Aron Gunnarsson
Encyclopedia
Aron Einar Gunnarsson is an Iceland
ic international footballer who plays professionally for Cardiff City
in Wales. Gunnarsson can play either at right back or in central midfield.
, Gunnarsson began his career with local side Þór Akureyri
in 2005, before moving to the Netherlands a year later to play with AZ.
team Coventry City
on 17 June 2008, signing a three-year deal for an undisclosed fee. He made his debut on the opening day of the Championship
against Norwich City
, where the Sky Blues won 3-1. He scored his first career goal on 14 February 2009 in an FA Cup
match against Premiership side Blackburn Rovers
. During his time at Coventry, Gunnarsson attracted Premier League interest leading Coventry City to offer him an improved deal on 12 March. His first league goal came against Crystal Palace
. At the end of his first season in England, Gunnarsson was voted the Coventry City Supporter's Player of the Year as well as the club's Community Award.
The following season, Gunnarsson changed his shirt number from 12 to 17, to mirror the squad number of his brother, who is a professional handball player. The following season he continued as a vital part of the Sky Blues' midfield, throughout the season he made 42 appearances and scored one goal against Middlesbrough
.
Coventry City started the 2010-11 season strongly looking like they were pushing for play-off places. Gunnarsson opened his seasons goal scoring count with a goal against newly promoted, Millwall
, despite the Sky Blues losing 3-1. After three years at Coventry, he scored his first goal at Coventry City's home ground, Ricoh Arena
, against Preston North End
. Three days later, Gunnarsson, scored his second goal in two games against Doncaster Rovers
. He was out of contract at the end of the season and on 10 December, Gunnarsson stated his desire to stay at Coventry. However the following week, he received his first red card of his career against Norwich City
. However a deal for a new contract couldn't be reached between his agent and Coventry, and at the end of the season the club gave him a deadline date to agree to stay.
However due to Gunnarsson and his agent not being able to reach an agreement with Coventry, he was linked with moves away and his agent confirmed that fellow Championship
outfit Cardiff City
were favorites to sign him.
. In his second game, Gunnarsson limped off with an ankle injury after only 10 minutes against Bristol City
, the injury sidelined him for a week, which kept him out for 4 games in the league and cup. He returned after the September international break admitting his injury is behind him. Making his return the first game after the break against Doncaster Rovers
on 10 September. His first goal came in a Championship match against Peterborough United
on 18 October, which ended in a 4-3 defeat. Five days later, Gunnarsson managed to score a brace in a 5-3 victory against Barnsley
, where he received the man of the match award. His 150th professional appearance in English football
came against former employers Coventry City
on 22 November 2011.
on 2 February 2008. As of 18 October 2011, Gunnarsson has appeared in 25 international games for Iceland, including in seven FIFA World Cup qualifying matches. Gunnarsson was called up to the Under-21 European Championship
Iceland squad, which took place in Denmark
. In the first game Iceland beat hosts Denmark
3-1. This was followed with 2-0 loss to Belarus
, where Gunnarsson was sent off. The two losses saw Iceland go out of the tournament via a tie breaker.
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...
ic international footballer who plays professionally for Cardiff City
Cardiff City F.C.
Cardiff City Football Club are a Welsh professional football club based in Cardiff, Wales. The club competes in the English football pyramid and is currently playing in the Football League Championship. Cardiff City is the best supported football club in Wales, averaging approximately 22,500 for...
in Wales. Gunnarsson can play either at right back or in central midfield.
Club career
Born in AkureyriAkureyri
Akureyri is a town in northern Iceland. It is Iceland's second largest urban area and fourth largest municipality ....
, Gunnarsson began his career with local side Þór Akureyri
Þór Akureyri
Þór Akureyri is a sport club that resides in Akureyri, Iceland.-Sports club:There are other divisions aside from football including Basketball, Handball and Taekwondo. Its main rivals is another sport club from Akureyri named KA...
in 2005, before moving to the Netherlands a year later to play with AZ.
Coventry City
Gunnarsson signed for EnglishEngland
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
team Coventry City
Coventry City F.C.
