Alfreð Finnbogason

Alfreð Finnbogason (born 1 February 1989) is an Icelandic footballer who plays as a striker for German club FC Augsburg and the Iceland national team.

This is an Icelandic name. The last name is patronymic, not a family name; this person is referred to by the given name Alfreð.
Alfreð Finnbogason
Alfreð playing for Iceland at the 2018 FIFA World Cup
Personal information
Full name Alfreð Finnbogason[1]
Date of birth (1989-02-01) 1 February 1989
Place of birth Grindavík, Iceland
Height 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)[1]
Playing position(s) Striker
Club information
Current team
 FC Augsburg
Number 27
Youth career
1995–1999 Grindavík
1999–2001 Hutchison Vale
2002–2005 Fjölnir
2005–2007 Breiðablik
2006–2007 → Torres (loan)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2007–2010 Breiðablik 43 (28)
2007 → Augnablik (loan) 2 (2)
2011–2012 Lokeren 22 (4)
2012 → Helsingborg (loan) 17 (12)
2012–2014 Heerenveen 65 (53)
2014–2016 Real Sociedad 23 (2)
2015–2016 → Olympiacos (loan) 7 (1)
2016 → FC Augsburg (loan) 14 (7)
2016– FC Augsburg 74 (28)
National team‡
2009–2011 Iceland U21 11 (5)
2010– Iceland 57 (16)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 1 July 2020
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 14 November 2019

With Heerenveen, Alfreð was the Dutch Eredivisie's top scorer in the 2013–14[2] season with 29 goals, a tally topped only by Luis Suárez, Cristiano Ronaldo and Jonathan Soriano in Europe's top leagues that season.[3]

Alfreð made his debut for the Icelandic national team against the Faroe Islands in 2010. He has earned 57 caps to date, scoring 15 goals. He was part of their squad at UEFA Euro 2016 and the 2018 FIFA World Cup, where he became the first Icelander to score a goal in the FIFA World Cup.

Club career

Born in Grindavík, Alfreð played for Ungmennafélag Grindavíkur's youth teams while also spending two years of his childhood in the Scottish capital Edinburgh.[4] Alfreð played for boys' club Hutchison Vale, and became a fan of Hibernian, while his father studied in the city.[4]

Breiðablik

Alfreð joined Breiðablik in 2005, featuring in the club's highly successful youth team alongside future internationals and/or expatriates Gylfi Sigurðsson, Aron Jóhannsson, Jóhann Berg Guðmundsson, Elfar Freyr Helgason, Guðmundur Kristjánsson, Kristinn Steindórsson and Kristinn Jónsson.[5][6]

He made his senior debut for Breiðablik in 2008. In the 2009 Úrvalsdeild season, he scored 13 goals in 18 league games for Breiðablik. At the end of the campaign, he was voted Young Player of the Year by his fellow players.[7] Breiðablik also won their first title ever, the Icelandic Cup.[8]

After the 2009 season, he had a trial with Tippeligaen side Viking and English Championship side Blackpool.[9]

In 2010, Alfreð was joint league top goalscorer with 14 goals, and voted player of the year by fellow players as Breiðablik won their first league title and participated for the first time in the UEFA Europa League when they played against Scottish side Motherwell.[10][11][12]

Lokeren

On 3 November 2010, Breiðablik confirmed that an offer for Alfreð from Belgian side Lokeren had been accepted.[13] After completing a medical, Alfreð signed a two-and-a-half-year contract with the club on 20 November 2010.[14]

Helsingborgs IF (loan)

On 6 March 2012, Alfreð joined Swedish champions Helsingborgs IF on a six-month loan deal, ending on 15 August 2012.[15]

Alfreð scored one goal and made five assists in a 6–1 aggregate win against Polish champions Śląsk Wrocław in the 2012–13 UEFA Champions League Third qualifying round.[16] At the end of the loan period, Alfreð was Helsingborg's top scorer of 2012 with 12 goals in 17 all competitions matches.[17][18]

Heerenveen

On 16 August 2012, Alfreð signed a three-year contract with Dutch Eredivisie club Heerenveen.[19] He made a promising start for his new club, scoring two goals in his home debut against top side Ajax in a 2–2 draw and later scoring all four goals away to third division side Kozakken Boys in the KNVB Cup.[20][21] Alfreð ended the season as the third-highest goalscorer of the Eredivisie, scoring 24 of Heereveen's 50 league goals.[22]

