Guðmundur Benediktsson

Guðmundur Benediktsson nicknamed Gummi Ben (born 3 September 1974) is an Icelandic manager, commentator and former footballer.[2]

This is an Icelandic name. The last name is a family name, but this person is referred to by the given name Guðmundur.
Guðmundur Benediktsson
Personal information
Date of birth (1974-09-03) 3 September 1974[1]
Place of birth Akureyri, Iceland
Position(s) Forward
Youth career
Þór
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1990–1991 Þór 2 (0)
1991–1994 Germinal Ekeren 4 (0)
1994 Þór 17 (4)
1995–1999 KR 75 (32)
1999–2000 Geel 15 (4)
2000–2004 KR 53 (7)
2005–2008 Valur 70 (10)
2009 KR 20 (4)
National team
1989–1991 Iceland U17 18 (13)
1990 Iceland U19 4 (4)
1992–1995 Iceland U21 11 (3)
1994–2001 Iceland 10 (2)
Teams managed
2010 Selfoss
2011–2014 Breiðablik (assistant)
2014 Breiðablik
2014–2016 KR (assistant)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Playing career

At a young age, Guðmundur attracted the attention of major foreign clubs.[3] At 15, he was approached by teams such as Arsenal, Everton, Tottenham and Stuttgart.[3] Later, while still 15, he ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament.[3] After the injury, he was offered the choice of going to Stuttgart or Germinal Ekeren, opting for the latter because he believed he would get more playing time.[3]

In 1997, he went on trial at Preston North End (which at the time was managed by David Moyes) and was offered a one-month contract which would be renewed on a monthly basis (due to Guðmundur's record of injury problems).[3] Guðmundur rejected the deal, as he had a newborn (his son Albert) and needed more long-term security.[3]

After a stint at Geel in 2000, Guðmundur had serious knee problems, leading him to play irregularly for KR in the subsequent years.[3] In one season during the 2000-2004 period, he was assistant coach at KR when Willum Þór Þórsson coached the team.[3]

He retired from playing 2009 and he started a career as a football manager.

National team career

He made his debut for Iceland in 1994 against the United Arab Emirates, and scored in the game. His final game for Iceland came in January 2001 against Chile.[4]

TV career

Guðmundur has commentated matches live for Icelandic television and was the commentator for Iceland's matches at UEFA Euro 2016.[5] His enthusiastic commentary earned him international praise.[6][7] One especially memorable commentary came immediately after full-time of Iceland's 2–1 win over England in the round of 16 (English translation given here):

This is done! This is done! We are never going home! Did you see that? Amazing! I can't believe it! This is a dream. Never wake me from this amazing dream! Live the way you want, England! Iceland is going to play France on Sunday. France Iceland! You can go home. You can go out of Europe. You can go wherever you want. England 1 Iceland 2 is the closing score here in Nice. And the fairytale continues.[8]

Personal life

His son Albert Guðmundsson is currently with AZ Alkmaar and is a full international.[9]

References
  1. Guðmundur Benediktsson – FIFA competition record
  2. "Iceland commentator whose Euro 2016 euphoria went viral loses day job". The Guardian. 26 June 2016.
  3. Dr Football - Ítarlegt viðtal við Gumma Ben, retrieved 2018-07-21
  4. "Guðmundur Benediktsson - Knattspyrnusamband Íslands". ksi.is.
  5. "Gummi Ben lýsir frá EM". MBL.is.
  6. "Gummi Ben vekur heimsathygli – "Spangólar á tunglið"". Fotboli.
  7. "Announcer goes wild as Iceland beats Austria at Euro 2016".
  8. https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/36647753
  9. "Albert Guðmundsson í PSV - 433.is". 433.is. 18 July 2015. Archived from the original on 24 June 2016. Retrieved 23 June 2016.
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