Father and son in the same national team
Eidur's father, Arnor, also played for the Icelandic national team. Arnor and Eidur Gudjohnsen even met on the pitch during an international match while playing for Iceland against Estonia.
This happened 29 years ago, on April 24th, 1996, making them the first father and son to do so.
It was a friendly match in Tallinn against the home nation when Eidur made his debut for his country. He was 17 years old and famously replaced his father Arnor (then 34 years old) in the second half. Iceland won 3-2.
It meant they were never on the pitch at the same time. They were reportedly due to start the following international game together, but unfortunately, Eidur broke his ankle ahead of the match.
Arnor had a great career. He spent many years in Belgium (playing for Lokeren and Anderlecht), also played in France (for Bordeaux) and in Sweden (Hacken and Orebro). Arnor Gudjohnsen played 73 games for the Icelandic national team as well and scored 14 goals.
The son who outdid his father
Both Arnor and Eidur Gudjohnsen played as strikers. Eidur was also capable of playing as a winger. Eidur had a much more successful career than his father.
We all remember Eidur Gudjohnsen in Chelsea's blue jersey, where, among other achievements, he became a Premier League champion twice (2005 and 2006). We know him well also from his spell at Barcelona, with whom he won the Champions League in 2009 and four other trophies in the same year (LaLiga, Copa del Rey, the Spanish Super Cup, and also the UEFA Super Cup).
In England, he also played for Bolton Wanderers, Tottenham Hotspur, Stoke City, and Fulham. He left for the Netherlands as a teenager (to PSV Eindhoven), and he tried a variety of other clubs in many other countries around the world.
He played at home in Iceland, of course, and then in France (Monaco), Greece (AEK Athens), Belgium (Cercle Brugge, Club Brugge), Norway (Molde), and at the end of his career even in China and India. His club career lasted 23 years.
For Iceland, Eidur made 88 international appearances between 1996 and 2016, scoring 26 goals.
The next generation of Gudjohnsens
The successful Gudjohnsen football clan continues. Eidur has three sons, all of whom play football at a professional level. All three have the same genes as their father and grandfather - they are all forwards.
Eidur's eldest son, Sveinn Aron Gudjohnsen (born in 1998), now plays for Norwegian Eliteserien club Sarpsborg 08 (since 2024). He has also played in the Italian Serie B (Spezia), in Denmark (Odense), Sweden (Elfsborg), and in the German 2nd and 3rd Bundesliga (Hansa Rostock). Sveinn represented Iceland at youth level and in 20 matches for the senior national team (scoring two goals).
Eidur's middle son, Andri Lucas Gudjohnsen (born in 2002), plays for Belgium side Gent (since 2024). In his youth career, he was formed in the academy of Barcelona, but also by the academy of Real Madrid. He first played in a senior football match for the Real Madrid reserve team. He later played in Sweden (IFK Norrkoping) and Denmark (Lyngby). For Iceland, Andri has already played in 32 international matches and has scored eight goals.
Brothers Sveinn and Andri also met their father on the national team when Eidur served as an assistant coach.
The youngest brother, Daniel Tristan Gudjohnsen (born in 2006), also played in the academies of FC Barcelona and Real Madrid. Since 2023, he has been a player for the Swedish club Malmo, where he gained his first experience of senior football. At the national level, he has (so far) only played for the Icelandic youth teams.