Ray Anthony Jónsson

Ray Anthony Pepito Jónsson (born 3 February 1979) is a Filipino-Icelandic retired footballer and head coach of Grindavik's women's team. He previously played for Úrvalsdeild karla club Keflavík. In January 2015 he was signed by Global to reinforce the team for the upcoming United Football League season. A former Iceland under-21 international, he has since switched allegiance to the Philippines, making his debut in 2010. He plays mainly as a left back but has also played as a winger and even as a forward early in his career.[3]

This is an Icelandic name. The last name is patronymic, not a family name; this person is referred to by the given name Ray Anthony.
Ray Jónsson
Personal information
Full name Ray Anthony Pepito Jónsson[1]
Date of birth (1979-02-03) 3 February 1979
Place of birth Liloan, Cebu, Philippines
Height 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)[2]
Playing position(s) Full back, wide midfielder
Club information
Current team
 Global
Number 27
Youth career
0000–1997 Grindavik
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1997–2013 Grindavik 202 (5)
1997–1998 → GG (loan) ? (?)
1999 → Völsungur (loan) ? (?)
2013–2014 Keflavík 16 (0)
2015 Global 2 (0)
2016–2017 Grindavik
National team‡
2001 Iceland U21 2 (0)
2010–2013 Philippines 31 (0)
Teams managed
2018– Grindavik (women)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 28 September 2013
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 14:40, 15 November 2013 (UTC)

Club career

He signed a new three-year contract for Grindavik in March 2010.[4][5] He has played in 146 Úrvalsdeild matches as of September 2010,[6] and also in some domestic and European Cup matches.[4]

In 2015, Ray Anthony played for Global FC of the United Football League in the Philippines and later returned to Iceland to serve as a playing coach for Grindavik.[7]

International career

His father is Icelandic and his mother is a Filipina making him eligible to represent either country at international level. In 2001, he played two games with the Icelandic under-21 team,[8] but since he has not played for the senior national team, he is eligible to play for the Philippines.[9] This is after FIFA removed the age limit on players changing national teams in June 2009.[10] In September 2010 he was called up to play for the Philippines national team in the 2010 AFF Suzuki Cup qualification.[6]

Ray Anthony was initially planning on going to Asia on holiday but was tipped about possibly trying out for the Philippines national team. He eventually got in touch with the people involved with the national team and he was able to join the team in time for the 2010 Long Teng Cup.[11] He then made his full international debut in their final match against Macau on 12 October 2010, playing the full 90 minutes in a 5–0 win.[12]

During the Suzuki Cup qualifiers, he played in all three matches and was instrumental in keeping two clean sheets against Timor-Leste and Cambodia. This helped the Philippines stay undefeated with one win and two draws and clinch qualification for the 2010 AFF Suzuki Cup.[13][14][15] His good form would continue at the Suzuki Cup with the Philippines conceding only a single goal in the group stage, in the 1–1 draw with Singapore.[16] Thus, the Philippines qualified for the knockout stage of the tournament for the first time ever. They faced Indonesia in the semi-finals and in the first-leg, the Philippines lost 1–0 with the goal coming from a mix up between Ray Anthony and goalkeeper Neil Etheridge.[17] The Philippines eventually lost 2–0 on aggregate.[18]

Coaching career

When Jónsson returned to Iceland in 2015[19], he became coach for Grindavík, and also briefly simultaneously played for the club in the fourth division.[7] By 2020, Jónsson was already coaching the women's team of the club which plays in the second division as of the 2020–21 season. By that time he was already on his third year as head coach of the women's team.[19]

Personal life

Ray Anthony was born and raised in Liloan, Cebu before moving to Iceland when he was eight years old.[20] His mother hails from Cebu, and Jónsson himself can speak fluent Cebuano.[19] He has a younger brother named Michael, who is also a footballer and a former teammate at Grindavik.[21]

Ray Anthony is married and has three children, two daughters and a son, as of November 2016.[7]

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References
  1. "Philippines roster - 2012 AFC Challenge qualification". The-AFC.com. Asian Football Confederation. Retrieved 7 April 2011.
  2. "Ray Anthony Jónsson profile". Football Database. Retrieved 8 October 2010.
  3. Einarsson, Magnús Már (18 March 2004). "Hin Hliðin - Ray Anthony Jónsson, Grindavík" (in Icelandic). Fótbolti. Retrieved 10 October 2010.
  4. Einarsson, Magnús Már (8 March 2010). "Ray Anthony Jónsson gerir nýjan samning við Grindavík" (in Icelandic). Fótbolti. Retrieved 6 October 2010.
  5. "Ray gerir nýjan samning við Grindavík". VF.is (in Icelandic). Víkurfréttir. 5 March 2010. Retrieved 6 October 2010.
  6. Jónsson, Óskar Ófeigur (27 September 2010). "Ray Anthony Jónsson valinn í A-landslið Filippseyja". Visir.is (in Icelandic). Dagblaðið Vísir. Retrieved 6 October 2010.
  7. Olivares, Rick (29 November 2016). "Catching up with former Azkal Ray Jonsson". The Philippine Star. Archived from the original on 30 November 2016. Retrieved 12 December 2016.
  8. "Ray Anthony Jónsson - Landsleikir". KSI.is (in Icelandic). Football Association of Iceland. Retrieved 25 March 2011.
  9. "Ray valinn í landslið Filipseyja". UMFG.is (in Icelandic). Knattspyrnudeild UMFG. 28 September 2010. Retrieved 6 October 2010.
  10. "FIFA removes age limits on players switching nationality". IMScouting. 4 June 2009. Retrieved 10 October 2010.
  11. Lomas, Mark (13 October 2010). "Brits Abroad: McMenemy hoping football can thrill the Manilans". ESPNsoccernet. ESPN Inc. Retrieved 26 October 2010.
  12. "2010 龍騰盃國際足球賽技術分析表". CTFA.com.tw (in Chinese). Chinese Taipei Football Association. 12 October 2010. Retrieved 26 October 2010.
  13. "Ian hattrick seals Filipino rout". AseanFootball.org. ASEAN Football Federation. 22 October 2010. Retrieved 26 October 2010.
  14. "Younghusbands propel Philippines to the top". AseanFootball.org. ASEAN Football Federation. 24 October 2010. Retrieved 26 October 2010.
  15. "Philippines squeeze through to final round". AseanFootball.org. ASEAN Football Federation. 26 October 2010. Retrieved 26 October 2010.
  16. "Fili steal a point from Lions". AseanFootball.org. ASEAN Football Federation. 2 December 2010. Retrieved 25 March 2011.
  17. "Indonesia take semi-final advantage". FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 16 December 2010. Retrieved 25 March 2011.
  18. "Christian scores again to lead Indonesia into the final". AseanFootball.org. ASEAN Football Federation. 19 December 2010. Retrieved 25 March 2011.
  19. Olivares, Rick (19 June 2020). "Former Azkal Ray Jonsson's women's team picked as favorite in Iceland tournament". The Philippine Star. Retrieved 19 June 2020.
  20. Tupas, Cedelf P. (20 March 2011). "Pressure to deliver high for azkals". Inquirer.net. Philippine Daily Inquirer. Archived from the original on 12 May 2014. Retrieved 25 March 2011.
  21. Jónsson, Hörður Snævar (27 May 2008). "Ray Anthony Jónsson tognaður aftan í læri" (in Icelandic). Fótbolti. Retrieved 10 October 2010.

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