Heimir Hallgrímsson

This is an Icelandic name. The last name is patronymic, not a family name; this person is referred to by the given name Heimir.
Heimir Hallgrímsson
Heimir in 2023
Personal information
Full name Heimir Hallgrímsson[1]
Date of birth (1967-06-10) 10 June 1967 (age 57)[2]
Place of birth Vestmannaeyjar, Iceland[1]
Position(s) Defender
Team information
Current team
 Republic of Ireland (head coach)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1986–1992 ÍBV 93 (0)
1993 Höttur 17 (3)
1994–1996 ÍBV 26 (0)
1996–1997 Smástund 20 (10)
1998–2007 KFS 48 (10)
Total 204 (23)
Managerial career
1993 Höttur (women's)
1999–2001 ÍBV (women's)
2002 ÍBV (men's)
2003–2004 ÍBV (women's)
2006–2011 ÍBV (men's)
2013–2018 Iceland
2018–2021 Al-Arabi
2022–2024 Jamaica
2024– Republic of Ireland
Medal record
Men's football
Representing  Iceland (as manager)
China Cup
Runner-up 2017 Nanning
Representing  Jamaica (as manager)
CONCACAF Nations League
Bronze medal – third place 2024 United States
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Heimir Hallgrímsson (born 10 June 1967) is an Icelandic football manager and former player who is the current manager of the Republic of Ireland men's national team.

Early life

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Heimir was born on 10 June 1967, and grew up in a family of six children on the island of Heimaey. His father ran a business repairing fishing nets.[3] Heimir originally studied computer science at Reykjavik University with the aim of becoming a software engineer,[4] but later qualified in dentistry, working as a dentist in Heimaey.[3][5]

Career

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As a player Heimir started playing for ÍBV from his local town Vestmannaeyjar in 1986. He played with them until 1996 except for the 1993 season in which he played for Höttur while managing their women's team. From 1996 until 2007 he played lower league football with another club from Vestmannaeyjar, from 1996 to 1997 he played with Smástund and from 1998 with KFS, the merged team of Smástund and another lower league team from Vestmannaeyjar called Framherjar. From 2002 to 2007 his appearances were sporadic.[6] Throughout his playing career, he also served as the dentist for his home village, and even after taking sole reign over the Icelandic national team after Euro 2016.[5]

In the summer of 2016, he cared for a player who had a tooth knocked out at a local women's game he was attending, going on the pitch while the player was knocked unconscious and putting the tooth back in place, and then personally making the necessary tooth repair at a nearby dental office.[7]

Coaching career

[edit]

Club

[edit]

In 1993, while playing with the men's senior team of Höttur, he coached their women's team, helping the team come first in the second tier and achieve promotion. Alongside working as a dentist in Vestmannaeyjar,[8] he started coaching the town's women's senior team, ÍBV, guiding them towards the top of the Icelandic women's Premier league, gaining places in the table each year.[9][10] In 2002, he was hired as assistant coach for the men's team of ÍBV, being their coach for the last games of the season after the coach was fired.[11][12] In 2003, he again took over the women's team, guiding them to two 2nd-place finishes in the league and two cup finals, with ÍBV winning the second one in 2004.[10] He did not coach any club in 2005 but again took over as the coach for the ÍBV men team mid-season in 2006, managing the team in the last 6 matches but failing to prevent relegation.[10][13] He remained this time as coach and got the team promoted in the 2008 season, finishing 10th out of 12 in the top division in 2009 before managing two 3rd-place finishes in a row in 2010 and 2011.[10]

Iceland

[edit]

On 14 October 2011, KSÍ announced they had appointed Heimir as assistant coach of the Iceland national football team alongside Lars Lagerbäck as coach.[14] Iceland qualified for the play-off stage of the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification, however, Iceland lost there against Croatia.[15] Shortly thereafter Heimir and Lagerbäck signed a new contract, this time as joint coaches.

