderjyskE is a Denmark, Danish sport corporation. They have a Football (soccer), football team (SønderjyskE Fodbold, based in Haderslev), two team handball, handball teams (SønderjyskE Håndbold, one male based in Sønderborg, one female bas ...
, where he scored in 1–3 loss. In the same game, Arnór attracted a knee injury that kept him sidelined during the fall of 2012. He made his come back on 8 November in a
Danish Cup
The Danish Cup (; often referred to as Pokalen) is the official "single-elimination tournament, knockout" cup competition in Danish football, run by the Danish Football Association. The cup has been contested annually since 1955.
The winner will ...
fixture against
Aalborg
Aalborg or Ålborg ( , , ) is Denmark's List of cities and towns in Denmark, fourth largest urban settlement (behind Copenhagen, Aarhus, and Odense) with a population of 119,862 (1 July 2022) in the town proper and an Urban area, urban populati ...
, 0–0 after full-time and 4–2 on penalties, where Arnór slotted home his kick from the spot. After a tough winter with limited playing time, Arnór broke into the starting eleven during the end of the campaign, starting in Esbjerg's last 7 games of the season, in which he scored 5 goals. On 9 May 2013, Esbjerg won the Danish Cup following a 1–0 victory against
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 ().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 ...
in Sweden on a three-and-a-half-year deal. He was sought out as a replacement for Alejandro Bedoya, who had recently been sold to the French club
Nantes
Nantes (, ; ; or ; ) is a city in the Loire-Atlantique department of France on the Loire, from the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast. The city is the List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, sixth largest in France, with a pop ...
. At the time of his arrival, midway through the
2013
2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years).
2013 was designated as:
*International Year of Water Cooperation
*International Year of Quinoa
Events
January
* January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...
season, Helsingborg was situated 2nd in the
Allsvenskan
Allsvenskan (; ), also known as Fotbollsallsvenskan (, ) is a professional association football league in Sweden and the highest level of the Swedish football league system.
Founded in 1924, it operates on a system of promotion and relegatio ...
table. Arnór made his debut for the side on 15 July, in a 3–0 win against
Östers IF
Östers Idrottsförening, commonly known as Östers IF or simply Öster, is a Swedish sports club located in Växjö, specializing in Association football, football. For the 2025 Allsvenskan, 2025 season the club is back in the top tier, Allsve ...
. His first goal for the club came only weeks later, on 5 August, in a 1–2 away loss against
Djurgårdens IF
Djurgårdens Idrottsförening, commonly known simply as Djurgårdens IF, Djurgården (), and (especially locally) Djurgår'n (), Dif or DIF – is a Swedish sports association with several sections, located in Stockholm. Djurgårdens IF is an s ...
. Eventually, Helsingborg dropped off from the top positions and finished 5th in Allsvenskan. Arnór played 14 competitive games during the season, scoring 4 goals.
During the
2014 Allsvenskan
The 2014 Allsvenskan, part of the 2014 in Swedish football, 2014 Swedish football season, was the 90th season of Allsvenskan since its establishment in 1924. The 2014 fixtures were released on 20 December 2013. The season started on 30 March 2014 ...
, Arnór played 27 out of 30 games in the league, scoring 3 goals. In addition, he had a successful run in the
Svenska Cupen
Svenska cupen (, ), also known as the Swedish Cup in English, 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 ...
, scoring 2 goals in 6 fixtures as Helsingborg made it all the way to the final. On 18 May 2014, his side lost the final against Elfsborg with a score of 0–1.
Ahead of the 2015 season, with two years left on his contract, Arnór was loaned to
FC Torpedo Moscow
Football Club Torpedo Moscow (, ''FK Torpedo Moskva''), known as Torpedo Moscow, is a Russian professional football club based in Moscow. The club will return to the Russian Premier League in the 2025–26 season. Their colours are white and b ...
in the Russian Football Premier League. In his debut on 15 March 2015 against Zenit Saint Petersburg, he scored an added-time scissor kick to equalise for his team in a 1–1 draw. In May 2015, the whole Torpedo squad went on strike due to their wages being unpaid since the start of the year. The team was then situated at the foot of the league. In all, Arnór played 11 games during his six month-loan spell at Torpedo, scoring 2 goals.
In the summer of 2015, Arnór returned to Helsingborg, only to be deemed surplus to requirements (due to his reported high salary) by then manager
Henrik Larsson
Edward Henrik Larsson (; born 20 September 1971) is a Swedish professional association football, football coach and former player who played many times for the Sweden men's national football team, Swedish national team. A Striker (association f ...
. Due to injuries in the squad, however, Arnór returned to the starting eleven and scored a long-range strike in a 3–1 win against AIK on 19 July 2015. He kept his place in the team throughout the rest of the season, scoring 5 goals in 14 matches and becoming Helsingborg's second best top scorer in the league.
Hammarby IF
On 10 December 2015, he signed for the
Stockholm
Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...
-based club Hammarby IF on a three-year deal. He reportedly moved on a free transfer, even though he had one year left on his contract with Helsingborg. He made his debut for Hammarby on 26 February 2016, in a 0–0 draw against
Syrianska FC
Syrianska Football Club, also known as Syrianska FC or simply Syrianska, is a Swedish professional association football, football club based in Södertälje in Stockholm County. The club was founded by Aramean people, Syriac-Aramean immigrants ...
in the
Svenska Cupen
Svenska cupen (, ), also known as the Swedish Cup in English, 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 ...
. A month later, Arnór scored a spectacular volley against fierce rivals AIK in the quarter final of the Svenska Cupen. Hammarby won the game on penalties after goalkeeper Ögmundur Kristinsson, a fellow countryman of Arnór, scored the decisive kick. During his first league season at the club, Arnór quickly established himself as a regular starter, making 27 appearances and scoring 4 goals.
At the beginning of
2017
2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly.
Events January
* January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...
, under the reign of new manager Jakob Michelsen, Arnór Smárason was appointed as the new vice captain at Hammarby. He remained a starter for the team during the season, scoring 5 goals in 29 league games. However, in 2018 he was used sparingly by Hammarby and left the club on 27 July, signing with Lillestrøm SK in
Eliteserien
Eliteserien () is a professional association football league in Norway and the highest level of the Norwegian football league system. Contested by 16 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the Norwegian First Division ...
.
International career
Arnór Smárason was first called up to the Iceland U21s in 2007, making 10 appearances while scoring twice during the next four years.
He made his debut in the senior national team in a friendly against
Wales
Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...
on 21 May 2008, in a 0–1 loss. Arnór scored his first international goal for his country in a 2–0 friendly win against
Liechtenstein
Liechtenstein (, ; ; ), officially the Principality of Liechtenstein ( ), is a Landlocked country#Doubly landlocked, doubly landlocked Swiss Standard German, German-speaking microstate in the Central European Alps, between Austria in the east ...
on 11 February 2009.
Iceland qualified for their first major tournament, the UEFA Euro in France, in 2016. Arnór was, however, not called up to the squad by manager Lars Lagerbäck.
Career statistics
Club
International goals
:''Scores and results list Iceland's goal tally first.''
Honours
Club
SC Heerenveen
*
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 ...
:
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 ...
Danish Cup
The Danish Cup (; often referred to as Pokalen) is the official "single-elimination tournament, knockout" cup competition in Danish football, run by the Danish Football Association. The cup has been contested annually since 1955.
The winner will ...