Real Sociedad

On 2 July 2014, Alfreð signed for Spanish La Liga club Real Sociedad for a €7.5 million transfer fee, rising to €10 million with add-ons.[23][24][25] He made his debut for the club later that month, starting in a 2–0 home win against Aberdeen for the season's UEFA Europa League.[26]

Olympiacos (loan)

Greek champions Olympiacos had previously tried to sign the 26-year-old Icelandic, but failed to reach an agreement with his former club, Heerenveen.[27] Despite the rival interest of PAOK, on 26 July 2015, Olympiacos officially announced that they had signed him on loan from Real Sociedad. He scored his first goal in a friendly game against Beşiktaş on 9 August 2015.[28] Alfreð scored his first competitive and the winning goal for Olympiacos against Arsenal on 29 September 2015, in their Champions League Group F clash, earning Olympiacos their first ever win on English soil, in a 3–2 win at Emirates Stadium.

On 5 December 2015, he scored his first goal with a penalty kick in the Superleague in a 4–3 away win against Panthrakikos.[29]

FC Augsburg

He was loaned to FC Augsburg on 1 February 2016.[30] He made his debut as a substitute against Ingolstadt five days later in a 2–1 defeat. He scored his first goal in his third appearance on 28 February, helping Augsburg to a 2–2 draw with Borussia Mönchengladbach. He would go on to score seven goals in fourteen appearances, and the loan was made permanent on 1 July 2016. On 9 September 2017, he scored a hat-trick in a Bundesliga game against FC Köln, in which Augsburg won by 3–0. On 16 December 2017, he scored another hat-trick in a 3–3 draw against SC Freiburg.

International career

Alfreð earned 11 caps and scored five goals for Iceland at under-21 level. His first goal came on 8 September 2009 in a 2011 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship Group 5 qualifier 6–2 win against Northern Ireland under-21s at The Showgrounds, Coleraine.[31]

Alfreð won his first cap for the Icelandic national team in 2010, coming on as a substitute in a friendly match against the Faroe Islands.[32][33] Alfreð scored on his full debut for Iceland against Israel in a 3–2 loss at Bloomfield Stadium in Tel Aviv.[32][34] As of 26 June 2018, Alfreð has 50 caps and 14 goals for the senior team.[32]

He was selected for UEFA Euro 2016.[35]

In May 2018 he was named in Iceland’s 23 man squad for the 2018 World Cup in Russia.[36] In their first match at the tournament, Alfreð scored the equalising goal as Iceland drew 1–1 with Argentina.[37]

Career statistics

Club
As of 8 June 2020[38]
Club performance League Cup League Cup Continental Total
SeasonClubLeague AppsGoals AppsGoals AppsGoals AppsGoals AppsGoals
Iceland League Icelandic Cup League Cup Europe Total
2007Augnablik (loan)3. deild 22------22
2008BreiðablikÚrvalsdeild 411030--81
2009 18134240--2615
2010 21141065203019
Belgium League Belgian Cup League Cup Europe Total
2010–11LokerenBelgian Pro League 153------153
2011–12 7132----103
Sweden League Svenska Cupen League Cup Europe Total
2012Helsingborgs IFAllsvenskan 171210--412213
Netherlands League KNVB Cup League Cup Europe Total
2012–13HeerenveenEredivisie 3312424----3528
2013–14 322932----3531
Spain League Copa del Rey League Cup Europe Total
2014–15Real SociedadLa Liga 23222--20274
Greece League Greek Football Cup — Europe Total
2015–16OlympiacosSuperleague Greece 7130—31132
Germany Bundesliga DFB-Pokal — Europe Total
2015–16FC AugsburgBundesliga 14700—00147
2016–17 13310—00143
2017–18 221210—002312
2018–19 181021—002011
2019–20 17300—00173
Career Total 2631372413135112311157

1Includes two Europe play-off matches.