Iceland reached their first major tournament by qualifying for Euro 2016. At the tournament finals, Iceland recorded 1–1 draws in their first two group stage matches against Portugal and Hungary. They then advanced from their group with a 2–1 victory against Austria.[16] Iceland qualified for the tournament's quarter-finals after a 2–1 upset win over England in the Round of 16, which led to England manager Roy Hodgson resigning immediately after the final whistle.[17] However, they were eliminated by host nation France in the quarter-finals, 5–2.[18]

After Euro 2016, he became the sole coach of Iceland with Lagerbäck becoming coach of Norway.[15][19] Iceland qualified for the 2018 World Cup, their first ever appearance in the world championship and second major tournament overall. Iceland were drawn to play Croatia, Argentina and Nigeria in a group that was considered by many as the "group of death".[20][21] Despite a challenging group, Iceland were tipped to advance from the group by several journalist websites, based on their impressive performance in Euro 2016.[22] Their maiden match at the World Cup was against 2014 runners-up Argentina, with Iceland holding Argentina to a 1–1 draw.[23][24] However, their chances of advancing from the group were hurt following a 2–0 loss to Nigeria, with several missed opportunities in the first half and a penalty kick in the second half missed by Gylfi Sigurðsson, putting Iceland in position to play a decisive match against already qualified Croatia.[25][26] Iceland lost to Croatia in their final group game and were eliminated; and because Argentina won against Nigeria, Iceland finished bottom of the group with a single point.[27][28]

Heimir resigned on 17 July 2018 after the World Cup.[29]

Al-Arabi

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On 10 December 2018, Heimir was hired as head coach for Al-Arabi in Qatar. His contract was for 2+1⁄2 years or until summer of 2021.[30][31]

Jamaica

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In September 2022, the Jamaican Football Federation announced Heimir as the new coach of the Jamaican national team.[32] He would resign however after the Reggae Boyz performed poorly at the 2024 Copa América.[33][34]

Republic of Ireland

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On 10 July 2024, the Football Association of Ireland announced Heimir as the new coach of the Republic of Ireland national team.[8][35]

Managerial statistics

[edit]
As of match played 17 November 2024
Managerial record by team and tenure
Team From To Record
P W D L Win %
Iceland (joint manager) 25 November 2013 3 July 2016 32 14 7 11 043.75
Iceland 3 July 2016 17 July 2018 25 11 6 8 044.00
Al-Arabi 10 December 2018 30 June 2021 51 17 13 21 033.33
Jamaica 16 September 2022 30 June 2024 27 11 6 10 040.74
Republic of Ireland 10 July 2024 Present 6 2 0 4 033.33
Total 140 55 32 53 039.29

