Icelandic footballer
Sara Björk Gunnarsdóttir
Sara Björk in October 2017
Full name
Sara Björk Gunnarsdóttir Date of birth
(1990-09-29 ) 29 September 1990 (age 34) Place of birth
Iceland Position(s)
Midfielder Current team
Al Qadsiah Number
7 Years
Team
Apps
(Gls ) 2004–2008
Haukar
0
(0) 2008–2010
Breiðablik
41
(17) 2011–2016
FC Rosengård
111
(34) 2016–2020
VfL Wolfsburg
68
(12) 2020–2022
Olympique Lyonnais
17
(3) 2022–
Juventus
34
2024
Al Qadsiah
2007
Iceland U17
4
(0) 2007–2008
Iceland U19
13
(4) 2007–2022
Iceland
145
(24)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 17:21, 19 March 2023 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 18:12, 24 February 2023 (UTC)
Sara Björk Gunnarsdóttir (born 29 September 1990) is an Icelandic professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Saudi Women's Premier League club Al Qadsiah .
Sara Björk was part of the Iceland women's national football team from 2007 to 2022 and represented her country at the 2009 , 2013 , 2017 , and 2022 editions of the UEFA Women's Championship . She is the only woman to have been named the Icelandic Sportsperson of the Year twice, in 2018[ 1] and 2020.[ 2] In August 2020, she became the first Icelander to win the UEFA Women's Champions League .[ 3]
Club career
Sara Björk joined local team Haukar at the age of six and remained until she was 18.
FC Malmö
After three subsequent seasons with Breiðablik , she left Iceland in 2011, to sign a three-year professional contract with Swedish club LdB FC Malmö .[ 4] She was an immediate success in Sweden, contributing 12 goals as Malmö won the Damallsvenskan title.[ 5] In August 2013 she announced the extension of her Malmö contract for another two and a half seasons via Twitter .[ 6]
VfL Wolfsburg
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 .[ 7] Shortly afterwards the transfer to Wolfsburg was made official, ahead of their 2016–17 season .[ 8] In her four seasons with Wolfsburg, the club won the Frauen-Bundesliga and the German Cup each year.[ 9]
Olympique Lyonnais
On 1 July 2020, she joined Olympique Lyonnais .[ 10] On 9 August, she won her first title with the club when it defeated Paris Saint-Germain in the Coupe de France after penalties.[ 11] On 30 August, she scored one goal in Olympique Lyonnais' 3–1 win against her former club, Wolfsburg, in the UEFA Women's Champions League final.[ 12]
In December 2020, Sara was named the Icelandic Sportsperson of the Year , becoming the first woman to win it twice.[ 2] In April 2021, she announced that she was pregnant with her first child. She returned to the pitch in March 2022. In May the same year, she confirmed that she would leave Lyon at the end of the season.[ 13]
Juventus FC
On 1 July 2022, Sara joined Juventus .[ 14]
Al Qadsiah FC
On 3 August 2024, Sara signed for Saudi Pro League women's side, Al Qadsiah .
International career
Sara Björk playing an international friendly against Sweden at Myresjöhus Arena in Växjö, 6 April 2013 Sara Björk was included in Iceland's senior national squad in August 2007, aged 16.[ 15] 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.[ 16]
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.
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.[ 17] She played in all three group matches as Iceland were eliminated in the first round.