Coventry City Football Club, otherwise known as the Sky Blues owing to the traditional colour of their strip, are a professional English Football league club based in Coventry...
on 17 June 2008, signing a three-year deal for an undisclosed fee. He made his debut on the opening day of the 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...
against Norwich City
Norwich City F.C.
Norwich City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk. As of the 2011–12 season, Norwich City are again playing in the Premier League after a six-year absence, having finished as runner up in the Championship in 2010–11 and winning automatic promotion.The...
, where the Sky Blues won 3-1. He scored his first career goal on 14 February 2009 in an FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
match against Premiership side Blackburn Rovers
Blackburn Rovers F.C.
Blackburn Rovers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of Blackburn, Lancashire. The team currently competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football....
. During his time at Coventry, Gunnarsson attracted Premier League interest leading Coventry City to offer him an improved deal on 12 March. His first league goal came against Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace F.C.
Crystal Palace Football Club are an English Football league club based in South Norwood, London. The team plays its home matches at Selhurst Park, where they have been based since 1924. The club currently competes in the second tier of English Football, The Championship.Crystal Palace was formed in...
. At the end of his first season in England, Gunnarsson was voted the Coventry City Supporter's Player of the Year as well as the club's Community Award.
The following season, Gunnarsson changed his shirt number from 12 to 17, to mirror the squad number of his brother, who is a professional handball player. The following season he continued as a vital part of the Sky Blues' midfield, throughout the season he made 42 appearances and scored one goal against Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough F.C.
Middlesbrough Football Club , also known as Boro, are an English football club based in Middlesbrough, who play in the Football League Championship. Formed in 1876, they have played at the Riverside Stadium since August 1995, their third ground since turning professional in 1889...
.
Coventry City started the 2010-11 season strongly looking like they were pushing for play-off places. Gunnarsson opened his seasons goal scoring count with a goal against newly promoted, Millwall
Millwall F.C.
Millwall Football Club is an English professional football club based in South Bermondsey, south east London, that plays in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football. Founded as Millwall Rovers in 1885, the club has retained its name despite having last played in the...
, despite the Sky Blues losing 3-1. After three years at Coventry, he scored his first goal at Coventry City's home ground, Ricoh Arena
Ricoh Arena
The Ricoh Arena , home to Coventry City F.C., is a stadium complex situated in the Rowleys Green district of the city of Coventry, England containing a 32,609 seater football stadium, a 6,000 square-metre exhibition hall, a hotel, a leisure club, and a casino...
, against Preston North End
Preston North End F.C.
Preston North End Football Club is an English professional football club located in the Deepdale area of the city of Preston, Lancashire, currently playing in the third tier of English league football, League One...
. Three days later, Gunnarsson, scored his second goal in two games against Doncaster Rovers
Doncaster Rovers F.C.
Doncaster Rovers Football Club is an English football club, based at the Keepmoat Stadium in Doncaster, South Yorkshire. The team currently competes in the Football League Championship, after being promoted via the League One play-offs in 2008, and have remained there since.The club was founded in...
. He was out of contract at the end of the season and on 10 December, Gunnarsson stated his desire to stay at Coventry. However the following week, he received his first red card of his career against Norwich City
Norwich City F.C.
Norwich City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk. As of the 2011–12 season, Norwich City are again playing in the Premier League after a six-year absence, having finished as runner up in the Championship in 2010–11 and winning automatic promotion.The...
. However a deal for a new contract couldn't be reached between his agent and Coventry, and at the end of the season the club gave him a deadline date to agree to stay.
However due to Gunnarsson and his agent not being able to reach an agreement with Coventry, he was linked with moves away and his agent confirmed that fellow 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...
outfit Cardiff City
Cardiff City F.C.
Cardiff City Football Club are a Welsh professional football club based in Cardiff, Wales. The club competes in the English football pyramid and is currently playing in the Football League Championship. Cardiff City is the best supported football club in Wales, averaging approximately 22,500 for...
were favorites to sign him.
Cardiff City
On 8 July, Gunnarsson agreed a three-year deal with Cardiff City. He made his debut in 1-0 win over West Ham UnitedWest Ham United F.C.
West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Upton Park, Newham, East London. They play in The Football League Championship. The club was founded in 1895 as Thames Ironworks FC and reformed in 1900 as West Ham United. In 1904 the club relocated to their current...
