Ólafur Ingi Skúlason

This is an Icelandic name. The last name is a patronymic, not a family name; this person is properly referred to by the given name Ólafur.
Ólafur Skúlason
Personal information
Full name Ólafur Ingi Skúlason
Date of birth (1983-04-01) 1 April 1983
Place of birth Reykjavík, Iceland
Height 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Playing position Defensive midfielder
Club information
Current team
 Gençlerbirliği
Number 22
Youth career
Fylkir
Senior career*
Years Team Apps† (Gls)†
2000–2001 Fylkir 20 (0)
2001–2005 Arsenal 0 (0)
2003 → Fylkir (loan) 14 (1)
2005–2007 Brentford 16 (1)
2007–2009 Helsingborgs IF 37 (0)
2010–2011 SønderjyskE 41 (3)
2011–2015 Zulte Waregem 99 (6)
2015– Gençlerbirliği 8 (0)
National team‡
1999 Iceland U-17 9 (1)
2000–2001 Iceland U-19 9 (0)
2002–2005 Iceland U-21 12 (0)
2003– Iceland 26 (1)

* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 20 October 2015.
† Appearances (goals)

‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 27 March 2016

Ólafur Ingi Skúlason (born 1 April 1983) is an Icelandic footballer and a midfielder, currently playing for Turkish club Gençlerbirliği.

Club career

Ólafur was born in Reykjavík, Iceland and, before playing for Arsenal F.C., played for Icelandic soccer team Fylkir.[1] After the Icelandic season had come to a close, he was looking for new employment, and found it with Arsenal on 1 July 2001.[1] Ólafur was loaned back to Fylkir over a part of the 2003 season, and was voted the best young player in the Icelandic league 2003.[2]

A defensive midfielder, his Arsenal debut came on 2 December 2003 in a 5–1 defeat of Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C., replacing Justin Hoyte after 55 minutes of the match.[3] Ólafur was released by Arsenal on 28 May 2005.[4] He signed for Brentford on 22 June 2005.[5] Upon his arrival at Brentford, the club's website quoted him as saying: "I look at this as a very important move for my career, knowing that manager Martin Allen had been interested in signing me for a while was a huge compliment for me."[5]

In the second game of the 2005/6 season, Ólafur picked up a cruciate and medial ligament injury resulting from a tackle with Chesterfield's Derek Niven, which ruled him out of the rest of the season.[6] He was passed fit for the start of the 2006/7 season and completed his comeback by scoring the winner in a 1–0 win over Blackpool, the first game of the season.[7] He signed for Helsingborgs IF on 21 February 2007.[8] After three successful years in Helsingborg, Ólafur denied a new contract offer and signed for Danish team SønderjyskE on 6 December 2009.[9]

International career

Ólafur earned his first cap for Iceland in a friendly against Mexico on 20 November 2003 as a substitute, replacing Veigar Páll Gunnarsson.[10] He has also captained their U21 team.[11]

References

  1. 1 2 "Olafur-Ingi Skulason | Arsenal.com". www.arsenal.com. Retrieved 2015-10-28.
  2. ↑ "Skulason's rise to prominence". www.arsenal.com. Retrieved 2015-10-28.
  3. ↑ "Olafur Ingi Skulason | Football Stats | Genclerbirligi Ankara | Season 2003/2004 | Soccer Base". www.soccerbase.com. Retrieved 2015-10-28.
  4. ↑ "Arsenal release five youngsters". www.arsenal.com. Retrieved 2015-10-28.
  5. 1 2 "Bees bring in midfielder Skulason". BBC. 2005-06-22. Retrieved 2015-10-28.
  6. ↑ Haynes, Graham; Coumbe, Frank (2006). Timeless Bees: Brentford F.C. Who's Who 1920-2006. Harefield: Yore Publications. p. 146. ISBN 978-0955294914.
  7. ↑ "Brentford 1–0 Blackpool". BBC. 5 August 2006. Retrieved 9 April 2010.
  8. ↑ "Skulason är klar för Helsingborg". Expressen. Retrieved 2015-10-28.
  9. ↑ "Olafur-Ingi Skulason". footballdatabase.eu. Retrieved 2015-10-28.
  10. ↑ "Olafur Ingi Skulason". 11v11.com. Retrieved 2015-10-28.
  11. ↑ "Brentford sign Skulason - Brentford FC - BeesMad". www.brentford-mad.co.uk. Retrieved 2015-10-28.

External links

Sporting positions
Preceded by
Iceland Sölvi Ottesen		 SønderjyskE captain
2010–2011 		Succeeded by
Denmark Henrik Hansen
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