Women's national team coach Siggi Eyjólfsson selected Sara Björk in the Iceland squad for UEFA Women's Euro 2013 ,[ 18] 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.[ 19]
Sara Björk limped out of the 2018 UEFA Women's Champions League Final with an injury. She was ruled out of Iceland's match with Slovenia in June 2018, which was the first national team fixture she had missed since 2009.[ 20]
On 13 January 2023, she announced her retirement from the Icelandic national team.[ 21]
Personal life
Sara Björk is married to fellow footballer Árni Vilhjálmsson ; the couple have a son together.[ 22]
In January of 2023, Sara Björk wrote an article in the Player's Tribune publicizing Lyon 's neglect of maternal care for her while she was pregnant and postpartum, including failure to properly pay her.[ 23]
Career statistics
Club
As of match played 11 March 2023 [ 24] [ 25]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club
Season
League
National cup[ a]
League cup[ b]
Continental[ c]
Other
Total
Division
Apps
Goals
Apps
Goals
Apps
Goals
Apps
Goals
Apps
Goals
Apps
Goals
Haukar
2004
Besta deild kvenna
0
0
0
0
3
0
—
—
3
0
2007
Besta deild kvenna
0
0
1
0
11
13
—
—
12
13
2008
Besta deild kvenna
0
0
0
0
8
5
—
—
8
5
Total
0
0
1
0
22
18
—
—
23
18
Breiðablik
2008
Besta deild kvenna
6
4
1
1
—
—
—
7
5
2009
Besta deild kvenna
17
7
3
0
0
0
—
—
20
7
2010
Besta deild kvenna
18
6
1
0
0
0
5
3
—
24
9
Total
41
17
5
1
0
0
5
3
—
51
21
FC Rosengård
2011
Damallsvenskan
21
12
2
0
—
6
5
1[ d]
0
30
17
2012
Damallsvenskan
20
4
3
0
—
5
1
1[ e]
0
29
5
2013
Damallsvenskan
20
8
2
1
—
4
1
—
26
10
2014
Damallsvenskan
19
2
3
1
—
6
1
—
28
4
2015
Damallsvenskan
21
7
1
0
—
6
2
1[ f]
0
29
9
2016
Damallsvenskan
10
1
3
2
—
—
1[ g]
0
14
3
Total
111
34
14
4
—
27
10
4
0
156
48
Vfl Wolfsburg
2016–17
Frauen-Bundesliga
17
1
4
0
—
6
1
—
27
2
2017–18
Frauen-Bundesliga
19
4
4
2
—
9
6
—
32
12
2018–19
Frauen-Bundesliga
16
2
4
2
—
5
0
—
25
4
2019–20
Frauen-Bundesliga
16
5
3
1
—
3
1
—
22
7
Total
68
12
15
5
—
23
8
—
106
25
Olympique Lyonnais
2019–20
D1 Féminine
—
—
—
3[ h]
1
—
3
1
2020–21
D1 Féminine
12
3
1
0
—
4
0
—
17
3
2021–22
D1 Féminine
5
0
0
0
—
1
0
—
6
0
Total
17
3
1
0
—
8
1
—
26
4
Juventus
2022–23
Serie A
10
1
3
1
—
6
1
1
0
20
3
Career total
247
67
39
11
19
18
69
23
4
0
382
119
International
As of match played 12 October 2022 [ 26]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team
Year
Apps
Goals
Iceland
2007
1
0
2008
12
3
2009
11
3
2010
10
3
2011
9
1
2012
11
2
2013
12
2
2014
12
1
2015
9
0
2016
11
1
2017
14
1
2018
8
0
2019
9
1
2020
7
2
2022
9
2
Total
145
22
Scores and results list Iceland's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Gunnarsdóttir goal.
List of international goals scored by Sara Björk Gunnarsdóttir
No.
Date
Venue
Opponent
Score
Result
Competition
Ref.