. In his second game, Gunnarsson limped off with an ankle injury after only 10 minutes against Bristol City
Bristol City F.C.
Bristol City Football Club is one of two football league clubs in Bristol, England . They play at Ashton Gate, located in the south-west of the City...
, the injury sidelined him for a week, which kept him out for 4 games in the league and cup. He returned after the September international break admitting his injury is behind him. Making his return the first game after the break against Doncaster Rovers
Doncaster Rovers F.C.
Doncaster Rovers Football Club is an English football club, based at the Keepmoat Stadium in Doncaster, South Yorkshire. The team currently competes in the Football League Championship, after being promoted via the League One play-offs in 2008, and have remained there since.The club was founded in...
on 10 September. His first goal came in a Championship match against Peterborough United
Peterborough United F.C.
Peterborough United Football Club are a professional English football club based in Peterborough. Peterborough United formed in 1934 and played in the old Midland League, which they won six times; eventually being admitted to the Football League in 1960, replacing Gateshead. Their home ground is...
on 18 October, which ended in a 4-3 defeat. Five days later, Gunnarsson managed to score a brace in a 5-3 victory against Barnsley
Barnsley F.C.
Barnsley Football Club are a professional English football club based in the town of Barnsley, South Yorkshire. Nicknamed the Tykes, they were founded in 1887 under the name Barnsley St. Peter's...
, where he received the man of the match award. His 150th professional appearance in English football
Football in England
Association football is a national sport in England, where the first modern set of rules for the code were established in 1863, which were a major influence on the development of the modern Laws of the Game...
came against former employers Coventry City
Coventry City F.C.
Coventry City Football Club, otherwise known as the Sky Blues owing to the traditional colour of their strip, are a professional English Football league club based in Coventry...
on 22 November 2011.
International career
Gunnarsson made his international debut for IcelandIceland 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....
on 2 February 2008. As of 18 October 2011, Gunnarsson has appeared in 25 international games for Iceland, including in seven FIFA World Cup qualifying matches. Gunnarsson was called up to the Under-21 European Championship
2011 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship
UEFA U-21 Championship 2011 was the 18th staging of UEFA's European Under-21 Football Championship. The final tournament was hosted by Denmark between 11 and 25 June 2011....
Iceland squad, which took place in Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
. In the first game Iceland beat hosts Denmark
Denmark national under-21 football team
The Denmark national under-21 football team has played since 1976 and is controlled by the Danish Football Association. Before 1976, the age limit was 23 years.-U-21 European Championship:*1978 – Quarterfinals*1980 to 1984 – Did not qualify...
3-1. This was followed with 2-0 loss to Belarus
Belarus national under-21 football team
The Belarus national under-21 football team is the national under-21 football team of Belarus and is controlled by the Football Federation of Belarus. The team competes in the European Under-21 Football Championship, held every two years.-History:...
, where Gunnarsson was sent off. The two losses saw Iceland go out of the tournament via a tie breaker.
Career statistics
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Other | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Coventry City Coventry City F.C. Coventry City Football Club, otherwise known as the Sky Blues owing to the traditional colour of their strip, are a professional English Football league club based in Coventry... |
2008–09 | 40 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 47 | 2 |
| 2009–10 | 40 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 42 | 1 | |
| 2010–11 2010–11 Coventry City F.C. season The 2010–11 season was Coventry City's 91st season in The Football League and their 10th consecutive season in the Football League Championship, giving them the second longest consecutive run in the division, behind only Preston North End... |
42 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 45 | 4 | |
| Total | 122 | 6 | 9 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 133 | 7 | |
| Cardiff City Cardiff City F.C. Cardiff City Football Club are a Welsh professional football club based in Cardiff, Wales. The club competes in the English football pyramid and is currently playing in the Football League Championship. Cardiff City is the best supported football club in Wales, averaging approximately 22,500 for... |
2011–12 2011–12 Cardiff City F.C. season The 2011–12 season is Cardiff City's 85th in the Football League after joining in 1920. Cardiff are in their eighth consecutive season in the second tier of English football... |
16 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 3 |
| Career total | 138 | 9 | 9 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 152 | 10 | |