Fanshop
Gylfi Sigurdsson meets Róbert Gunnarsson and Gudjón Sigurdsson
Two Sigurdsson's at one table: no easy task, least of all in Germany, however, achtzehn99.de have managed it. Comparing the two countries you would be forgiven for assuming they have nothing in common. Despite the obvious geographical differences, though, Gudjón Sigurdsson believes there are a lot of similarities between Germany and Iceland. "The mentality is very similar. In Iceland there is a lot of emphasis on hard work and discipline and aside from the country's size and population, the differences aren't as great as people may think," explained Gudjón.
Success stories in multiple sports
"Handball and football are the two most popular sports in Iceland, although football is definitely the priority," stated Gylfi, but Róbert was quick to remind his younger compatriot: "The national handball team is more successful! Though, didn't we recently beat Germany in football?." It didn't take long for the answer to come: "Yes, we beat them 4-1!", exclaimed Gylfi. However, the victory over Rainer Adrion's U-21 team would have been in vain had it not been for Gylfi who scored twice against Scotland, a result which saw Iceland qualify for the U-21 European Championships final stages for the first time in their history.
The big decision
Handball or football? A question that Gylfi Sigurdsson, Róbert Gunnarsson and Gudjón Sigurdsson has to consider at a early age. "In the summer you play football, but in winter it's handball. I enjoyed playing both, but had to make a decision", explained Gunnarsson, who had a trial at Aston Villa as a goalkeeper. However, he was eventually swayed in the direction of handball because it was the sport that "most of my friends played".
For Gylfi his story was similar, but he eventually went the other way. "I was a goalkeeper when I was younger and I wasn't that bad in my opinion. I knew that I wanted to play football, though," laughed the right-footed youngster, who has already scored two top quality free kicks so far this season.
Breaking barriers
Discussing the language barrier that the three players face, Gudjón believes: "We understood the language relatively quick. It takes a little longer to learn certain details of the language but that's why you have to trust your ability to speak German. After less than a year, though, his German is already quite good," said Gudjón in praise of his compatriot. Gylfi still has some time, though, before he's ready for interviews, but he's not going to shy away when the opportunity comes. "So far I can understand the basics. My spoken German isn't that strong, but I'm in an intensive course to help me learn quickly." He seems to be picking up new words everyday to add to the basics he already knows. Words like "Heimsieg" (home win), which he learnt after last weeks win over Hannover, are being gradually introduced to him by his teammates as he builds up his vocabulary. The future definitely looks bright for the young Icelandic international.
