Hákon Rafn Valdimarsson (born 13 October 2001) 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 lea ...

who plays as a

goalkeeper In many team sports that involve scoring goal (sport), goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie, or keeper) is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by blocking or i ...

for

Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...

club

Brentford Brentford is a suburban town in West (London sub region), West London, England and part of the London Borough of Hounslow. It lies at the confluence of the River Brent and the River Thames, Thames, west of Charing Cross. Its economy has dive ...

and the Iceland national team.

Handball

Hákon Valdimarsson played

handball Handball (also known as team handball, European handball, Olympic handball or indoor handball) is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each (six outcourt players and a goalkeeper) pass a ball using their hands with the aim of thr ...

Reykjavík Reykjavík is the Capital city, capital and largest city in Iceland. It is located in southwestern Iceland on the southern shore of Faxaflói, the Faxaflói Bay. With a latitude of 64°08′ N, the city is List of northernmost items, the worl ...

for

Knattspyrnufélag Reykjavíkur Knattspyrnufélag Reykjavíkur (, ), commonly abbreviated to KR, is an Icelandic football club based in the Vesturbær district of the capital, Reykjavík. KR is the oldest and most successful club in Icelandic football, having won the Besta ...

. He played as an outfield player.

Club career

KR

After playing for their

team, Hákon joined the Under 19

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

team when they needed a

. He played with them for a while, until the first team needed a second goalkeeper.

Grótta

Hákon joined

Grótta Grótta () is a tied island at the extreme end of Seltjarnarnes in the Capital Region of Iceland. During high tide the tombolo is completely submerged, turning Grótta into an island. The island is accessible by foot during low tide, giving pe ...

in 2015. After playing as an outfield player for the youth sides of KR, he first played as a

after his switch to Grótta in 2015, appearing as an outfield player for Grótta's youth sides as late as 2017. He made his senior debut in the last game of the 2017 1. deild season as an already relegated Grótta lost 2–1 to Leiknir Reykjavík. Hákon then played in 15 out of 22 games in the 2018 2. deild as Grótta placed second and were promoted back to 1. deild. In the

2019 season Nineteen or 19 may refer to: * 19 (number) * One of the years 19 BC, AD 19, 1919, 2019 Films * ''19'' (film), a 2001 Japanese film * ''Nineteen'' (1987 film), a 1987 science fiction film * '' 19-Nineteen'', a 2009 South Korean film * '' Dici ...

, Hákon played in all 22 matches as Grótta became champions and were promoted to the top tier

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 ...

for the first time. In

2020 The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...

he played all 18 matches as Grótta were relegated back to the 1. deild. It was announced on 30 April 2021 that Hákon had signed with

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 ...

team

IF Elfsborg Idrottsföreningen Elfsborg, more commonly known as IF Elfsborg or simply Elfsborg (), is a professional association football, football club based in Borås, Sweden, and is affiliated to the Västergötlands Fotbollförbund. They play in the Alls ...

and that Hákon would join them in the summer. Hákon played nine matches for Grótta in the first half of the 2021 season before joining Elfsborg in July.

IF Elfsborg

It was announced on 30 April 2021 that Hákon had signed with

team

and that Hákon would join them in the summer, Hákon then joined formally in July. Hákon made his Allsvenskan debut for Elfsborg in a 1–0 win against

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

on 1 October 2021 and proceeded to play in the next four matches. Hákon was on the bench for the first half of the 2022 season, before he was given a chance to start in a 1–0 loss against

Kalmar FF Kalmar Fotbollförening, more commonly known as Kalmar FF, is a Swedish professional football club based in Kalmar, Sweden. The club is affiliated to Smålands Fotbollförbund and play their home games at Guldfågeln Arena. Formed on 15 June 1 ...

on 24 July 2022. The following game he was on the bench but a second start of the season in a 1–1 draw against

Mjällby AIF Mjällby Allmänna Idrottsförening, also known simply as Mjällby AIF, Mjällby or (especially locally) MAIF, is a Swedish professional football club based in Hällevik in Sölvesborg Municipality. The club is affiliated to Blekinge Fo ...

saw him cement his place as the starting goalkeeper for IF Elfsborg. Hákon started all but one game in the 2023 season, being sent off in the 29th minute of a 1–0 loss to

IFK Värnamo IFK Värnamo is a Swedish professional Association football, football club located in Värnamo. The club plays in the Allsvenskan, the top tier of Swedish football. The most famous player from the club is Jonas Thern, who was captain of the Swede ...

on 2 September 2023. Hákon conceded 22 goals in 29 league appearances, keeping 14 clean sheets. At the end of the season, Hákon was given the Allsvenskan goalkeeper of the year award.

Brentford

On 26 January 2024, Hákon signed a contract until June 2028 with

club

, for a reported £2.6 million transfer fee. He made his Premier League debut against

Brighton & Hove Albion Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club, commonly referred to as Brighton, is a professional football club based in Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. Their home gr ...

as a first-half substitute on 28 December 2024, after an injury to

Mark Flekken Mark Flekken (born 13 June 1993) is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Bundesliga club Bayer Leverkusen and the Netherlands national team. Early years Flekken grew up in Bocholtz, Limburg, Netherlands on the German bo ...

International career

Hákon has featured for the U-18, U-19 and U-21 Iceland youth teams, debuting in 2018, 2019 and 2021 respectively. On 12 November 2021 Hákon received his first call-up to the senior squad when

Patrik Gunnarsson Patrik Sigurður Gunnarsson (born 15 November 2000) is an Icelandic professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Belgian Pro League club Kortrijk. A product of the Breiðablik academy and Brentford B, Patrik played the majority of h ...

had to withdraw through injury.

Career statistics

Club

Honours

Grótta * 1. deild:

2019 This was the year in which the first known human case of COVID-19 was documented, preceding COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic which was declared by the World Health Organization the following year. Up to that point, 2019 had been described as ...

Individual *

Goalkeeper of the year: 2023Hákon Rafn besti markvörður sænsku deildarinnar
Rúv, 20 November 2023

References

External links

Hákon Valdimarsson
at

Brentford FC Brentford Football Club is a professional association football club based in Brentford, England. The team competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English football. Nicknamed "The Bees", the club was found ...

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Valdimarsson, Hakon 2001 births Living people Hakon Rafn Valdimarsson Men's association football goalkeepers Hakon Rafn Valdimarsson Hakon Rafn Valdimarsson Grótta men's football players IF Elfsborg players Brentford F.C. players Hakon Rafn Valdimarsson Hakon Rafn Valdimarsson Allsvenskan players Hakon Rafn Valdimarsson Expatriate men's footballers in Sweden Hakon Rafn Valdimarsson Expatriate men's footballers in England Icelandic expatriate sportspeople in England 21st-century Icelandic sportsmen Premier League players