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b "Iceland - H. Hallgrímsson". Soccerway.com.
  2. ^ HALLGRIMSSON Heimir. FIFA.com.
  3. ^ a b Lyall, Sarah (14 June 2018). "With a Coach Who Pulls Teeth to Relax, Iceland Becomes a Contender". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
  4. ^ "Dental News - Post-FIFA: Heimir Hallgrímsson to return ..." Dental Tribune International. 25 July 2018. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
  5. ^ a b Harper, Davis (30 January 2016). "Volcano! The incredible rise of Iceland's national football team". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 June 2016.
  6. ^ "Heimir Hallgrímsson - Knattspyrnusamband Íslands". ksi.is. Archived from the original on 19 June 2016. Retrieved 28 June 2016.
  7. ^ Henry Birgir Gunnarsson (10 August 2016). "Landsliðsþjálfarinn bjargaði leikmanni Fylkis". Vísir.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 22 June 2018.
  8. ^ a b FAI make shock manager appointment as Iceland's Heimir Hallgrímsson is unveiled as new Ireland boss, 10 July 2024, retrieved 10 July 2024
  9. ^ "Heimir Hallgrímsson" (in Icelandic). Heimaslóð. Retrieved 25 November 2013.
  10. ^ a b c d "Heimir Hallgrímsson - Knattspyrnusamband Íslands". ksi.is. Archived from the original on 6 August 2016. Retrieved 28 June 2016.
  11. ^ "Heimir Hallgrímsson ráðinn aðstoðarþjálfari hjá ÍBV" (in Icelandic). mbl.is. 4 January 2002. Retrieved 25 November 2013.
  12. ^ "Heimir Hallgrímsson þjálfar ÍBV í næstu leikjum" (in Icelandic). mbl.is. 25 November 2013. Retrieved 25 November 2013.
  13. ^ "Heimir tekur við liði ÍBV" (in Icelandic). timarit.is/Morgunblaðið. 3 August 2006. Retrieved 25 November 2013.
  14. ^ "Lagerback tekur við landsliðinu (Staðfest)" (in Icelandic). Fótbolti.net. 14 October 2011. Retrieved 14 October 2011.
  15. ^ a b "Lagerbäck og Heimir áfram með landsliðið" (in Icelandic). Morgunblaðið. 25 November 2013. Retrieved 25 November 2013.
  16. ^ Ough, Tom (22 June 2016). "Iceland 2–1 Austria, Euro 2016: Rearguard action and late winner set up England tie for competition's smallest nation". Telegraph. Archived from the original on 24 June 2016. Retrieved 27 June 2016.
  17. ^ Wallace, Sam (27 June 2016). "England 1 Iceland 2, Euro 2016 – Humiliation as Joe Hart clanger sees Roy Hodgson's men crash out in Nice". Telegraph. Archived from the original on 12 January 2022. Retrieved 27 June 2016.
  18. ^ Smyth, Rob (3 July 2016). "France 5–2 Iceland: Euro 2016 quarter-final – as it happened". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 8 July 2016. Retrieved 3 July 2016.
  19. ^ "Lagerbäck: Vil ljúka ferlinum á stórmóti" (in Icelandic). Morgunblaðið. 25 November 2013. Retrieved 25 November 2013.
  20. ^ "Fifa World Cup 2018 group of death: This is the toughest draw". Evening Standard. Archived from the original on 28 June 2018. Retrieved 28 June 2018.
  21. ^ "2018 FIFA World Cup Russia". www.fifa.com. Archived from the original on 20 May 2014. Retrieved 28 June 2018.
  22. ^ "World Cup Russia 2018: For Iceland, anything is possible". Deutsche Welle. 30 May 2018. Archived from the original on 28 June 2018. Retrieved 28 June 2018.
  23. ^ "2018 FIFA World Cup Russia - Matches - Argentina - Iceland". www.fifa.com. Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 28 June 2018.
  24. ^ "World Cup 2018: Debutants Iceland hold Argentina to 1-1 draw". BBC Sport. 16 June 2018. Archived from the original on 18 June 2018. Retrieved 28 June 2018.
  25. ^ "2018 FIFA World Cup Russia - Matches - Nigeria - Iceland". www.fifa.com. Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 28 June 2018.
  26. ^ Glendenning, Barry (22 June 2018). "Nigeria 2-0 Iceland: World Cup 2018 – as it happened". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 18 July 2018. Retrieved 28 June 2018.
  27. ^ "2018 FIFA World Cup Russia - Matches - Iceland - Croatia". www.fifa.com. Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 28 June 2018.
  28. ^ "World Cup 2018: Iceland out after defeat by group winners Croatia". BBC Sport. 26 June 2018. Archived from the original on 4 December 2020. Retrieved 28 June 2018.
  29. ^ "Iceland coach Heimir Hallgrimsson quits after country's first World Cup". BBC. 17 July 2018. Retrieved 9 August 2018.
  30. ^ "Iceland's Hallgrimsson to coach at Qatar's Al-Arabi". 10 December 2018.
  31. ^ "Heimir ráðinn þjálfari al Arabi - Vísir". 12 October 2018.
  32. ^ "Heimer Hallgrímsson hired to coach Jamaica's national team". Associated Press News. 16 September 2022.
  33. ^ "Hallgrímsson resigns as Reggae Boyz coach". Jamaica Observer. July 2024. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
  34. ^ "Hallgrímsson resigns following Reggae Boyz' disappointing Copa America campaign". Caribbean National Weekly. July 2024. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
  35. ^ "Hallgrimsson named new Republic of Ireland manager". BBC Sport. 10 July 2024. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
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