International
As of 14 November 2019[32]
National teamYearAppsGoals
Iceland
201021
201140
201262
201381
201431
201572
2016104
201750
201874
201950
Total5715

International goals
As of match played 25 March 2019. Iceland score listed first, score column indicates score after each Alfreð goal.[32][39]
International goals by date, venue, cap, opponent, score, result and competition
No. Date Venue Cap Opponent Score Result Competition
1. 17 November 2010Bloomfield Stadium, Tel Aviv, Israel2 Israel1–32–3Friendly
2. 29 February 2012Podgorica City Stadium, Podgorica, Montenegro7 Montenegro1–11–2
3. 7 September 2012Laugardalsvöllur, Reykjavík, Iceland9 Norway2–02–02014 FIFA World Cup qualification
4. 7 June 201315 Slovenia2–12–4
5. 12 November 2014King Baudouin Stadium, Brussels, Belgium23 Belgium1–11–3Friendly
6. 13 November 2015National Stadium, Warsaw, Poland29 Poland2–22–4
7. 17 November 2015Štadión pod Dubňom, Žilina, Slovakia30 Slovakia1–01–3
8. 6 June 2016Laugardalsvöllur, Reykjavík, Iceland34 Liechtenstein3–04–0
9. 5 September 2016Olimpiyskiy National Sports Complex, Kiev, Ukraine38 Ukraine1–01–12018 FIFA World Cup qualification
10. 6 October 2016Laugardalsvöllur, Reykjavík, Iceland39 Finland2–23–2
11. 9 October 201640 Turkey2–02–0
12. 2 June 201846 Norway1–12–3Friendly
13. 7 June 201847 Ghana2–02–2
14. 16 June 2018Otkritie Arena, Moscow, Russia48 Argentina1–11–12018 FIFA World Cup
15. 15 October 2018Laugardalsvöllur, Reykjavík, Iceland52  Switzerland1–21–22018–19 UEFA Nations League A

Honours

Breiðablik

Olympiacos

  • Superleague Greece: 2015–16

Individual

Personal life

In 2007, Alfreð spent five months as an exchange student in Sardinia, Italy, playing for Sassari Torres during the stay, where he managed to score in a win against the Italy U-17 national team.[42]

On 19 April 2013, Alfreð set a record for the most goals scored in a season by an Icelandic footballer playing in a top division in any country after he scored his 24th goal of the season, and also his last of the season. The previous record-holder had also played in the Netherlands, Pétur Pétursson, who scored 23 goals in 33 matches for Feyenoord in the 1979–80 Eredivisie.[43]

