INTERVIEW: Gudjohnsen can't wait for Euros debut

The forward has graced glamorous clubs such as Chelsea and Barcelona, sweeping up silverware and providing the attacking foil to all-time greats like Frank Lampard, Ronaldinho and Didier Drogba with his deft touches.

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Yet the ambition of featuring in a major international tournament looked an impossible one for the boy wonder from the rocky Arctic outpost of Iceland to fulfil. Now as a veteran 37-year-old, this is about to – remarkably – become a reality after a country of just 329,100 people qualified for Euro 2016.

Speaking in Abu Dhabi ahead of last weekend’s 2-1 friendly defeat to the UAE, Gudjohnsen reflected warmly on this most-welcome swansong. He said: “I always felt the time would come when we would qualify. As it went on longer and longer without doing it, it became more of a distant dream than a reality.

“Of course, the older you get as a player you come closer to the end of your career. To be part of this now is more than a bonus to my career. It is emotional and something to be proud of. It is just a great feeling.”

Huge things have been expected of Gudjohnsen since an early age. He made his international debut at 17 as a substitute for his father Arnor, a legendary forward himself.

A year earlier he had moved to Dutch giants PSV Eindhoven where eventually a serious ankle injury prompted him to reboot his career at KR Reykjavik and Bolton Wanderers prior to making his name at Chelsea.

Gudjohnsen was privileged to witness another young prospect in Lionel Messi blossom into a global phenomenon alongside him at Barcelona from 2006-09. He spoke with joy when asked to recollect his experiences of the now five-time FIFA Ballon d’Or winner.

He said: “When I joined it was like: ‘right, this guy will be the best player in the world’. Everyone said it and everyone knew it – even he was aware of it.

“We have seen many talented players not achieve what everyone expected because of the pressure, because of everything that comes with it. But he’s done it with ease.

“He has matured a lot since I was with him, but I remember a kid who just loved to play.”

Gudjohnsen’s spell in Spain also included Pep Guardiola’s debut campaign as Barca boss and the 2008/09 treble of the La Liga, Copa del Rey and Champions League.

The 45-year-old’s future is the hot topic in world football after his announcement he is set to leave Bayern Munich this summer.

His former charge is convinced he will be triumphant when he makes the expected next step into the Premier League.

He said: “I have no doubt he will be a success. His vision of football is so clear and he has a great understanding of the game.

“His eye for detail is very good and he has a feeling for getting all the players to follow him in the same direction. It was clear very early in the 2008/09 season that if we do things his way, we’d be successful.

“It was a very similiar situation to when Jose Mourinho first came to Chelsea (in 2004). He (Guardiola) is right at the top.”

A select band of star names such as Sweden superstar Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Netherlands flyer Arjen Robben join Gudjohnsen in having played under both Guardiola and Mourinho, the pre-eminent head coaches of this era. He lifted the 2004-05 and 2005-06 Premier League titles under the Portuguese at Chelsea, prior to his switch to Catalonia.

Mourinho’s exalted position has been knocked this year after his second spell with the Blues ended with the sack last month, but Gudjohnsen had no doubts about his enduring quality.

He said: “It is a bit surprising how quickly it all spiralled and it went from top to the things that happened. I thought he was going to be back at Chelsea for a long time – it is a shame that didn’t happen.

“Now, the only thing people doubt is his long-term impact. But there is no doubting his qualities as a coach, his experience and desire for success.”

Mourinho made an instant impact in England, becoming a cultural icon thanks to the famous self-anointment as ‘the Special One’ during his opening press conference. What was the impression this declaration made in the dressing room?

“I don’t think we took too much notice of it,” Gudjohnsen said. “Once you get to meet the person face to face and interact on a day-to-day basis, you do not tend to look too much into what is said in the media. You just listen to what he says to you in person rather than to the public. The group at the time had a very good understanding of who the guy was and that publicly he’d be a little bit exaggerated.”

Since he departed Barcelona in August 2009, Gudjohnsen has cut a nomadic figure. He has gone on to play for nine clubs in five countries, most recently scoring one goal during 14 Chinese Super League appearances for mid-table Shijiazhuang Ever Bright.

Enormous investment has been put into the sport by the public and private sectors in China in recent years.

Guangzhou Evergrande have won two of the last three AFC Champions Leagues, although this success has not been replicated with the national team who are on the verge of an early exit from 2018 World Cup qualifying. Gudjohnsen is convinced it is just a matter of time until the nation turns into a global footballing power.

He said: “One thing is when you come to China and you wonder, why have they struggled so much as a national team? You realise when you are out there that a lot of the players are technically good and in good shape physically. Then you realise their basic understanding of the game is not advanced enough. That is purely due to the youth system – it is years and years behind.

“The government are huge football fans and want to develop the game, so I think in the next five to 10 years Chinese football will grow immensely.”

Gudjohnsen has both a glorious past to reflect on and an exciting future to look forward to. When asked what was his most cherished moment, he moved beyond the obvious to highlight something more personal.

He said: “Everyone would probably say being successful, winning trophies etc. But all in all, it is looking back at my career and being able to say I have been a professional footballer for 20-odd years. To have reached the expectations of what everybody had of me in Iceland from when I was young is my proudest moment. When I left Iceland I was 15 or 16 and everyone thought, ‘he’s going to go far, this kid’. To have been able to live up to that and come back from injuries is something I’m proud of. I’ve been written off so many times in my career and I always came back strong.”