Childhood & Early Life
Gylfi Þór Sigurðsson was born on September 8, 1989, in Reykjavík, Iceland. He was taught to play football by his father Sigurdur Adalsteinsson and older brother Olafur. His father even rented a warehouse during the winter to make sure Sigurðsson’s practice sessions went uninterrupted.
At the age of 13, he joined a professional sports club called ‘Fimleikafélag Hafnarfjarðar’ (FH). He was subsequently enrolled at another sports club called ‘Breiðablik’ as playing conditions were better at ‘Breiðablik.’
Sigurðsson was tutored by Magnus Jonsson who was amazed by his technical skills while striking and passing the ball at the age of 14. In one of his interviews, Jonsson said that Sigurðsson would train for long hours.
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Career
Sigurðsson signed a professional contract with ‘Reading Football Club’ before the start of the 2007–08 season. He made his debut for the club’s senior team in the second round of the ‘League Cup’ (EFL Cup) when he played against ‘Luton Town Football Club’ at the ‘Madejski Stadium’ in England.
On October 16, 2008, he was transferred to ‘Shrewsbury Town Football Club’ on a one-month loan spell in order to gain experience playing for the first team of a club. He scored his first goal for ‘Shrewsbury Town’ against ‘AFC Bournemouth.’ After making six appearances for ‘Shrewsbury Town,’ he returned to his parent club on January 3, 2009.
He was once again transferred on loan to ‘Crewe Alexandra Football Club’ on February 27, 2009. Two days later, he scored his first goal for ‘Crewe Alexandra’ in a match against ‘Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club.’ His loan was extended on March 24 which allowed him to play for ‘Crewe Alexandra’ until the end of the 2008–09 season.
He returned to ‘Reading Football Club’ during the subsequent season and scored his first goal for the club in a ‘League Cup’ first round game against ‘Burton Albion Football Club’ on August 11, 2009. He played a key role in the club’s extraordinary run at the 2009–10 ‘FA Cup’ during which ‘Reading’ managed to win against formidable ‘Premier League’ sides, such as ‘West Bromwich Albion,’ ‘Burnley,’ and ‘Liverpool.’
In March 2010, he scored five goals in six matches which earned him the ‘Championship Player of the Month Award’ in April. In May 2010, he was named the ‘2009–10 Reading Player of the Season’ before the final match of the season against ‘Preston North End Football Club’ in which he scored a goal. He ended the season with 20 goals from 44 matches which prompted several ‘Premier League’ clubs to express interest in signing him. But he chose to stay with ‘Reading’ and extended his contract for the next three years.
He scored his first goal of the 2010–11 season while playing against ‘Scunthorpe United.’ On August 28, 2010, the media reported that Sigurðsson would be traveling to Germany to play for ‘TSG 1899 Hoffenheim.’ It was later revealed that ‘Reading’ had sold him to the German club for a record price of £6.5 million.
On September 10, 2010, Sigurðsson made his debut for ‘1899 Hoffenheim.’ A week later, his maiden goal for ‘Hoffenheim’ came as an equalizer which helped his team draw against ‘1. FC Kaiserslautern.’ He ended the season with ten goals and was voted as the club’s ‘Player of the Season’ by the fans.
In January 2012, Sigurðsson joined ‘Swansea City’ on loan. On January 15, he made his ‘Premier League’ debut for ‘Swansea’ and helped his team register a 3–2 win against ‘Arsenal Football Club.’ He scored his first goal for ‘Swansea City’ on February 4 and helped his team win against ‘West Bromwich Albion.’ On March 3, 2012, he scored two goals against ‘Wigan Athletic Football Club’ and followed it up by scoring two more goals against ‘Fulham Football Club’ two weeks later. Thanks to his fine performance in March, he became the first player from Iceland to win the ‘Premier League Player of the Month’ award.
On July 4, 2012, Sigurðsson was transferred from ‘1899 Hoffenheim’ to ‘Tottenham Hotspur’ for a transfer fee of £8 million. He scored his first competitive goal for the ‘Spurs’ in a third round ‘League Cup’ game against ‘Carlisle United’ on September 26, 2012. He scored his first ‘Premier League’ goal for the ‘Spurs’ on February 25, 2013, and helped his team to a 3–2 win against ‘West Ham United.’
In July 2014, Sigurðsson was transferred to ‘Swansea City.’ He started the 2014–15 season with a winning goal against ‘Manchester United.’ On November 9, 2014, he scored a goal to help his team beat ‘Arsenal.’
After ending the 2016–17 season with nine goals and 13 assists for ‘Swansea City,’ Sigurðsson was transferred to ‘Everton Football Club’ for a transfer fee of £40 million on August 16, 2017. He scored his first goal for ‘Everton’ on August 24, 2017, while playing against ‘Hajduk Split’ in the ‘UEFA Europa League.’
International Career
Sigurðsson made his senior national team debut in May 2010 when he was part of Iceland’s convincing victory over Andorra. On October 13, 2014, he scored two goals to help his team beat the Netherlands in a ‘UEFA Euro 2016’ qualifying match.
He represented his country in the 2016 ‘UEFA European Championship’ and helped his team reach the quarter-finals. In May 2018, he was named in the 23-man squad to represent Iceland at the 2018 ‘FIFA World Cup’ in Russia.
Family & Personal Life
Sigurðsson’s older brother Olafur plays professional golf, while his father Sigurdur Adalsteinsson is one of the most popular fishermen in Iceland. Adalsteinsson is ranked among the best fishermen in his country.
Sigurðsson got engaged to his long-time girlfriend Alexandra Ivarsdottir on July 7, 2018, in the Bahamas. Ivarsdottir won the ‘Miss World Sporty’ contest which was part of the ‘Miss World’ contest in 2008. She is a former blogger and has written about fashion, food, furniture, and jewelry.
