Eidur Gudjohnsen has had it all for much of his career.
Yet the ambition of featuring in a major international tournament looked an impossible one for the boy wonder from the rocky Arctic outpost of Iceland to fulfil. Now as a veteran 37-year-old, this is about to – remarkably – become a reality after a country of just 329,100 people qualified for Euro 2016.
Speaking in Abu Dhabi ahead of last weekend’s 2-1 friendly defeat to the UAE, Gudjohnsen reflected warmly on this most-welcome swansong. He said: “I always felt the time would come when we would qualify. As it went on longer and longer without doing it, it became more of a distant dream than a reality.
A year earlier he had moved to Dutch giants PSV Eindhoven where eventually a serious ankle injury prompted him to reboot his career at KR Reykjavik and Bolton Wanderers prior to making his name at Chelsea.
Gudjohnsen was privileged to witness another young prospect in Lionel Messi blossom into a global phenomenon alongside him at Barcelona from 2006-09. He spoke with joy when asked to recollect his experiences of the now five-time FIFA Ballon d’Or winner.
He said: “When I joined it was like: ‘right, this guy will be the best player in the world’. Everyone said it and everyone knew it – even he was aware of it.
“He has matured a lot since I was with him, but I remember a kid who just loved to play.”
Gudjohnsen’s spell in Spain also included Pep Guardiola’s debut campaign as Barca boss and the 2008/09 treble of the La Liga, Copa del Rey and Champions League.
The 45-year-old’s future is the hot topic in world football after his announcement he is set to leave Bayern Munich this summer.
His former charge is convinced he will be triumphant when he makes the expected next step into the Premier League.
“It was a very similiar situation to when Jose Mourinho first came to Chelsea (in 2004). He (Guardiola) is right at the top.”
A select band of star names such as Sweden superstar Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Netherlands flyer Arjen Robben join Gudjohnsen in having played under both Guardiola and Mourinho, the pre-eminent head coaches of this era. He lifted the 2004-05 and 2005-06 Premier League titles under the Portuguese at Chelsea, prior to his switch to Catalonia.
He said: “It is a bit surprising how quickly it all spiralled and it went from top to the things that happened. I thought he was going to be back at Chelsea for a long time – it is a shame that didn’t happen.
“Now, the only thing people doubt is his long-term impact. But there is no doubting his qualities as a coach, his experience and desire for success.”
“I don’t think we took too much notice of it,” Gudjohnsen said. “Once you get to meet the person face to face and interact on a day-to-day basis, you do not tend to look too much into what is said in the media. You just listen to what he says to you in person rather than to the public. The group at the time had a very good understanding of who the guy was and that publicly he’d be a little bit exaggerated.”
Enormous investment has been put into the sport by the public and private sectors in China in recent years.
Guangzhou Evergrande have won two of the last three AFC Champions Leagues, although this success has not been replicated with the national team who are on the verge of an early exit from 2018 World Cup qualifying. Gudjohnsen is convinced it is just a matter of time until the nation turns into a global footballing power.
He said: “One thing is when you come to China and you wonder, why have they struggled so much as a national team? You realise when you are out there that a lot of the players are technically good and in good shape physically. Then you realise their basic understanding of the game is not advanced enough. That is purely due to the youth system – it is years and years behind.
Gudjohnsen has both a glorious past to reflect on and an exciting future to look forward to. When asked what was his most cherished moment, he moved beyond the obvious to highlight something more personal.