1
7 March 2008
Municipal Stadium, Lagos , Portugal
Republic of Ireland
3–0
4–1
2008 Algarve Cup
[ 27]
2
28 May 2008
Čika Dača Stadium , Kragujevac , Serbia
Serbia
2–0
4–0
UEFA Women's Euro 2009 qualifying
[ 28]
3
26 June 2008
Laugardalsvöllur , Reykjavík , Iceland
Greece
1–0
7–0
UEFA Women's Euro 2009 qualifying
[ 29]
4
4 March 2009
Estádio José Arcanjo , Olhão , Portugal
Norway
1–0
3–1
2009 Algarve Cup
[ 30]
5
2–1
6
17 September 2009
Laugardalsvöllur, Reykjavík, Iceland
Estonia
9–0
12–0
2011 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification
[ 31]
7
19 June 2010
Laugardalsvöllur, Reykjavík, Iceland
Northern Ireland
1–0
2–0
2011 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification
[ 32]
8
25 August 2010
Rakvere Linnastaadion , Rakvere , Estonia
Estonia
3–0
5–0
2011 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification
[ 33]
9
5–0
10
19 May 2011
Laugardalsvöllur, Reykjavík, Iceland
Bulgaria
2–0
6–0
UEFA Women's Euro 2013 qualifying
[ 34]
11
21 June 2012
Lovech Stadium , Lovech , Bulgaria
Bulgaria
2–0
10–0
UEFA Women's Euro 2013 qualifying
[ 35]
12
10–0
13
13 March 2013
Bela Vista Municipal Stadium, Parchal , Portugal
Hungary
1–0
4–1
2013 Algarve Cup
[ 36]
14
1 June 2013
Laugardalsvöllur, Reykjavík, Iceland
Scotland
1–2
2–3
Friendly
[ 37]
15
13 September 2014
Laugardalsvöllur, Reykjavík, Iceland
Israel
3–0
3–0
2015 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification
[ 38]
16
7 June 2016
Laugardalsvöllur, Reykjavík, Iceland
North Macedonia
4–0
8–0
UEFA Women's Euro 2017 qualifying
[ 39]
17
18 September 2017
Laugardalsvöllur, Reykjavík, Iceland
Faroe Islands
4–0
8–0
2019 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification
[ 40]
18
4 March 2019
Bela Vista Municipal Stadium, Parchal, Portugal
Scotland
1–3
1–4
2019 Algarve Cup
[ 41]
19
26 November 2020
NTC Senec , Senec , Slovakia
Slovakia
2–1
3–1
UEFA Women's Euro 2022 qualifying
[ 42]
20
3–1
21
2 September 2022
Laugardalsvöllur, Reykjavík, Iceland
Belarus
1–0
6–0
2023 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification
[ 43]
22
2–0
Honours
Rosengård
VfL Wolfsburg
Olympique Lyonnais
Juventus
Individual
References
^ Valur Páll Eiríksson (29 December 2018). "Sara Björk er íþróttamaður ársins 2018" . RÚV (in Icelandic). Retrieved 29 December 2018 .
^ a b Anton Ingi Leifsson (29 December 2020). "Sara Björk íþróttamaður ársins með fullt hús stiga" . Vísir.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 29 December 2020 .
^ Ingvi Þór Sæmundsson (31 August 2020). "Forsætisráðherra sendi Söru hamingjuóskir: "Mögnuð íþróttakona og sannkallað afrek" " . Vísir.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 1 September 2020 .
^ Sigurdsson, Albert (27 March 2011). "Sara Björk Gunnarsdóttir to LdB Malmö" . Wsoccernews.com. 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 .
^ Haukur Harðarson (17 June 2020). "Sara Björk þýskur meistari fjórða árið í röð" . RÚV (in Icelandic). Retrieved 1 September 2020 .
^ @OLfeminin (1 July 2020). "L'Olympique Lyonnais informe des arrivées des internationales Sara Gunnarsdottir et Lola Gallardo qui ont signé un contrat de deux ans avec l'OL, soit jusqu'en juin 2022" (Tweet ) (in French) – via Twitter .
^ Anton Ingi Leifsson (9 August 2020). "Fyrsti titill Söru í Frakklandi" . Vísir.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 1 September 2020 .
^ "Wolfsburg 1-3 Lyon: Women's Champions League final report" . UEFA.com . 30 August 2020.
^ Víðir Sigurðsson (16 May 2022). "Sara Björk yfirgefur Lyon í sumar" . Morgunblaðið (in Icelandic). Retrieved 17 May 2022 .
^ "WELCOME TO JUVENTUS WOMEN, SARA!" . Juventus.com . 24 June 2022.
^ Ingvi Þór Sæmundsson (1 September 2020). "Sjáðu viðtal við Söru þegar hún var valin fyrst í íslenska landsliðið" . Vísir.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 1 September 2020 .
^ "Tek strætó í skólann" . MBL.is (in Icelandic). Morgunblaðið . 21 August 2007. Retrieved 24 August 2013 .
