Rakel Hönnudóttir

Rakel Hönnudóttir (born 30 December 1988) is an Icelandic footballer and musician who plays as a striker for Breiðablik in the Úrvalsdeild and Iceland's national team. She represented her country at the UEFA Women's Championship in 2009 and 2013. She played in the Champions League with Þór/KA.[1] Despite being a striker she has seldom played as one for the national team, even featuring at right back.[2]

This is an Icelandic name. The last name is matronymic, not a family name; this person is referred to by the given name Rakel.
Rakel Hönnudóttir
Rakel Hönnudóttir in 2009
Personal information
Date of birth (1988-12-30) 30 December 1988
Place of birth Akureyri, Iceland
Height 1.66 m (5 ft 5 in)
Playing position(s) Striker / Midfield
Club information
Current team
 Breiðablik
Number 22
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2004–2005 Þór/KA/KS 21 (29)
2006–2011 Þór/KA 97 (76)
2009 → Brøndby IF (loan)
2012–2017 Breiðablik 103 (46)
2018 IF Limhamn Bunkeflo 18 (8)
2019 Reading 9 (0)
2020– Breiðablik 0 (0)
National team‡
2006–2007 Iceland U-19 7 (2)
2008– Iceland 103 (9)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 9 December 2019
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 7 March 2020

Club career

Rakel was born and grew up in Akureyri, a city in North Iceland.[3] Throughout her youth club career she played for Þór up until 2006 when the two biggest football teams in Akureyri decided to join their women's teams and call them Þór/KA. In January 2009 Rakel went on loan to Brøndby IF of the Danish Elitedivisionen. She became the first foreign player at Brøndby's female section, who were the reigning national champions. She returned to Iceland in April and continued playing for Þór/KA in the Icelandic Premier league.[4]

In November 2011 Rakel signed with Breiðablik where she remained for six seasons. At Breiðablik Rakel scored a total of 46 goals in 103 league appearances. She spent the 2018 Damallsvenskan season in Sweden with IF Limhamn Bunkeflo, before signing for English FA WSL club Reading in January 2019.[5] In December 2019, Rakel ended her 11 month spell with Reading and returned to Iceland with Breiðablik.[6]

Rakel Hönnudóttir playing an international friendly against Sweden at Myresjöhus Arena in Växjö, 6 April 2013

International career

Rakel made her senior international debut for Iceland at the 2008 Algarve Cup; in a 2–0 win over Poland. At UEFA Women's Euro 2009, Rakel featured in all three matches as Iceland were eliminated in the first round.[7] Four years later, national team coach Siggi Eyjólfsson selected Rakel in the Iceland squad for UEFA Women's Euro 2013.[8] She retained her place in the national team squad for UEFA Women's Euro 2017, but this time remained an unused substitute as Iceland exited at the group stage.

At the time of her transfer to Reading in January 2019, Rakel had 94 caps for Iceland and seven goals.[3] On 2 September 2019, she made her 100th international appearance against Slovakia.

Honors and awards

Rakel was selected the most promising player of the year in the Icelandic Úrvalsdeild in 2007 where the coaches and captains of the teams got to cast their vote. In 2008 Rakel was named the player of the year by Þór/KA women's team. That same year she was named the best female soccer player of the year by Þór and Akureyri's athlete of the year.

gollark: __***P. A. G. I. N. A. T. I. O. N***__
gollark: The lack of ***PAGINATION*** is horrible.
gollark: You know, if we still had get-thing-from-AP-by-code, it'd be a very convenient storage space.
gollark: Maybe it's influenced to the CB gender?
gollark: They mean it's a hatchling of a release so new it doesn't exist - they have "influenced" in the egg description, so it's like with the truffles/muskies.

References
  1. Profile in UEFA's website
  2. Brookes, Chris (18 February 2019). "In Conversation: Getting to know new Reading goal-getter Rakel Hönnudóttir". She Kicks. Retrieved 20 February 2019.
  3. "New Signing : Rakel Honnudottir". Reading F.C. Women. 25 January 2019. Retrieved 20 February 2019.
  4. "Rakel samdi við Brøndby". MBL.is (in Icelandic). Morgunblaðið. 30 January 2009. Retrieved 7 December 2013.
  5. "Women's Super League: Reading sign striker Rakel Honnudottir". BBC Sport. 25 January 2019. Retrieved 20 February 2019.
  6. "Hönnudóttir signs for former club". www.readingfc.co.uk.
  7. "Rakel Hönnudóttir". uefa.com. UEFA. Retrieved 7 December 2013.
  8. Stefánsson, Stefán (24 June 2013). "Familiar squad for Iceland". uefa.com. UEFA. Retrieved 22 September 2013.
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