Sara Björk Gunnarsdóttir

This is an Icelandic name. The last name is a patronymic, not a family name; this person is properly referred to by the given name Sara Björk.
Sara B. Gunnarsdóttir

Sara Björk in April 2013
Personal information
Full name Sara Björk Gunnarsdóttir
Date of birth (1990-09-29) 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).

‡ National team caps and goals 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.

Sara Björk playing an international friendly against Sweden at Myresjöhus Arena in Växjö, 6 April 2013

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

References

  1. ↑ Sigurdsson, Albert (27 March 2011). "Sara Björk Gunnarsdóttir to LdB Malmö". Wsoccernews.com. Retrieved 24 August 2013.
  2. ↑ Steinarsson, Vilhjálmur (15 January 2012). "Lífið í atvinnumennskunni: Sara Björk Gunnarsdóttir" (in Icelandic). Pressan.is. Retrieved 24 August 2013.
  3. ↑ "Sara Björk framlengir við Malmö". Visir.is (in Icelandic). 365 (media corporation). 13 August 2013. Retrieved 24 August 2013.
  4. ↑ Þórðarson, Tómas Þór (2 May 2016). "Sara Björk segir ekkert um Wolfsburg". Visir.is (in Icelandic). 365 (media corporation). Retrieved 9 July 2016.
  5. ↑ "Der perfekte Schritt für mich" (in German). VfL Wolfsburg. 9 July 2016. Retrieved 9 July 2016.
  6. ↑ "Tek strætó í skólann". MBL.is (in Icelandic). Morgunblaðið. 21 August 2007. Retrieved 24 August 2013.
  7. ↑ "Sara Björk Gunnarsdóttir". UEFA.com. UEFA. Retrieved 24 August 2013.
  8. ↑ Stefánsson, Stefán (24 June 2013). "Familiar squad for Iceland". uefa.com. UEFA. Retrieved 24 August 2013.
  9. ↑ "Freyr Alexandersson í viðtali" (in Icelandic). Leiknir.com. 13 January 2014. Retrieved 5 March 2015.
  10. ↑ 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.
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