^ "Sara Björk Gunnarsdóttir" . UEFA.com . UEFA . Archived from the original on 24 August 2013. 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. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 5 March 2015 .
^ Ýr Eggertsdóttir, Ástrós (30 August 2018). "Sara Björk er hundrað prósent tilbúin: "Skiptir engu máli hvað var, það snýst allt um laugardaginn" " (in Icelandic). Vísir.is . Retrieved 30 December 2018 .
^ Edda Sif Pálsdóttir (13 January 2023). "Sara Björk hætt með landsliðinu" . RÚV (in Icelandic). Retrieved 19 March 2023 .
^ Etoe, Catherine (26 June 2022). "Euro 2022: Iceland's Sara Bjork Gunnarsdottir on being a mother and professional footballer" . BBC Sport. Retrieved 23 August 2022 .
^ "What Happened when I Got Pregnant | by Sara Björk Gunnarsdóttir" . 17 January 2023.
^ "Iceland - S. Gunnarsdóttir - Profile with news, career statistics and history - Soccerway" .
^ "Leikmaður - Sara Björk Gunnarsdóttir" .
^ Source
^ "Leikskýrsla: Írland - Ísland - Knattspyrnusamband Íslands" . www.ksi.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 24 February 2023 .
^ "Leikskýrsla: Serbía - Ísland - Knattspyrnusamband Íslands" . www.ksi.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 24 February 2023 .
^ "Leikskýrsla: Ísland - Grikkland - Knattspyrnusamband Íslands" . www.ksi.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 24 February 2023 .
^ "Leikskýrsla: Noregur - Ísland - Knattspyrnusamband Íslands" . www.ksi.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 24 February 2023 .
^ "Leikskýrsla: Ísland - Eistland - Knattspyrnusamband Íslands" . www.ksi.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 24 February 2023 .
^ "Leikskýrsla: Ísland - Norður-Írland - Knattspyrnusamband Íslands" . www.ksi.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 24 February 2023 .
^ "Leikskýrsla: Eistland - Ísland - Knattspyrnusamband Íslands" . www.ksi.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 24 February 2023 .
^ "Leikskýrsla: Ísland - Búlgaría - Knattspyrnusamband Íslands" . www.ksi.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 24 February 2023 .
^ "Leikskýrsla: Búlgaría - Ísland - Knattspyrnusamband Íslands" . www.ksi.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 24 February 2023 .
^ "Leikskýrsla: Ísland - Ungverjaland - Knattspyrnusamband Íslands" . www.ksi.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 24 February 2023 .
^ "Leikskýrsla: Ísland - Skotland - Knattspyrnusamband Íslands" . www.ksi.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 24 February 2023 .
^ "Leikskýrsla: Ísland - Ísrael - Knattspyrnusamband Íslands" . www.ksi.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 24 February 2023 .
^ "Leikskýrsla: Ísland - Norður-Makedónía - Knattspyrnusamband Íslands" . www.ksi.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 24 February 2023 .
^ "Leikskýrsla: Ísland - Færeyjar - Knattspyrnusamband Íslands" . www.ksi.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 24 February 2023 .
^ "Leikskýrsla: Ísland - Skotland - Knattspyrnusamband Íslands" . www.ksi.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 24 February 2023 .
^ "Leikskýrsla: Slóvakía - Ísland - Knattspyrnusamband Íslands" . www.ksi.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 24 February 2023 .
^ "Leikskýrsla: Ísland - Belarús - Knattspyrnusamband Íslands" . www.ksi.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 24 February 2023 .
^ Smyth, Rob (30 August 2020). "Women's Champions League final: Wolfsburg 1-3 Lyon – as it happened" . the Guardian . ISSN 0261-3077 . Retrieved 5 November 2024 .
^ Smyth, Rob; Magee, Will (21 May 2022). "Barcelona 1-3 Lyon: Women's Champions League final 2022 – as it happened" . the Guardian . ISSN 0261-3077 . Retrieved 5 November 2024 .
External links
Iceland squads
a Í. Gunnarsdóttir replaced Ívarsdóttir after Iceland's first match.