Ólafur Þór Gunnarsson (born 25 October 1977) is a

Iceland Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its ...

ic former

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...

. He played the majority of his career in Iceland and capped for the Icelandic national team against Brazil in 2002. He played football for Flagler College in the United States, where he was a three-time NAIA All-American, All-Region XIV and All-

Florida Sun Conference The Sun Conference (TSC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). Seven of the ten full member institutions are located in Florida, with three in Georgia. The Sun Conferen ...

selection. In 2016, he was inducted into the schools hall of fame.

Playing career

Ólafur started his senior team career with ÍR in 1994. In end of December 1997, he went on a tryout with

Sheffield Wednesday Sheffield Wednesday Football Club is a professional association football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The team competes in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. Formed in 1867 as an offshoot ...

. After a breakout season in 1998, he transferred to ÍA prior to the 1999 season. In his first league game with ÍA, he conceded a goal after only 17-seconds. After four seasons with ÍA, he transferred to Valur in 2003. During the 2004 season, he suffered an

anterior cruciate ligament injury An anterior cruciate ligament injury occurs when the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is either stretched, partially torn, or completely torn. The most common injury is a complete tear. Symptoms include pain, an audible cracking sound during inj ...

. In 2005, he joined FH but spent most of the season as the substitute goalkeeper, only appeared in one game in the Icelandic Cup. In February 2006, he went on a trial with the

Atlanta Silverbacks The Atlanta Silverbacks FC were an American professional soccer club based in Atlanta, Georgia. Founded in 1998 as Atlanta Ruckus, the club played in many leagues over the years before folding after the 2015 season. The team played its home gam ...

. He played the 2006 and 2007 seasons on a loan to Þróttur Reykjavík. During the 2007, he helped the team gain promotion to the top-tier Úrvalsdeild karla. In March 2008, Ólafur announced his retirement from football due to a shoulder injury but in July, he returned to the court and joined ÍR due to an injury to the main goalkeeper of the team, Þorsteinn V. Einarsson. After two games for ÍR, he signed back with Þróttur as a backup goalkeeper. On 29 July 2009, Ólafur signed with

Fylkir Íþróttafélagið Fylkir is a multi-sport club in Árbær, in the eastern part of Reykjavík, the capital of Iceland. It features departments in football, handball, volleyball, gymnastics and karate. Kit The Fylkir official home kit is co ...

after their main goalkeeper,

Fjalar Þorgeirsson Fjalar Þorgeirsson (born 18 January 1977) is an Icelandic football coach and former player who played the goalkeeper position. He played 5 games for the Iceland national football team during his career. He played 227 matches in the Icelandic t ...

, broke his arm and appeared in Fylkirs last nine league and cup matches. After sitting out the 2010 season, he signed with Þróttur Reykjavík in July 2011. On 12 July 2012, Ólafur signed a short-term contract with Valur due to an injury to Sindri Snær Jensson.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Gunnarsson, Olafur Thor 1977 births Living people Association football goalkeepers Olafur Thor Gunnarsson Olafur Thor Gunnarsson Olafur Thor Gunnarsson Olafur Thor Gunnarsson Olafur Thor Gunnarsson Olafur Thor Gunnarsson Olafur Thor Gunnarsson