Beyond football, there’s always music

Iceland It’s so small that everyone knows each other. Anyone can recognize the relationship of a citizen by listening to his last name, the town he comes from, and what he does. On a volcanic island that spends about six months in the dark and eight months covered in snow, aside from state or local officials, teachers, doctors, police or firefighters, the rest of the inhabitants offer their itself in fishing or exploiting the earth, which is exploited by the underlying magma to generate energy. Or devote yourself to music like Björk, Sigur Rós either Mombut far from home.

The Thorarinsson brothers

It is always a cause for surprise when a professional European team faces an Icelandic team in a qualifying round. Curiosity depends on knowing, for example, that the goalkeeper is a teacher, the defender is a carpenter and the center forward is a tax official.

Few make a living from football in the Icelandic first division, which runs from April to October, and many incorporate the sport into a profession. For Gudmundur Thorarinsson (04/15/1992 – Selfoss), who started his sports career in IBV in the 2011 season, music has been a part of his life since he won the tournament Fjölbrautskóli Suðurland at 16 years old but he did not take it up as a profession, but rather as a ‘hobby’. Influenced by his older brother Ingolfuralso a singer and footballer who played in the Fram of Reykjavík, Guðmundur He said “I grew up watching him sing and play the guitar.” He writes his own songs and lyrics: “Sometimes you just feel; Often something happens in your life, and then a melody comes out and I have to say it.” He participated in several qualifying rounds to be elected Iceland’s representative in Eurovisionremains on the verge of victory.

Nordic football and exotic destinations

Thorarinsson He was part of the Icelandic national team in the under-17, under-19 and under-21 categories before making the jump to the senior team and has played fifteen times since 2014. A background limited by the different teams he has played for, many in Nordic football: behind him IBV jump on Norway including Sarpsborg 08 playing 64 games and scoring 8 goals (his highest record); later he entered FC Nordsjaelland Danish, the Rosenborgwhere he won the league and cup, the Swedish IFK Norrköping, until he signed New York City FC in the 2020-21 season winning the league and returning to Denmark in 2022 to play just six games in Aalborg.

At 30 years old, contracts started to become difficult and he accepted the challenge of signing for OFI Crete Greek for two seasons but ended up leaving at the end of last season due to non-payment. This season he is a starter at FC Noahof Yerevan, Armeniawhich was established only seven years ago, with the incentive to play the Conference League.

Gummi Tóta

The composition is accompanied Gudmundur all these years wherever football took him and, like his brother, he was known artistically Ingó Veðurguð, Gudmundur is Gummi Tóta in the world of music. Their style includes ‘mainstream pop’ with infectious melodies and a catalog of intimate songs influenced by Icelandic landscapes that tell personal stories like in ‘Án Fin’, Íslenska sumarid’ or ‘ Balskotinn’ or the cheerful ‘Fljeri i takinu’ .

He has an album published in 2019 (‘Svart og sykurlaust’) of eight songs wrapped around ‘Hádur’, ‘Kvedjustund’ and ‘Demantur’. With his brother ‘Sumargledin’, a summer anthem that encompasses fun and lively atmosphere with uplifting rhythms and this 2024 he released another single, ‘Stelpan vid styrid’. Seeing his talent, there is no doubt that he has a bright future in the music world when he hangs up his boots. For select ears only.