Although Iceland’s victory against England in the Round of 16 at the Euros was a textbook example of a brilliant team effort, one player stood out from the rest – central defender Ragnar Sigurdsson. Not only did he score Iceland’s equalizer just six minutes into the game, but also more importantly he was the key figure in the Icelandic defence that bossed English Premier League profiles Harry Kane, Wayne Rooney, Daniel Sturridge and Jamie Vardy around in a way that made them look like junior players.
Since joining FC Krasnodar halfway through the 2013/2014 season from Danish side FC København, the Icelandic defender has developed into one of the most reliable players in the RFPL, and although he recently turned 30, there are no signs of him slowing down.
After spending the first six months of his time with the Bulls adjusting to life in Russia, he has established himself as a key player for Krasnodar, and a cornerstone in the defence that finished last season as the second best in the RFPL.
The story of Sigurdsson is the story of a player who is peaking late in his career, and is now playing his best football. Like many other Icelandic football players, he moved to Scandinavia at a young age, joining Swedish giants IFK Göteborg at the age of 20 in 2007. He was an immediate success and played an integral role as the team won its first, and only, championship since 1996, and secured the domestic cup the year after.
Göteborg managed to keep their prized asset at the club for four-and-a-half year before he moved on to bigger challenges, but his next club wasn’t from one of the big European leagues that was expected. Instead, Sigurdsson moved a couple of kilometers south, joining Danish powerhouse FC København halfway through the 2011/2012 season.
While that move might seem odd, it was perfect for Sigurdsson not only on the football field, but also off of the pitch. “I don’t know what it is with me and Copenhagen,” he told Danish newspaper Tipsbladet in 2015, “It is a feeling I have had since I was a little boy and visited on a vacation with my family. I returned when I was 13 or 14 to play a football tournament, and we went to Strøget [the main shopping street], and I thought everything about Copenhagen was absolutely fantastic.”
Once again, Sigurdsson rose to the new challenge and became a key player, although he needed a brief transition period to life in a new country. He was one of the leaders on the team that won the league in 2013, and the following season he shone in the Champions League as Copenhagen won four points in a difficult group against Real Madrid, Galatasaray and Juventus.
Not only was he a great player for the club, but his passion and no-nonsense attitude also made him one of the most popular players in the squad among the fans, something that was proved by the fact that they always brought, and still bring, an Icelandic flag with his name to the games, and the love was most certainly returned from Sigurdsson.
“I’d like to say thanks for the support and love,” he said shortly after his signing with Krasnodar was announced, “I hope to return and play for you again.”
These weren’t just the empty words spoken by a football player moving on to a bigger paycheck. Before leaving, Sigurdsson had ‘S12’ tattooed on his chest, referring to Sektion 12, the stand where FC København’s most passionate fans stand week after week.
“There are a lot of people willing to tattoo anything, but this was something I really felt. I wanted to show my passion for my club and for them [the fans], and so I just did it,” he told FCK TV.
In Russia, his good performances have only gotten better, and last season, InStat ranked Sigurdsson as the 8th best central defender in Russia who had played more than 2000 minutes throughout the season, and he delivered some truly amazing performances. One of the best came in the beginning of August, when he opened the score in what turned out to be a 2-0 victory against Zenit at Petrovsky Stadium in St. Petersburg, and it is no surprise that bigger clubs have started expressing interest in the physically strong defender.
Schalke 04 and Wolfsburg are already in talks with FC Krasnodar according to the Guardian, while Tottenham, Liverpool and Leicester are also said to be interested in securing his services.
“It has always been a dream of mine to play for a Premier League club,” he told Danish newspaper Tipsbladet in March, “But I’d also really like to end my career in FC Copenhagen. I love FCK and even though I don’t talk with anyone in the squad anymore, I had a great time there. Everybody at FCK are [sic] good people, and I have never before experienced to like everything. It was very strange.”
While Iceland, Gothenburg, Copenhagen and Krasnodar are all celebrating Sigurdsson’s success, FC København manager Ståle Solbakken is left with mixed feelings. “I actually had a loose agreement with him of returning to FCK after this season,” he wrote on his blog in the newspaper BT, “He has said he wanted that several times, but I’m feeling that the agreement is getting looser and looser and slipping through my hands as the Euros are moving forward.”
Sigurdsson has been blessed with a powerful physique that has helped him avoid injuries for most of his career, and with his latest performances at the Euros, he still has plenty of time left at the highest level, before eventually moving back to his beloved Copenhagen.
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