Jóhann Berg Guðmundsson (born 27 October 1990) 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 for

Saudi Pro League The Saudi Pro League (SPL), also known as the Roshn Saudi League (RSL) for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Saudi Arabia and the highest level of the Saudi football league system. The SPL is regarded as th ...

club Al-Orobah and the Iceland national team. A versatile player, Jóhann can be deployed as a

defensive midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. ...

central midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...

right midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. ...

attacking midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. ...

or winger. Jóhann began his senior career at Breiðablik for a single season before moving to Dutch team AZ in 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 ...

, where they also participated 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 ...

. After a few seasons with them, he joined

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

Charlton Athletic Charlton Athletic Football Club is a professional association football club based in Charlton, south-east London, England. The team compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English football league system. Their home ground is ...

for two seasons, before moving on to newly promoted club Burnley, where he featured for most of the 2017–18 season, qualifying for the Europa League. Jóhann was part of the Iceland national team in both the

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

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 ...

, the former competition saw him assisting Iceland's first ever goal in a major tournament.

Club career

Breiðablik

Born in

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 ...

, Jóhann started his career at Breiðablik, but moved to England early in his career when his parent decided to relocate there. He had spells with the youth team at Chelsea and then with fellow South-West London club

Fulham Fulham () is an area of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It lies in a loop on the north bank of the River Thames, bordering Hammersmith, Kensington and Chelsea, London, Chelsea ...

, while studying at the International School of London. After failing to adapt to life in London, he decided to move back to Iceland in 2008, joining his boyhood club Breiðablik as he admitted missing playing football and attending school with his friends. After returning to Breiðablik, Jóhann made his senior debut in the opening match of the season, where he played 72 minutes, in a 1–1 draw against

Íþróttabandalag Akraness Íþróttabandalag Akraness (, ), commonly known as ÍA, is an Icelandic sports club founded in 1946 and based in the town of Akranes, Iceland. Among the main sports its members can practice are basketball, Association football, football, golf, h ...

. He established himself as first team regular in the

2008 Úrvalsdeild The 2008 season of Úrvalsdeild was the 97th season of top-tier football in Iceland. The league, also known as ''Landsbankadeild'' for sponsoring reasons, has been expanded from 10 teams to 12 teams in 2008. Teams and venues Promotion and relega ...

, where he played often as left wing and striker, and scored his first Breiðablik goal on 7 July 2008, in a 2–0 win over

Fylkir Íþróttafélagið Fylkir (, ) is a multi-sport club in Árbær, in the eastern part of Reykjavík, the capital of Iceland. It features departments in football, handball, volleyball, gymnastics and karate. Kit The Fylkir official home kit is ...

. Jóhann finished the season with 22 appearances, six goals, and was voted best player for the second third of the Icelandic Premier League season.

AZ Alkmaar

After an earlier bid from

Hamburger SV Hamburger Sport-Verein e.V. (), commonly known as Hamburger SV () or Hamburg (), or HSV (), is a German sports club based in Hamburg, with its largest branch being its Association football, football department. Though the current HSV was founde ...

fell through, Jóhann transferred to Dutch club AZ on 28 January 2009, signing a 5-year contract. Having spent two seasons at the club's reserve, Jóhann was given a first team chance under the new management of

Gertjan Verbeek Gertjan Verbeek (; born 1 August 1962) is a Dutch former professional footballer who last managed Eerste Divisie side Almere City. Coaching career Netherlands After retiring from his playing career in 1994, Verbeek stayed with SC Heerenveen as ...

. Jóhann scored on his AZ debut in the first round of Europa League Qualifiers, in a 2–0 win over

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 ...

in the first leg and went on to go through to next round despite losing 1–0 in the second leg. Jóhann then made his league debut for the club, playing in the opening match of the season, in a 1–1 draw against

NAC Breda NAC Breda (), often simply known as NAC, is a Dutch professional football club, based in Breda, Netherlands. NAC Breda play in the Rat Verlegh Stadium, named after their most important player, Antoon 'Rat' Verlegh. They play in the Eredivisi ...

. Jóhann scored again in the Matchday One of the Europa League Group stage, in a 2–1 win over

Sheriff Tiraspol Fotbal Club Sheriff Tiraspol (), commonly known as Sheriff Tiraspol or simply Sheriff, is a professional football club based in Tiraspol, a city located in the unrecognised breakaway state of Transnistria, that plays in the Liga, the top tier o ...

and scored again in the third round of

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 ...

