Name: Birkir Bjarnason

Nationality: Iceland

Date of birth: 27 May 1988

Place of birth: Akureyri, Iceland

Position: Central midfielder / Attacking midfielder

Height: 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in)

Club career (highlights):

• Started senior career at Þór Akureyri (Iceland)
• Played for IFK Göteborg (Sweden) — loan spell in 2010
• Moved to Finland with Helsingborgs IF (2011)
• Signed for Viking FK (Norway) and later FK Bodø/Glimt
• Signed for FC Basel (Switzerland) — won Swiss Super League title
• Played in Italy for Pescara (Serie B / Serie A)
• Later spells included Sampdoria (Italy), and clubs in Switzerland and Turkey
• Returned to Iceland later in his career

International career:

• Senior debut for Iceland: 2010
• Caps: Over 80 appearances for the Iceland national team (active mainly 2010s)
• Goals: Scored multiple goals for Iceland, including key qualifiers and tournament goals
• Major tournaments: Member of Iceland’s squads for UEFA Euro 2016 (where Iceland reached the quarter-finals) and the 2018 FIFA World Cup (Iceland’s first-ever World Cup appearance)
• Known for: Powerful long-range shots, goal-scoring from midfield, leadership and experience

Notable moments:

• Scored important goals in Euro 2016 qualifying and during the tournament cycle.
• Part of the historic Iceland side that beat England at Euro 2016.
• Represented Iceland at their first World Cup finals in 2018.

Playing style: Strong, physical central midfielder with good aerial ability, proficiency at long-range shooting, set-piece delivery and the capacity to arrive late into the box to score.

Current status: Veteran professional; later-career moves included returns to clubs in Scandinavia and Iceland. (For the very latest club and appearance statistics, consult live sports databases or the player’s current club page.)