Sara Björk Gunnarsdóttir
![]() Sara Björk in April 2013 | |||
Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | Sara Björk Gunnarsdóttir | ||
Date of birth | 29 September 1990 | ||
Place of birth | Iceland | ||
Playing position | Midfielder | ||
Club information | |||
Current team | VfL Wolfsburg | ||
Number | 7 | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
2004–2008 | Haukar | 22 | (18) |
2008–2010 | Breiðablik | 41 | (17) |
2011–2016 | FC Rosengård | 110 | (34) |
2016– | VfL Wolfsburg | 0 | (0) |
National team‡ | |||
2007 | Iceland U-17 | 4 | (0) |
2007–2008 | Iceland U-19 | 13 | (4) |
2007– | Iceland | 94 | (18) |
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 12:04, 9 July 2016 (UTC). |
Sara Björk Gunnarsdóttir (born 29 September 1990) is an Icelandic footballer who plays for VfL Wolfsburg of the German Frauen-Bundesliga. She previously played for Swedish Damallsvenskan club FC Rosengård. Sara Björk has been part of Iceland's national team since 2007 and represented her country at the 2009 and 2013 editions of the UEFA Women's Championship.
Club career
Sara Björk joined local team Haukar at the age of six and remained until she was 18. After three subsequent seasons with Breiðablik, she left Iceland in 2011, to sign a three-year professional contract with Swedish club LdB FC Malmö.[1] She was an immediate success in Sweden, contributing 12 goals as Malmö won the Damallsvenskan title.[2] In August 2013 she announced the extension of her Malmö contract for another two and a half seasons via Twitter.[3]
In May 2016, Sara Björk announced that she would not extend her contract with Malmö (now known as FC Rosengård) and planned to leave Sweden after winning four Damallsvenskan titles in five years. At that stage she did not confirm speculation that she was heading for German club VfL Wolfsburg.[4] Shortly afterwards the transfer to Wolfsburg was made official, ahead of their 2016–17 season.[5]
International career
Sara Björk was included in Iceland's senior national squad in August 2007, aged 16. She had recovered from an anterior cruciate ligament injury after having to delay surgery because she was too young and her bones were not yet fused.[6]
Still a month short of her 17th birthday, she made her national team debut in a UEFA Women's Euro 2009 qualifying match versus Slovenia in Dravograd. Sara Björk substituted in for Katrín Ómarsdóttir on 87 minutes.
![](../I/m/07_Gunnarsdottir_130406_Sve-Isl_2-0_173951_0367.jpg)
Sara Björk scored twice in Iceland's 3–1 win over Norway at the 2009 Algarve Cup and was selected in the squad for the UEFA Women's Euro 2009 finals in Finland.[7] She played in all three group matches as Iceland were eliminated in the first round.
National team coach Siggi Eyjólfsson selected Sara Björk in the Iceland squad for UEFA Women's Euro 2013,[8] where she played in all four matches including the 4–0 quarter-final defeat to hosts Sweden.
With Margrét Lára Viðarsdóttir on maternity leave, incoming national coach Freyr Alexandersson appointed Sara Björk as Iceland's new team captain in 2014.[9]
Personal life
In November 2012 Sara Björk was in a relationship with male footballer Hákon Atli Hallfreðsson, who was playing for FH.[10]
Honours
- Sport Person of the Year in Haukar in 2008
References
- ↑ Sigurdsson, Albert (27 March 2011). "Sara Björk Gunnarsdóttir to LdB Malmö". Wsoccernews.com. Retrieved 24 August 2013.
- ↑ Steinarsson, Vilhjálmur (15 January 2012). "Lífið í atvinnumennskunni: Sara Björk Gunnarsdóttir" (in Icelandic). Pressan.is. Retrieved 24 August 2013.
- ↑ "Sara Björk framlengir við Malmö". Visir.is (in Icelandic). 365 (media corporation). 13 August 2013. Retrieved 24 August 2013.
- ↑ Þórðarson, Tómas Þór (2 May 2016). "Sara Björk segir ekkert um Wolfsburg". Visir.is (in Icelandic). 365 (media corporation). Retrieved 9 July 2016.
- ↑ "Der perfekte Schritt für mich" (in German). VfL Wolfsburg. 9 July 2016. Retrieved 9 July 2016.
- ↑ "Tek strætó í skólann". MBL.is (in Icelandic). Morgunblaðið. 21 August 2007. Retrieved 24 August 2013.
- ↑ "Sara Björk Gunnarsdóttir". UEFA.com. UEFA. Retrieved 24 August 2013.
- ↑ Stefánsson, Stefán (24 June 2013). "Familiar squad for Iceland". uefa.com. UEFA. Retrieved 24 August 2013.
- ↑ "Freyr Alexandersson í viðtali" (in Icelandic). Leiknir.com. 13 January 2014. Retrieved 5 March 2015.
- ↑ Harðarson, Þorsteinn Haukur (12 November 2012). "Atvinnumaðurinn / Sara Björk Gunnarsdóttir: "Maður lifir ágætlega á því sem maður fær"" (in Icelandic). Sport.is. Retrieved 24 August 2013.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Sara Björk Gunnarsdóttir. |
- KSÍ – Sara Björk Gunnarsdóttir
- Sara Björk Gunnarsdóttir – UEFA competition record
- Player domestic stats (Swedish) at SvFF
- Sara Björk Gunnarsdóttir profile at Soccerway