, in 3 –2 win over

Den Bosch s-Hertogenbosch (), colloquially known as Den Bosch (), is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Netherlands with a population of 160,783. It is the capital of ...

. Jóhann then scored his first AZ league goal on 29 January 2011, in a 6–1 win against

VVV-Venlo VVV-Venlo (, ''VVV'' stands for ''Venlose Voetbal Vereniging'' meaning "Venlo Football Club") is a Dutch association football, football club from Venlo, a city on the border with Germany. They play in the Eerste Divisie, the second tier of Dutc ...

. Jóhann later finished the 2010–11 season, making thirty–four appearances and scoring four times in all competitions. In the 2011–12 season, Jóhann started the season well when he scored in the first round of Europa League Qualifiers, in a 2–0 win over Jablonec and went on to go through to next round after a 1–1 draw. 30 days later, on 28 August 2011, Jóhann scored his first league goal of the season, in a 3–0 win over

Groningen Groningen ( , ; ; or ) is the capital city and main municipality of Groningen (province), Groningen province in the Netherlands. Dubbed the "capital of the north", Groningen is the largest place as well as the economic and cultural centre of ...

and scored against them once again on 22 September 2011, in a 4–2 in the second round of

. Then on 25 November 2011, Jóhann scored his second league goal, in a 2–0 win over

Utrecht Utrecht ( ; ; ) is the List of cities in the Netherlands by province, fourth-largest city of the Netherlands, as well as the capital and the most populous city of the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of Utrecht (province), Utrecht. The ...

. On 6 January 2012, Jóhann signed a contract extension with the club, keeping him until 2014. Jóhann went on to score two more goals towards the end of the 2011–12 season against

Heracles Almelo Heracles Almelo is a Dutch professional football club based in Almelo, founded in 1903. The club has won the Dutch national title twice, in 1927 and 1941. Heracles won the Eerste Divisie title during the 2004–05 season, gaining promotion to t ...

and

RKC Waalwijk RKC Waalwijk () is a Dutch professional association football, football club based in Waalwijk. They currently play in the Eerste Divisie, the second tier of Dutch football league system, Dutch football, following relegation from the Eredivisie i ...

. Jóhann finished the 2011–12 season, making 47 appearances and scoring six times in all competitions. In the 2012–13 season, Jóhann remained in the starting line–up until he received a straight red card in the 82nd minute, in a 0–0 draw against

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 ...

on 26 August 2012 and had to serve a two match suspension as a result. After serving a two match suspension, Jóhann then scored his first goal of the season on 28 October 2012, in a 2–1 win over Vitesse and scored a brace four days later in a 4–1 win over Sneek Wit Zwart. Jóhann's second league goal then came on 26 April 2013, as well as, setting up one of the goals, in a 4–0 win over Heerenveen. Jóhann played a role in the KNVB Cup campaign when he scored two more goals against Den Bosch and

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 ...

; and ultimately, helped them reach the final of KNVB Cup, in a 2–1 win over

PSV Eindhoven Philips Sport Vereniging (; ), abbreviated as PSV and internationally known as PSV Eindhoven (), is a Dutch sports club from Eindhoven, Netherlands. It is best known for its professional association football, football department, which has pla ...

, where he played 74 minutes before being substituted for

Steven Berghuis Steven Berghuis (born 19 December 1991) is a Dutch professional association football, footballer who plays for Eredivisie club AFC Ajax, Ajax and the Netherlands national football team, Netherlands national team. He can play as either a Forward ...

. Jóhann finished the 2012–13 season, making 39 appearances and scoring six times in all competitions. In the 2013–14 season, Jóhann scored his first goal of the season and played 98 minutes after the match went to extra time, in a 3–2 loss against Ajax in the

Johan Cruyff Shield The Johan Cruyff Shield (, ) is a football trophy in the Netherlands named after Dutch footballer Johan Cruyff, also often referred to as the Dutch Super Cup. The winner is decided in one match only, played by the winner of the national footbal ...

. By the end of 2013, Jóhann scored seven goals in the Europa League and league combined against

Atromitos Atromitos (Greek: Ατρόμητος, "fearless") may refer to: * Atromitos F.C., a football team based in Peristeri, Greece * Atromitos Piraeus, a football team based in Piraeus, Greece * Atromitos Yeroskipou Atromitos Yeroskipou () was a Cy ...

