Ólafur Gottskálksson
Encyclopedia
Ólafur "Ole" Gottskálksson (born 12 March 1968 in Keflavík
) is a retired Iceland
ic professional football goalkeeper. He played nine times for Iceland
national side and also represented his country at basketball.
and KR Reykjavík
before joining Scottish
side Hibernian
from Keflavik
in July 1997 for a fee of £200,000. He played 70 times for Hibs before joining Brentford
on a free transfer in May 2000. He went on to play 73 league games for Brentford
, at one point having to pay for his own goalkeeping coach. He had a trial with Stockport County
in July 2002 and was offered a two-year contract, but chose to remain with Brentford. He was also linked with a move to Ipswich Town
, but in November 2002 was forced to retire due to a shoulder injury.
He returned to Iceland
and resumed his playing career with Grindavik
.
On his return to the UK in August 2004, he had a trial with Grimsby Town
, before joining Conference South
side Margate
, moving to Torquay United
the following month, as a replacement for the departing Arjan van Heusden
. He was one of seven goalkeepers used that season (the others being Phil Barnes
, Bertrand Bossu
, Kevin Dearden
, Paul Jarvie
, Andy Marriott
and Arjan van Heusden
) and played 15 league games for Torquay before disappearing in January 2005 when, according to then Torquay chairman Mike Bateson
, doping
testers arrived at Plainmoor
for routine testing and Gottskálksson was chosen to give a sample. On viewing the list of banned substances he fled Torquay, leaving his girlfriend behind without an explanation. In June 2005, the Football Association
announced that an independent disciplinary commission had banned Gottskálksson from football indefinitely for failing to take that drugs test.
national side. His last international match came in an October 1997 World Cup qualifier
against Liechtenstein
.
Keflavík
Keflavík is a town in the Reykjanes region in southwest Iceland. In 2009 its population was of 8,169.In 1995 it merged with Njarðvík and Hafnir to form a municipality called Reykjanesbær with a population of 13,971 .- History :...
) is a retired Iceland
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 professional football goalkeeper. He played nine times for Iceland
Iceland 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....
national side and also represented his country at basketball.
Club career
Ole Gottskálksson played for IA AkranesÍþróttabandalag Akraness
Íþróttabandalag Akraness is an Icelandic sports club founded in 1946 and based in the town of Akranes, west Iceland. Among the main sports its members can practice are basketball, football, golf, horsemanship, gymnastics, volleyball, bowling, karate, badminton, swimming and powerlifting...
and KR Reykjavík
Knattspyrnufélag Reykjavíkur
Knattspyrnufélag Reykjavíkur, , for short KR or KR Reykjavík, is an Icelandic athletic club based in the capital, Reykjavík. KR is the oldest and most successful club in Icelandic football.-History:...
before joining Scottish
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
side Hibernian
Hibernian F.C.
Hibernian Football Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Leith, in the north of Edinburgh. They are one of two Scottish Premier League clubs in the city, the other being their Edinburgh derby rivals, Hearts...
from Keflavik
Keflavík Football Club
Keflavík Football Club is an Icelandic football team, commonly known as Keflavík. It is a subdivision of Keflavík ÍF , based in the town of Reykjanesbær in Iceland. They play at Nettó-völlur in Keflavík.-Competition history:Keflavík have played in the Icelandic football league since 1956...
in July 1997 for a fee of £200,000. He played 70 times for Hibs before joining Brentford
Brentford F.C.
Brentford Football Club are a professional English football club based in Brentford in the London Borough of Hounslow. They are currently playing in Football League One....
on a free transfer in May 2000. He went on to play 73 league games for Brentford
Brentford F.C.
Brentford Football Club are a professional English football club based in Brentford in the London Borough of Hounslow. They are currently playing in Football League One....
, at one point having to pay for his own goalkeeping coach. He had a trial with Stockport County
Stockport County F.C.
Stockport County Football Club is an English football club based in Stockport, Greater Manchester. The club formed in 1883 as Heaton Norris Rovers, shortly afterwards merging with Heaton Norris F.C., and adopted the current name on 24 May 1890 on the creation of the County Borough of Stockport...
in July 2002 and was offered a two-year contract, but chose to remain with Brentford. He was also linked with a move to Ipswich Town
Ipswich Town F.C.
Ipswich Town Football Club are an English professional football team based in Ipswich, Suffolk. As of 2011, they play in the Football League Championship, having last appeared in the Premier League in 2001–02....
, but in November 2002 was forced to retire due to a shoulder injury.
He returned to Iceland
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...
and resumed his playing career with 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:...