References
  1. "2018 FIFA World Cup Russia: List of players: Iceland" (PDF). FIFA. 10 June 2018. p. 13. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 June 2018. Retrieved 10 June 2018.
  2. "Statistieken Aanval" (in Dutch). Eredivisie.de. Retrieved 26 May 2014.
  3. "Ronaldo and Suárez share Golden Shoe accolade". Uefa.com. Retrieved 26 May 2014.
  4. Friel, David (7 October 2010). "Icelandic Hibernian fan Alfreð Finnbogason cannot wait to face former homeland". The Herald. Retrieved 7 October 2010.
  5. "Félag: Breiðablik, Mót: Íslandsmót – 3. flokkur karla A deild" (in Icelandic). ksi.is. Archived from the original on 24 December 2013. Retrieved 12 August 2012.
  6. "Félag: Breiðablik, Mót: Íslandsmót – 3. flokkur karla B lið A riðill" (in Icelandic). ksi.is. Retrieved 3 October 2012.
  7. Breiðfjörð, Hafliði (5 October 2009). "Lokahóf KSÍ: Atli Guðnason og Katrín Jónsdóttir best" (in Icelandic). fotbolti,net. Retrieved 13 November 2009.
  8. "Breiðablik bikarmeistari karla í fyrsta sinn" (in Icelandic). visir.is. Retrieved 21 August 2013.
  9. "Enska liðið Blackpool vill fá að skoða Alfreð" (in Icelandic). visir.is. 12 November 2009. Archived from the original on 4 June 2011. Retrieved 13 November 2009.
  10. "Dóra María og Alfreð kosin best" (in Icelandic). ksi.is. Archived from the original on 26 December 2013. Retrieved 21 August 2013.
  11. "Breiðablik mætir Motherwell" (in Icelandic). mbl.is. Retrieved 21 August 2013.
  12. "Breiðablik Íslandsmeistari 2010" (in Icelandic). visir.is. Retrieved 21 August 2013.
  13. "Alfreð Finnbogason til Lokeren" (in Icelandic). fotbolti.net. 3 November 2010. Retrieved 22 November 2010.
  14. "Alfreð Finnbogason í Lokeren (Staðfest)" (in Icelandic). fotbolti.net. 20 November 2010. Retrieved 22 November 2010.
  15. "Isländsk stjärna förstärker HIF" (in Swedish). hd.se. 6 March 2012. Retrieved 6 March 2012.
  16. "Hattrick av Sörum – HIF vidare i CL-kvalet" (in Swedish). hif.se. 8 August 2012. Archived from the original on 1 October 2015. Retrieved 10 August 2012.
  17. "Alfreð skoraði tvö í stórsigri" (in Icelandic). 433.is. Retrieved 21 August 2013.
  18. "Alfreð samdi við Heerenveen til þriggja ára" (in Icelandic). mbl.is. Retrieved 21 August 2013.
  19. "sc Heerenveen trekt IJslandse spits Finnbogason aan" (in Dutch). sc-heerenveen.nl. 16 August 2012. Retrieved 17 August 2012.
  20. foxsports.nl
  21. "Kozakken Boys – sc Heerenveen – sc Heerenveen". Archived from the original on 31 October 2012. Retrieved 28 October 2012.
  22. "Alfreð tók bronsskóinn í Hollandi" (in Icelandic). 433.is. Archived from the original on 25 December 2013. Retrieved 21 August 2013.
  23. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 13 September 2014. Retrieved 13 September 2014.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  24. Finnbogason naar Real Sociedad (Finnbogason to Real Sociedad); Heerenveen's official website, 2 July 2014 (in Dutch)
  25. Agreement with SC Heerenveen for the transfer of Alfred Finnbogason; Real Sociedad's official website, 2 July 2014
  26. Real Sociedad 2–0 Aberdeen; UEFA.com, 31 July 2014
  27. Olympiacos targeting Finnbogason; sdna.com, 24 July 2015
  28. Olympiacos complete deal for Finnbogason; sdna.com, 26 July 2015
  29. "Πανθρακικός – Ολυμπιακός 3–4". www.contra.gr. 5 December 2015.
  30. "Finnbogason kommt" [Finnbogason arrives] (in German). FC Augsburg. 1 February 2016. Retrieved 1 February 2016.
  31. "Northern Ireland 2 – 6 Iceland". UEFA. 8 September 2009. Archived from the original on 11 January 2010. Retrieved 14 November 2009.
  32. "Alfreð Finnbogason" (in Icelandic). ksi.is. Archived from the original on 29 November 2014. Retrieved 12 November 2014.
  33. "Leikskýrsla – A karla – VL 2010 – Ísland – Færeyjar 2–0" (in Icelandic). ksi.is. Archived from the original on 17 October 2013. Retrieved 21 August 2013.
  34. "Leikskýrsla – A karla – VL 2010 – Ísrael – Ísland 3–2" (in Icelandic). ksi.is. Archived from the original on 17 October 2013. Retrieved 21 August 2013.
  35. "A karla – Lokahópur fyrir EM 2016" (in Icelandic). Knattspyrnusamband Íslands. 9 May 2016. Archived from the original on 12 May 2016. Retrieved 10 May 2016.
  36. https://www.goal.com/en/amp/news/world-cup-squad-injured-gylfi-sigurdsson/17guw991qjit61qqhhfn9lyhon
  37. Bevan, Chris (16 June 2018). "Argentina 1–1 Iceland". BBC Sport. Retrieved 17 June 2018.
  38. Iceland – A. Finnbogason – Profile with news, career statistics and history – Soccerway
  39. "Finnbogason, Alfreð". national-football-teams.com. National Football Teams. Retrieved 6 June 2018.
  40. "Lokeren kaupir Alfreð Finnbogason" (in Icelandic). mbl.is. Retrieved 21 August 2013.
  41. "Katrín og Atli valin bestu leikmennirnir" (in Icelandic). ksi.is. Retrieved 21 August 2013.
  42. "Alfreð Finnbogason skoraði á móti U-17 ára liði Ítala" (in Icelandic). fotbolti.net. Retrieved 21 August 2013.
  43. Ásgeirsson, Eiríkur Stefán (19 April 2013). "Alfreð bætti met Péturs" (in Icelandic). visir.is. Retrieved 20 April 2013.
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