Eidur Gudjohnsen, of course, is the answer to a well-known quiz question. Who was the first player to replace his own father in an international soccer match? What might be even more surprising is that it could happen again in a few years: Eidur’s son was one of the star players at the annual televised college boys’ tournament in the summer of 2008, captaining the Barcelona team.
Born in Reykjavik in 1978, Eidur Gudjohnsen was clearly always going to be a footballer and made his Icelandic League debut when he was only 16 years old. After just 17 games for his Valur club, the player had done enough to earn himself a transfer to Dutch PSV Eindhoven. However, during his 2 seasons in the Netherlands, Eidur suffered numerous injuries and was only able to complete 13 games before being transferred back to Iceland, to KR Reykjavik.
However, he had barely signed before setting out on his travels again, this time to England and, after a short trial, to Bolton Wanderers. It was his success here, primarily as a spirited and determined center forward, that led him to Chelsea, where he would remain for 6 seasons. During this stint at Stamford Bridge, Gudjohnsen made a total of 268 first-team appearances, scoring 78 goals.
Although he was originally a center forward, Eidur always demonstrated what experts insisted on calling “a surprisingly good touch for a big man.” Technically gifted, with very quick feet and, more importantly, a nimble brain, Chelsea fans raved about the great Icelander because of his remarkable versatility. Able to play up front, in midfield or even on the wings, Eidur was part of the developing Chelsea team that won the league in 2005 and 2006 and the Carling Cup in 2005.
Many people were surprised when Eidur joined Barcelona in the summer of 2006, especially when it seemed he was seen as a direct replacement for fan favorite Henrik Larsen. Initially played as a forward, he certainly struggled to win over the Barça faithful and, in his first season, a return of just 5 goals in 25 league games raised questions about the player’s suitability for the League.
However, one thing that Eidur Gudjohnsen has always been determined on is and that played a large role in his ability to reverse the difficult situation. By being used more in midfield, the player demonstrated his adaptability and consequently, in both 2006/07 and 2007/08, he became an important member of the squad. Able to play in a variety of positions, and always ready to score a goal, Eidur Gudjohnsen is now an established Barcelona player and who is now totally trusted by fans.
Iceland’s record scorer, with more than 50 caps already, and captain of the national team, Gudjohnsen has been Icelandic Player of the Year three times. It’s a good bet that he will try to keep his place on the national team until he can play for the same team as his son. Now that would be a good test question.