Ray Anthony Jónsson
Encyclopedia
Ray Anthony Pepito Jónsson (born 3 February 1979) is an Icelandic–Filipino
footballer who plays for Icelandic Premier League club Grindavik
. A former Iceland U-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.
removed the age limit on players changing national teams in June 2009. In September 2010 he was called up to play for the Philippines national team in the 2010 AFF Suzuki Cup qualification
.
Jónsson 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
. He then made his full international debut in their final match against on 12 October 2010, playing the full 90 minutes and keeping a clean sheet in a 5–0 win.
During the Suzuki Cup qualifiers, he played in all three matches and was instrumental in keeping two clean sheets against and . This helped the Philippines stay undefeated with one win and two draws and clinch qualification for the 2010 AFF Suzuki Cup
. 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 . Thus, the Philippines qualified for the knockout stage of the tournament for the first time ever. They faced in the semi-finals and in the first-leg, the Philippines lost 1–0 with the goal coming from a mix up between Jónsson and goalkeeper Neil Etheridge
. The Philippines eventually lost 2–0 on aggregate.
before moving to Iceland when he was eight years old. He has a younger brother named Michael, who is also a footballer and a former teammate at Grindavik.
Filipino people
The Filipino people or Filipinos are an Austronesian ethnic group native to the islands of the Philippines. There are about 92 million Filipinos in the Philippines, and about 11 million living outside the Philippines ....
footballer who plays for Icelandic Premier League club Grindavik
Knattspyrnudeild UMFG
Knattspyrnudeild UMFG, commonly known as Grindavík, is the football subdivision of the Ungmennafélag Grindavíkur athletic club located in the town of Grindavík in south-west Iceland.-History:...
. A former Iceland U-21 international, he has since switched allegiance to the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
, 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.
Club career
He signed a new three-year contract in March 2010. He has played in 146 premier league matches as of September 2010 and also in some domestic and European cup matches.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 U-21 team, but since he has not played for the senior national team, he is eligible to play for the Philippines. This is after FIFAFIFA
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association , commonly known by the acronym FIFA , is the international governing body of :association football, futsal and beach football. Its headquarters are located in Zurich, Switzerland, and its president is Sepp Blatter, who is in his fourth...
removed the age limit on players changing national teams in June 2009. In September 2010 he was called up to play for the Philippines national team in the 2010 AFF Suzuki Cup qualification
2010 AFF Suzuki Cup qualification
The 2010 AFF Suzuki Cup qualification was held in Vientiane, Laos from October 22, 2010 to October 26, 2010 for the five lower-ranked teams in Southeast Asia. All teams played in a round-robin tournament format with the winner and runner-up qualifying for the final tournament...
.
Jónsson was initially planning on going to Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
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
2010 Long Teng Cup
The 2010 Long Teng Cup is an international football competition held in Kaohsiung, Chinese Taipei from 8 October 2010 to 12 October 2010.The edition featured three senior national teams and Hong Kong national under-23 football team which was preparing for the 2010 Asian Games.- Round robin...
. He then made his full international debut in their final match against on 12 October 2010, playing the full 90 minutes and keeping a clean sheet in a 5–0 win.
During the Suzuki Cup qualifiers, he played in all three matches and was instrumental in keeping two clean sheets against and . This helped the Philippines stay undefeated with one win and two draws and clinch qualification for the 2010 AFF Suzuki Cup
2010 AFF Suzuki Cup
The 2010 AFF Cup, sponsored by Suzuki and officially named the 2010 AFF Suzuki Cup, took place on December 1–29, 2010. Indonesia and Vietnam hosted the preliminary stage from 1 to 7 December for Group A and 2 to 8 December for Group B. The semi-finals were played home and away with the first legs...
. 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 . Thus, the Philippines qualified for the knockout stage of the tournament for the first time ever. They faced in the semi-finals and in the first-leg, the Philippines lost 1–0 with the goal coming from a mix up between Jónsson and goalkeeper Neil Etheridge
Neil Etheridge
Neil Leonard Dula Etheridge is an English–Filipino professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Fulham. He joined Fulham Academy after three years as a trainee at . He is currently in the Reserve Squad, and has yet to make his debut in the Premier League or the Football League...
. The Philippines eventually lost 2–0 on aggregate.
Personal life
Jónsson was born and raised in Liloan, CebuLiloan, Cebu
Liloan is a 1st class municipality in the province of Cebu, Philippines. According to the 2007 census, it has a population of 92,181 people with 42,202 registered voters and has 13,381 residents....
before moving to Iceland when he was eight years old. He has a younger brother named Michael, who is also a footballer and a former teammate at Grindavik.
External links
- Ray Anthony Jónsson profile at KSI.is