Andri Gudjohnsen: Iceland’s future number 9 scoring goals for father’s ex-rivals

©Andri Gudjohnsen/TM

Many experienced fans will prick up their ears, when hearing the name Gudjohnsen: At the beginning of the 2000s, the Icelandic striker called attention to himself in the world of football. Eidur Gudjohnsen was one of the most prominent faces from the island in the North Atlantic. During his time at Chelsea, his son Andri Gudjohnsen (photo) was born in London in 2002. The 17-year-old now plays in Real Madrid’s youth setup and raises the hope of Icelandic fans that the big footballing name will make a comeback at the top of the game.

Busquets, Alonso & Co. Father and son in LaLiga Overview It can be assumed that Gudjohnsen would not argue against following in the footsteps of his father. Visually and on the pitch, both are very similar. Andri is a classical number 9 as well. With his 17 years of age, he already stands 1.87 metres tall and can cause problems for any defence on youth level with his powerful body. Besides his physical advantages, right-footed Gudjohnsen, who already features for Iceland’s U-19 national team, also catches the eye because of his clinical one-touch finishes and a high agility considering his frame.

Last weekend, Gudjohnsen was not able to participate in the U-18 derby against Atlético, which the Colchoneros won 2-0. Instead, he was part of the U-19 squad in the UEFA Youth League last week but did not make his debut.

Nils Kern, chief editor at Real Total, describes Gudjohnsen as “100% a number 9” and continues: “Andri Gudjohnsen is quite clearly one of the diamonds at La Fábrica and proved this in the 2018/19 season: With 37 goals for the Juvenil C, the U-17, he was the second highest scorer in Real’s youth setup.”

During his footballing education, the young Icelander passed through some high-profile youth academies already. He started a three-year spell at FC Barcelona in 2010 – his father played at Barça under managers Frank Rijkaard and Pep Guardiola between 2006 and 2009 – before he continued his development in Catalonia at Gavà and Espanyol Barcelona. In 2018, Gudjohnsen then decided to join Real Madrid, the ex-rivals of his father and turned down several other prominent clubs, amongst whom FC Barcelona were interested again.

Kern describes the situation back then and now as follows: “Because of the transfer coup in the summer of 2018, Los Blancos snatched away another gem from Barcelona that does not need many chances. His new team, the Juvenil B, the U-18, currently falls short of expectations behind Atlético, however.” They sit four points behind their rivals.

For the future, Kern predicts: “Next year at the latest and after that, you will read a lot about the aerial powerhouse – in the very young and therefore a bit slightly built Castilla, physical strikers are especially welcome. If he ends up like Negredo, Morata or Mariano, the future will tell. Until then, he will certainly score a lot of goals.”

By Tobias Blaseio