Reykjavík Grapevine - 10.05.2019, Síða 10

T EMPL A R A SUND 3 , 101 RE Y K JAV ÍK , T EL : 5711822, W W W.BERGSSON. IS
BREAKFAST FROM 7
LUNCH FROM 12
For many people in football, the scream-
ing, battle-hardened face of Iceland’s
captain and midfield destroyer Aron
“The Annihilator” Gunnarsson is merely
a terrifying vision that haunts their every
waking and sleeping moment.
However, for the people of Cardiff, Aron
has been a stoic and steadfast defender of
the realm since 2011. As the sun set on
their 2018-19 season, Aron announced
he’d be leaving the club for Al-Arabi in
Qatar this summer, finally departing the
Welsh capital a firm fan favourite after an
eventful eight-year spell.
His stay has seen many ups and downs,
from scorching goals to unfortunate inju-
ries. It included two successful Premier
League promotion campaigns—and the
two relegations that followed. Here’s a
recap of Aron’s eventful journey into the
hearts and minds of the Welsh massive.
Man of the match
Aron arrived at Cardiff City in 2011, a
bright-eyed and bald-faced buck with an
André Arshavin-esque brush of hair. A
hot property after a successful stint at
his previous club, Coventry City, he was
immediately one of
the first names on the
team sheet. His physi-
cal, robust style and
never-say-die atti-
tude quickly started
having an impact,
and he won over the
Cardiff crowd in no
time.
He made his mark
on October 22nd of
his first season, scor-
ing two goals against
Barnsley and receiv-
ing the Man of the
Match award. But
little did Cardiff know
that deep within this
baby-faced Akureyri
lad lay the bald-
headed, long-bearded, hot-blooded
Ragnar Lothbrok of world football.
Mauling Man City
Cardiff were soon elevated to new heights,
reaching the League Cup final against a
resurgent Liverpool. Despite Aron playing
the full 90 minutes, they ultimately lost
on penalties.
Full of ire and bursting with a will
to smite the country’s top teams, Aron
took out his frustration on the hapless
Manchester City in their first match of
their 2013-14 Premier League season.
He smited in the club’s first goal of the
season in a noteable 3-2 victory over the
eventual winners. He would end up with a
total tally of 25 goals for Cardiff—not bad
for a defensive midfielder mostly charged
with scything through opposition attacks
like a hot battleaxe through skyr.
Player of the year
After spending an inhuman amount of
his volcanic energy on Iceland’s famous
Euro 2016 run, a stop-start period of inju-
ries that followed would mar much of his
remaining time at Cardiff. Nevertheless,
when he did feature, his assured presence
always steadied the team’s longboat. He
won the supporter’s Player of the Year
award in 2017, also winning the Outstand-
ing Contribution Award in 2019.
"We've been through a lot, me and the
fans,” said Aron, in his emotional leaving
statement. “We've had ups and downs,
good times, happy times, and tough
times—as you get in football. We've had
every bit of emotion together. I've been
here for eight years and both of my sons
were born here. I'll be a Bluebird forever,
I know that for sure. I'll be looking out
for the results for years to come, and the
first will always be Cardiff. With the boys
growing up here, they're going to know
about it too. I've got a special bond with
this club that I will treasure forever and,
looking back on my time here, I wouldn't
change it for the world."
A t A l - A r a b i ,
Aron will be reunited
w i t h I c e l a n d ’ s
former smiter-in-
chief—Heimir “The
Dentist” Hallgríms-
son. Rumours are
b e i n g w h i s p e r e d
that the two are on
a long-term mission
to loot the country’s
considerable resource
reserves. Qatar: be
afraid. The smitelords
are coming.
Follow our l ive -
tweets on match-
days on Twitter at
@ r v k g r a p e v i n e .
Iceland's indomita-
ble and unstoppable march to the Euro
2020 trophy will continue throughout
2019, as Aron, Gylfi, Jóhann Berg and
the boys smite their way through all the
continents of the world, laying waste to
any team foolish enough to step into
their terrible path to glory.
#IcelandSmites
“Little did Cardiff
know that within
this baby-faced
Akureyri lad lay
the bald-headed,
long-bearded,
hot-blooded
Ragnar Lothbrok
of world
football.”
The Wales Is
Not Enough
Aron The Annihilator sets sail from Cardiff to Qatar
Words: John Rogers Illustration: Lóa Hlín Hjálmtýsdóttir
FOOTBALL
10 The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 07— 2019
Now the Welsh are left with Tom Jones and Goldie Lookin' Chain