He won the Swiss Super League title with FC Basel in the 2015-16 season.
Birkir Bjarnason is the most capped player in the history of the Iceland national football team, with 113 appearances.
He began his professional career at Viking FK, where he played from 2006 to 2011, making 100 appearances and scoring 16 goals.
Biography
Early Life
Birkir Bjarnason was born in 1988 in Akureyri, Iceland, where he began his football journey with local clubs. In 1999, his family moved to Norway, and he joined the youth teams of Figgjo, laying the foundation for his future career in football.
Career
Birkir's professional career took off when he signed with Viking FK in 2006. He quickly made an impact, scoring his first goal against Hamarkameratene and helping the team avoid relegation that year. His consistent performances earned him a loan spell at FK Bodø/Glimt in 2008, where he contributed significantly to their fourth-place finish in the league. In 2012, he moved to Standard Liège in Belgium, followed by a series of transfers across Europe, including stints at U.C. Sampdoria, Delfino Pescara, FC Basel, Aston Villa, and Al-Arabi SC. Birkir returned to Viking FK in 2023 before joining Brescia Calcio later that year.
On the international stage, Birkir made his debut for the Iceland national team in 2010 and has since become the most capped player in the team's history, with 113 appearances. He scored Iceland's first-ever goal in a major tournament during UEFA Euro 2016 against Portugal, contributing to the team's historic upset over England in the round of 16.
Legacy
Birkir Bjarnason's career is marked by his versatility as a midfielder and his significant contributions to Icelandic football. He has played a crucial role in the national team's successes, including their qualification for the 2018 World Cup. His achievements at club level include winning the Swiss Super League with FC Basel and the EFL Championship play-offs with Aston Villa, solidifying his status as a prominent figure in Icelandic sports history.
Collected from open sources (3) · facts link to sources · AI-processed
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Career & Clubs
Viking
Birkir started playing football with local clubs in his hometown of Akureyri. His family moved to Norway in 1999 and he joined the youth teams of Figgjo. In the summer of 2005 Birkir joined Viking. In the 2006 season he scored his first goal for Viking against Hamarkameratene. Following that he played consistently as a starter for Viking and was a key aspect in helping the club avoid relegation that year and helping them obtain a third-place finish in 2007 under trainer Uwe Rösler. In 2008 Birkir had a successful loan spell at newly promoted Tippeligaen side Bodø/Glimt, playing a big part in them finishing fourth in the league. His performances brought the attention of bigger clubs such as Serie A club Reggina during January 2008, but he stayed at Viking until 2012. During this time he made 100 appearances for Viking in the Tippeligaen, scoring 16 league goals.
Standard Liège
On 12 January 2012, it was announced that Birkir would sign for Belgian Pro League side Standard Liège on a five-year deal. He played 16 league matches in the Belgium Pro League for Standard.
Pescara
After the end of the 2011–12 season, in July 2012, Birkir joined the newly promoted Serie A side Pescara on a season-long loan deal, for €300,000, with an option to sign for an additional €900,000. He scored his first goal for Pescara in a 5–1 away defeat at Napoli. After the 2012–13 season he stated that he was not interested in going down to Serie B with Pescara and,…
Birkir made his debut for the senior Iceland national team in 2010. He holds the all-time appearance record for the senior side, which stands at 113 caps. He has also represented them at Iceland U-21, Under 19 and Under 17 levels. He scored his first goal for Iceland against France on 27 May 2012 in a 3–2 defeat. He also followed this up with goals for Iceland in 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification with goals against Albania on 12 October 2012, Slovenia on 7 June 2013 and then against Albania again on 10 September 2013 in a 2–1 victory. Birkir's goals and performances played a crucial role in the qualifiers helping guide Iceland to the World Cup playoffs, however in November 2013 they lost 2–0 on aggregate over two legs to Croatia. He was called up to the national team again for UEFA Euro 2016 and achieved the honor of getting his country's first ever goal in a major tournament when he scored the equalizer against Portugal in their first group match. On 27 June 2016, Birkir played against England in the UEFA Euro 2016 round of 16 at the Stade de Nice, as Iceland upset England with a 2–1 victory to advance to the quarter-finals. In May 2018 he was named in Iceland's 23-man squad for the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
Club
As of match played 10 August 2023
International
As of match played 16 November 2022
As of 26 March 2022 Scores and results list Iceland's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Birkir goal.
- Club
- Al-Arabi SC (2019–2019)
- Club
- Brescia Calcio (2020–2021)
- Club
- Adana Demirspor (2021–2023)
- Club
- Viking FK (2023–2023)
- Club
- Brescia Calcio (2023–)
- National team
- Iceland
- Club
- Viking FK (2006–2011)
- Club
- Standard Liège (2012–2012)
- Club
- FK Bodø/Glimt (2008–2008)
- Club
- FC Basel (2015–2017)
- Club
- U.C. Sampdoria (2013–2014)
- Club
- Delfino Pescara 1936 (2012–2013)
- Club
- Delfino Pescara 1936 (2014–2015)
- Club
- Iceland national under-17 football team (2004–2004)
- Club
- Iceland national under-19 football team (2005–2007)
- Club
- Iceland national under-21 football team (2006–2011)
- Club
- Iceland men's national football team (2010–)
- Club
- Standard Liège (2012–2013)
- Club
- Aston Villa F.C. (2017–2019)
Legacy
FC Basel
Swiss Super League: 2015–16 Aston Villa
EFL Championship play-offs: 2019
Clubs
- Iceland men's national football team2010current
- Brescia Calcio2023current
- Iceland national under-17 football team2004–2004
- Iceland national under-19 football team2005–2007
- Iceland national under-21 football team2006–2011
- Viking FK2006–2011
- FK Bodø/Glimt2008–2008
- Delfino Pescara 19362012–2013
- Standard Liège2012–2012
- Standard Liège2012–2013
- U.C. Sampdoria2013–2014
- Delfino Pescara 19362014–2015
- FC Basel2015–2017
- Aston Villa F.C.2017–2019
- Al-Arabi SC2019–2019
- Brescia Calcio2020–2021
- Adana Demirspor2021–2023
- Viking FK2023–2023
Played together with
Aaron BoupendzaAl-Arabi SC · 2021–2022
Aaron HughesAston Villa F.C. · 2005–2007
Aaron TshibolaAston Villa F.C.
Aaron Wan-BissakaAston Villa F.C. · 2026
Abdelhamid SabiriU.C. Sampdoria · 2022–2022
Abdelhamid SabiriU.C. Sampdoria · 2022- Abdisalam IbrahimViking FK · 2016
Abdou DialloAl-Arabi SC · 2023–2026
Abdoul TapsobaStandard Liège · 2020
Abdulaziz HatemAl-Arabi SC · 2007–2015
Abdülkerim BardakçıAdana Demirspor · 2014–2015
Adama TraoréAston Villa F.C. · 2015–2016
Archive
Passport
Identifiers & aliases
Birkir Bjarnason is an Icelandic former professional footballer who played as a central midfielder. He is the most capped player of the Iceland national team.
Opinions of fans — not verified facts.
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