One of Aston Villa’s latest signings is set to become the club’s first Icelandic player for nearly 14 years.
Birkir Bjarnason’s arrival at Aston Villa means that he is set to become the first Icelandic player to play for the Villans in nearly 14 years. The last player from the country to represent the club was midfielder Joey Gudjonsson, who spent a few months on loan at Villa Park back in 2003.
But what became of the Graham Taylor-led Villa side that included Gudjonsson for the first time and beat Middlesbrough 5-2 on January 28th 2003?
Graham Taylor
Peter Enckelman
Like Gudjonsson, the goalkeeper’s most memorable moment in a Villa shirt arguably came in the Second City derby just over a month later. He went on to spend time with Blackburn, Cardiff, St Johnstone and Hearts before finishing his career in his home country with IFK Mariehamn.
Mark Delaney
Mark Delaney’s injury-plagued time with Aston Villa came to an end in 2007 when he was forced to retire at just 31. He stayed with the club however, becoming a youth coach.
Olof Mellberg
Olof Mellberg left Villa in 2008 having earned himself cult-hero status after more than 230 league appearances. After a short spell with Juventus, he played for Olympiacos, Villarreal and Copenhagen before retiring in 2014.
Ronny Johnsen
The Treble winner with Manchester United joined Villa in 2002 and stayed until 2004. A poor spell with Newcastle was followed by a three-year stay at Valerenga.
Jlloyd Samuel
Jlloyd Samuel spent nearly a decade with Aston Villa before leaving for Bolton in 2007. A loan spell at Cardiff came shortly before he spent four years playing in Iran.
Joey Gudjonsson
Joey Gudjonsson
Not only did Gudjonsson make his debut against Boro in this game, but he also got on the scoresheet. Unfortunately his time at Villa never really ignited. He spent several years in England – playing for the likes of Wolves, Leicester and Burnley – but is currently back in Iceland, playing for Fylkir.
Thomas Hitzlsperger
The German’s senior career began with Villa, and he would stay until 2005. He subsequently spent five years with Stuttgart before playing for West Ham, Wolfsburg and Everton. He retired in 2013 at just 31.
Gareth Barry
Gareth Barry continues to impress in the Premier League at the age of 35. He left Villa in 2009 for Manchester City and now plays for Everton. He has well over 600 top flight appearances under his belt. He also scored against Boro.
Dion Dublin
Following his spell at Villa, Dion Dublin played for Leicester City, Celtic and Norwich City. The striker – who rounded off the victory over Boro with the fifth – went on to become a centre-back during the latter stages of his career and is now a television property expert.
Darius Vassell
Darius Vassell left Aston Villa for Manchester City in 2005. A brief spell in Turkey was followed by a two-year spell with Leicester. He retired in 2012.
Stefan Moore
The former England under-19 international never quite realised his potential and has spent the majority of his career in the non-league game.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