(twice),

Maccabi Haifa Maccabi Haifa () is one of the biggest sports clubs in Israel and a part of the Maccabi association. It runs several sports clubs and teams in Haifa which have competed in a variety of sports over the years, such as Football, Basketball, Weightl ...

, Groningen,

Shakhter Karagandy Football Club Shakhter (), commonly referred to as FC Shakhter Karagandy ( ), is a professional football club based in Karagandy, Kazakhstan. They have been members of the Kazakhstan Premier League since its foundation in 1992, but fell of to t ...

ADO Den Haag Alles Door Oefening Den Haag (), commonly known by the abbreviated name ADO Den Haag (), is a Dutch association football club from the city of The Hague. They play in the Eerste Divisie, the second tier of Dutch football, following relegation ...

and Maccabi Haifa. It wasn't until the match of the season when Jóhann scored his first goal of 2014, where he played 21 minutes, in a 1–1 draw against

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 ...

. At the end of the 2013–14 season, Jóhann made 53 appearances and scoring nine goals in all competitions. With his contract expiring at the end of the 2013–14 season, Jóhann announced his intention leave AZ. Jóhann explained his decision to leave AZ, citing new challenge by playing in England on a higher level.

Charlton Athletic

On 11 July 2014, Guðmundsson returned to London, this time moving to the

Greenwich Greenwich ( , , ) is an List of areas of London, area in south-east London, England, within the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Greater London, east-south-east of Charing Cross. Greenwich is notable for its maritime hi ...

district, signing for

side

on a two-year deal after leaving AZ. The move also marked his return to England after an eight year absence. Upon joining the South East London outfit, Jóhann was given the number seven shirt ahead of the new season. Jóhann made his Charlton Athletic debut in the opening match of the season, as they drew 1–1 away to newly promoted

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 ...

. He scored his first league goal for the club in a 1–1 draw against

Rotherham United Rotherham United Football Club, nicknamed The Millers, is a professional association football club based in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England. The team plays in EFL League One, the third tier of English football, after suffering relegation fr ...

on 20 September 2014. By November, Jóhann soon suffered from three short-term injuries which hindered his playing time. Jóhann made a return to scoring form, following his recovery from injury, in a 2–2 draw against

Leeds United Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. The team compete in the Premier League, the top tier of the English football league system. Leeds United have won the League Championship th ...

on 4 November 2014. Throughout the season, he received plaudits in scoring a host of impressive goals, one such notable goal coming against

Cardiff City Cardiff City Football Club () is a professional association football club based in Cardiff, Wales. It currently competes in , the third tier of the English football league system in the 2025–26 season following relegation. Founded in 1899 a ...

on Boxing Day, for which he won Goal of the Season. Jóhann went on to score six more goals as the 2014–15 season progressed, including an effort against

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 ...

which earned him March's goal of the month award. Jóhann was voted runner-up in the club's player of the season competition after an impressive first campaign, which saw him net a total of 11 goals in 37 matches. Ahead of the 2015–16 season, Jóhann signed a new four-year deal with Charlton on 22 July 2015. Jóhann then opened his account for the new season by scoring two goals in two matches against

Hull City Hull City Association Football Club is a professional association football club based in Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England. They compete in the , the second level of the English football league system. They play their home ...

and

Wolverhampton Wanderers Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club ( ), commonly referred to as Wolves, is a professional association football, football club based in Wolverhampton, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league s ...

. Jóhann endured a period on the sidelines throughout December, after limping off during a match against

Bolton Wanderers Bolton Wanderers Football Club ( ) is a professional association football, football club based in Horwich, Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in EFL League One, League One, the third level of the Englis ...

. After making his return to the first team, Jóhann went on to score four more goals for the club that season, against

Preston North End Preston North End Football Club, commonly referred to as Preston, North End or PNE, is a professional association football club in Preston, Lancashire, England. They currently play in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English footbal ...

Birmingham City Birmingham City Football Club is a professional football club based in Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, it was renamed Small Heath in 1888, Birmingham in 1905, and Birmingham City in 1943. The team compete in the ...

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 ...

and Leeds United. Jóhann finished the 2015–16 season having scored six goals in 42 appearances across all competitions, as Charlton were relegated to League One, finishing 22nd place. Nevertheless, Jóhann was the joint–highest assist-maker in the Championship during the 2015–16 season.