.
On his return to the UK in August 2004, he had a trial with Grimsby Town
Grimsby Town F.C.
Grimsby Town Football Club is an English football club based in the seaside town of Cleethorpes, in North East Lincolnshire, England, who compete in the Conference National. They were formed in 1878 as Grimsby Pelham and later became Grimsby Town...
, before joining Conference South
Conference South
Conference South is one of the second divisions of the Football Conference in England, taking its place immediately below the Conference National...
side Margate
Margate F.C.
Margate Football Club is an English football team based in the seaside resort of Margate, Kent, currently playing in the Isthmian League Premier Division. The club was known for a number of years during the 1980s as Thanet United....
, moving to Torquay United
Torquay United F.C.
Torquay United Football Club, nicknamed the Gulls, are an English association football club based in the tourist resort town of Torquay, Devon. They played in the Conference National in 2008–09, but were promoted to Football League Two after a 2–0 win over Cambridge United on 17 May 2009 at Wembley...
the following month, as a replacement for the departing Arjan van Heusden
Arjan van Heusden
Arjan van Heusden is a Dutch former professional football goalkeeper who played much of his career in the English Football League.-Playing career:...
. He was one of seven goalkeepers used that season (the others being Phil Barnes
Phil Barnes
Philip Kenneth "Phil" Barnes is an English professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Conference North side Gainsborough Trinity...
, Bertrand Bossu
Bertrand Bossu
Bertrand Bossu is a French footballer who plays as a goalkeeper who plays for Isthmian League Division One North club Harlow Town.-France:...
, Kevin Dearden
Kevin Dearden
Kevin Charles Dearden is an English former professional football who made more than 400 appearances in the Football League, playing as a goalkeeper for a large number of clubs. He later became a coach.-Playing career:...
, Paul Jarvie
Paul Jarvie
Paul Jarvie is a Scottish footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Scottish Second Division side Peterhead.-Playing career:...
, Andy Marriott
Andy Marriott
Andrew Marriott is an English-born Welsh professional footballer, who played as a goalkeeper. He is a journeyman player, having represented a large number of different clubs, and has also played for the Welsh national team....
and Arjan van Heusden
Arjan van Heusden
Arjan van Heusden is a Dutch former professional football goalkeeper who played much of his career in the English Football League.-Playing career:...
) and played 15 league games for Torquay before disappearing in January 2005 when, according to then Torquay chairman Mike Bateson
Mike Bateson
Mike Bateson is an English businessman and former chairman of Torquay United Football Club.Bateson was brought up in Blackpool and after a spell in the Scots Guards made his fortune selling double glazing in the South-West of England...
, doping
Doping (sport)
The use of performance-enhancing drugs in sport is commonly referred to by the term "doping", particularly by those organizations that regulate competitions. The use of performance enhancing drugs is mostly done to improve athletic performance. This is why many sports ban the use of performance...
testers arrived at Plainmoor
Plainmoor
Plainmoor is a suburb of Torquay, Devon, but is best known as the name of the stadium in which Torquay United Football Club currently play.-History:...
for routine testing and Gottskálksson was chosen to give a sample. On viewing the list of banned substances he fled Torquay, leaving his girlfriend behind without an explanation. In June 2005, the Football Association
The Football Association
The Football Association, also known as simply The FA, is the governing body of football in England, and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. It was formed in 1863, and is the oldest national football association...
announced that an independent disciplinary commission had banned Gottskálksson from football indefinitely for failing to take that drugs test.
International career
He played nine times for the 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....
national side. His last international match came in an October 1997 World Cup qualifier
1998 FIFA World Cup qualification
-Qualified teams:The following 32 teams qualified for the 1998 FIFA World Cup: - qualified automatically as hosts - qualified automatically as defending champions-Notes:...
against Liechtenstein
Liechtenstein national football team
The Liechtenstein national football team is the national football team of Liechtenstein and is controlled by the Liechtenstein Football Association. The organisation is known as the Liechtensteiner Fussballverband in German. The team's first match was an unofficial match against Malta in Seoul, a...
.
Honours
Brentford- Football League TrophyFootball League TrophyThe Football League Trophy, currently known as the Johnstone's Paint Trophy for sponsorship reasons, is an annual English association football knock-out competition open to the 48 clubs in Football League One and Football League Two, the bottom two divisions in the four fully professional top...
runner-up: 20012001 Football League Trophy FinalThe 2001 Football League Trophy Final was the 18th final of the Football League Trophy, the domestic football cup competition for teams from the Football League Second and Third Divisions...