Gunnar Heiðar Þorvaldsson
Encyclopedia
Gunnar Heiðar Þorvaldsson, commonly anglisised
as Gunnar Heidar Thorvaldsson (born 1 April 1982 in Vestmannaeyjar, Iceland
), is an Icelandic footballer who currently plays as a striker for Esbjerg fB
, he is loaned to Fredrikstad FK and the Icelandic national team
. His cousin is Reading
defender Ivar Ingimarsson
.
in his hometown of Vestmannaeyjar. After establishing himself as the best striker in the Icelandic Premier League, he was transferred to Halmstads BK
in Sweden
in 2004. Here, he only narrowly missed out on the league title in his first year and won the Swedish golden boot in the following season (with 16 goals). He also featured in the club's UEFA Cup
campaign of 2005/06, scoring a vital goal in the qualifying round victory over Sporting.
This brought him to the attention of several clubs from around Europe http://www.hannover96.de/CDA/news_-_detailansicht,577,0,newsid-6639,de.html, before he eventually opted to move to German side Hannover 96
in March 2006 in a 3 year deal. His time in Germany however has been blighted by persistent injuries; he only managed to make 7 appearances and wasn't able to score a single goal. In August 2007, after only 17 months with Hannover, he was loaned to Vålerenga. In the summer 2008 he was sold to Danish club Esbjerg fB
. For the latter part of the 2009–10 season, Þorvaldsson was on loan at the English Football League Championship
side Reading F.C.
.
Þorvaldsson joined Norwegian side Fredrikstad FK on loan for the rest of the Norwegian 2010 season. Mars 17 2011 Þorvaldsson sign a 3 year contract with IFK Norrköping.
in Padova. His first international goal came in a 4–1 World Cup qualifying victory over Malta
on 8 June 2005.
Anglicisation
Anglicisation, or anglicization , is the process of converting verbal or written elements of any other language into a form that is more comprehensible to an English speaker, or, more generally, of altering something such that it becomes English in form or character.The term most often refers to...
as Gunnar Heidar Thorvaldsson (born 1 April 1982 in Vestmannaeyjar, Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
), is an Icelandic footballer who currently plays as a striker for Esbjerg fB
Esbjerg fB
Esbjerg forenede Boldklubber also referred to as Esbjerg fB or simply EfB is a professional Danish football club from the port city of Esbjerg in West Jutland. The club was formed in 1924, as a merger between Esbjerg Boldklub af 1898 and Esbjerg Amatørklub af 1911. The club has training facilities...
, he is loaned to Fredrikstad FK and the Icelandic national team
Iceland national football team
The Iceland national football team is the national football team of Iceland and is controlled by the Football Association of Iceland. It has never advanced to the finals of any major international competition....
. His cousin is Reading
Reading F.C.
Reading Football Club is an English association football club based in the town of Reading, Berkshire who currently play in the Championship...
defender Ivar Ingimarsson
Ívar Ingimarsson
Ívar Ingimarsson , is an Icelandic professional footballer currently playing for Ipswich Town.-Early years:...
.
Club career
Þorvaldsson started his career at ÍBVÍþróttabandalag Vestmannaeyja
Íþróttabandalag Vestmannaeyja is an Icelandic sports club from Vestmannaeyjar off the south coast of Iceland. It has both women and men teams competing in various sports.-Current mens squad:...
in his hometown of Vestmannaeyjar. After establishing himself as the best striker in the Icelandic Premier League, he was transferred to Halmstads BK
Halmstads BK
Halmstads Bollklubb, also called HBK or just Halmstad, is a Swedish football club located in Halmstad in the southwest of Sweden. The club, formed 6 March 1914, competes in the highest Swedish league, Allsvenskan, and has won 4 national championship titles and 1 national cup title...
in Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
in 2004. Here, he only narrowly missed out on the league title in his first year and won the Swedish golden boot in the following season (with 16 goals). He also featured in the club's UEFA Cup
UEFA Cup 2005-06
The UEFA Cup 2005–06 season was won by Sevilla FC, beating Middlesbrough FC in the final. It was the first victory for Sevilla in a European competition, and the first appearance by Middlesbrough in a European final. The final took place at Philips Stadion, in Eindhoven, Netherlands. The match was...
campaign of 2005/06, scoring a vital goal in the qualifying round victory over Sporting.
This brought him to the attention of several clubs from around Europe http://www.hannover96.de/CDA/news_-_detailansicht,577,0,newsid-6639,de.html, before he eventually opted to move to German side Hannover 96
Hannover 96
Hannoverscher Sportverein von 1896, commonly referred to as Hannover 96, Hannover or simply 96, is a German association football club based in the city of Hanover, Lower Saxony.-Foundation to WWII:...
in March 2006 in a 3 year deal. His time in Germany however has been blighted by persistent injuries; he only managed to make 7 appearances and wasn't able to score a single goal. In August 2007, after only 17 months with Hannover, he was loaned to Vålerenga. In the summer 2008 he was sold to Danish club Esbjerg fB
Esbjerg fB
Esbjerg forenede Boldklubber also referred to as Esbjerg fB or simply EfB is a professional Danish football club from the port city of Esbjerg in West Jutland. The club was formed in 1924, as a merger between Esbjerg Boldklub af 1898 and Esbjerg Amatørklub af 1911. The club has training facilities...
. For the latter part of the 2009–10 season, Þorvaldsson was on loan at the English Football League Championship
Football League Championship
The Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League...
side Reading F.C.
Reading F.C.
Reading Football Club is an English association football club based in the town of Reading, Berkshire who currently play in the Championship...
.
Þorvaldsson joined Norwegian side Fredrikstad FK on loan for the rest of the Norwegian 2010 season. Mars 17 2011 Þorvaldsson sign a 3 year contract with IFK Norrköping.
International career
He made his international debut on 30 March 2005, as a last minute substitute in a goalless friendly draw with ItalyItaly national football team
The Italy National Football Team , represents Italy in association football and is controlled by the Italian Football Federation , the governing body for football in Italy. Italy is the second most successful national team in the history of the World Cup having won four titles , just one fewer than...
in Padova. His first international goal came in a 4–1 World Cup qualifying victory over Malta
Malta national football team
The Malta national football team is the national football team of Malta and is controlled by the Malta Football Association. Malta played its first international game in February 1957, and began competing for qualification to major tournaments in 1962. The side's first competitive victory came in...
on 8 June 2005.