Burnley

On 19 July 2016, Jóhann joined newly promoted

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 ...

side

Burnley Burnley () is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Burnley in Lancashire, England, with a 2021 population of 78,266. It is north of Manchester and east of Preston, at the confluence of the River Calder and River B ...

on a three-year deal for an undisclosed fee, alongside goalkeeper Nick Pope. He made his Burnley debut in their opening match of the season, coming on as a substitute for

Scott Arfield Scott Harry Nathaniel Arfield (born 1 November 1988) is a professional association football, soccer player who plays as a midfielder for Scottish Premiership club Falkirk F.C., Falkirk. Born and raised in Scotland, Arfield represented his natio ...

in the 75th minute in a 1–0 loss to

Swansea City Swansea City Association Football Club ( ; ) is a Welsh professional football club based in Swansea, Wales. It competes in the EFL Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. Swansea have played their home matches at ...

. His first Burnley goal came on 5 November 2016, in a 3–2 victory over

Crystal Palace Crystal Palace may refer to: Places Canada * Crystal Palace Complex (Dieppe), a former amusement park now a shopping complex in Dieppe, New Brunswick * Crystal Palace Barracks, London, Ontario * Crystal Palace (Montreal), an exhibition buildin ...

. On 30 January 2021, Jóhann signed a new contract extension with Burnley until June 2023. Subsequently, on 6 February 2021, he scored his first goal of the 2020–21 season with the equalizer in a 1–1 home draw with Brighton. In January 2023, after returning to form and fitness, Jóhann signed a contract extension to June 2024, with the option of a further year. He finished the 2022–23 Championship season with 4 goals and 6 assists, including a brace in a 2-0 victory over promotion rivals

Sheffield United Sheffield United Football Club is a professional football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The club competes in the Championship, the second tier of English football. They are nicknamed "the Blades" due to Sheffield's history ...

, as Burnley secured promotion back to the Premier League as champions. On 18 May 2024, it was announced that Jóhann would leave Burnley following the expiration of his contract and the club's relegation, after eight seasons with the club. However, on 6 July, following

Scott Parker Scott Matthew Parker (born 13 October 1980) is an English professional football manager and former player who currently manages Premier League club Burnley. Parker began his career at Charlton Athletic, and was loaned to Norwich City, before ...

's appointment as new Burnley manager, Jóhann signed a new one-year deal to remain with the club going into the 2024–25 season.

Al-Orobah

On 23 August 2024, Jóhann signed for

club Al-Orobah for an undisclosed fee.

International career

Jóhann played his first U21 match for Iceland on 12 June 2008. On 12 August 2008, Jóhann was called up the senior national team for the first time. He won his first cap for Iceland in a friendly match against

Azerbaijan Azerbaijan, officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, is a Boundaries between the continents, transcontinental and landlocked country at the boundary of West Asia and Eastern Europe. It is a part of the South Caucasus region and is bounded by ...

, where he set up a goal. On 6 September 2013, Jóhann scored a hat-trick, the first person to do so for Iceland in 13 years, in a FIFA World Cup qualifying match against

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

, equalizing with the last goal of the match, a left-footed, curling shot from the edge of the 18-yard box in the 91st minute, with the match finishing 4–4. He was selected for

squad for Iceland and played his first UEFA Euro 2016 match, where he set up a goal for

Birkir Bjarnason Birkir Bjarnason (born 27 May 1988) is an Icelandic professional association football, footballer who plays as a central midfielder for Italian club Brescia Calcio, Brescia and the Iceland national football team, Iceland national team, where he ...

. This was the country's first ever goal in a major tournament when Birkir scored the equalizer against Portugal in their first group match. On 27 June 2016, Jóhann played against

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

in the UEFA Euro 2016 round of 16 at the Stade de Nice, as Iceland upset England with a 2–1 victory to advance to the quarter-finals. Jóhann went on to start every match for Iceland until they were eliminated from the tournament against

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

in the quarter-final. In May 2018, he was named in Iceland's 23-man squad for the

in Russia.

Career statistics

Club

International

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

Honours

AZ *

2012–13 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...

Burnley *

EFL Championship The English Football League Championship, known simply as the Championship and for sponsorship purposes as Sky Bet Championship, is a professional association football league in England and Wales. Contested by 24 clubs, it is the highest divi ...

2022–23 The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen ...

References

External links

Jóhann Berg Guðmundsson
at ''

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 ...