Arnar Viðarsson
{{short description|Icelandic footballer and manager (born 1978)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2016}}
{{Icelandic name|Arnar|male}}
{{Infobox football biography
| name = Arnar Viðarsson
| image = Arnar Viðarsson.jpg
| caption = Viðarsson with De Graafschap
| full_name = Arnar Þór Viðarsson{{cite web |url=https://www.ksi.is/mot/thjalfari/?leikmadur=3180 |title=Þjálfari: Arnar Þór Viðarsson |trans-title=Trainer: Arnar Þór Viðarsson |publisher=Football Association of Iceland |access-date=2 December 2022 |language=is}}
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1978|3|15|df=y}}
| birth_place = Reykjavík, Iceland
| height = 1.77 m
| position = Defensive midfielder
Left-back
| currentclub =
| years1 = 1996–1997
| clubs1 = FH
| caps1 = 35
| goals1 = 3
| years2 = 1997–2006
| clubs2 = Lokeren
| caps2 = 235
| goals2 = 6
| years3 = 1997
| clubs3 = → Lillestrøm (loan)
| caps3 = 6
| goals3 = 0
| years4 = 1998
| clubs4 = → FH (loan)
| caps4 = 4
| goals4 = 0
| years5 = 1998
| clubs5 = → Genk (trial)
| caps5 = 0
| goals5 = 0
| years6 = 2006–2008
| clubs6 = Twente
| caps6 = 11
| goals6 = 0
| years7 = 2007–2008
| clubs7 = → De Graafschap (loan)
| caps7 = 32
| goals7 = 1
| years8 = 2008–2014
| clubs8 = Cercle Brugge
| caps8 = 157
| goals8 = 0
| totalcaps = 480
| totalgoals = 10
| nationalyears1 = 1993
| nationalteam1 = Iceland U16
| nationalcaps1 = 8
| nationalgoals1 = 0
| nationalyears2 = 1993–1994
| nationalteam2 = Iceland U17
| nationalcaps2 = 7
| nationalgoals2 = 0
| nationalyears3 = 1995–1996
| nationalteam3 = Iceland U19
| nationalcaps3 = 11
| nationalgoals3 = 0
| nationalyears4 = 1996–1999
| nationalteam4 = Iceland U21
| nationalcaps4 = 17
| nationalgoals4 = 0
| nationalyears5 = 1998–2007
| nationalteam5 = Iceland
| nationalcaps5 = 52
| nationalgoals5 = 2
| manageryears1 = 2014
| manageryears2 = 2014–2015
| manageryears3 = 2015–2018
| manageryears4 = 2018
| manageryears5 = 2018–2019
| manageryears6 = 2019–2020
| manageryears7 = 2020–2023
| managerclubs1 = Cercle Brugge (assistant)
| managerclubs2 = Cercle Brugge
| managerclubs3 = Lokeren (assistant and U21)
| managerclubs4 = Lokeren (caretaker)
| managerclubs5 = Lokeren (assistant and U21)
| managerclubs6 = Iceland U21
| managerclubs7 = Iceland
}}
Arnar Þór Viðarsson (transliterated as Arnar Thor Vidarsson;{{cite web |url=https://www.ksi.is/mot/thjalfari/?leikmadur=3180 |title=Steckbrief: Arnar Thor Vidarsson |trans-title=Characteristics: Arnar Thor Vidarsson |website=Kicker |publisher=Olympia-Verlag |access-date=2 December 2022 |language=de}} born 15 March 1978) is an Icelandic football coach and a former player, his playing position was midfielder. He last played for Belgian Pro League side Cercle Brugge, where he was also employed as head coach. He was the head coach of Iceland men's national team from 2020 to 2023. {{cite news |author1=Ingvi Þór Sæmundsson |title=Arnar Þór rekinn |url=https://www.visir.is/g/20232396860d/arnar-thor-rekinn |access-date=30 March 2023 |work=Vísir.is |date=30 March 2023 |language=Icelandic}} He became the sporting director of KAA Gent at the end of the 2023-24 season. {{cite web | url=https://sporza.be/nl/2024/06/05/het-nieuwe-kaa-gent-wouter-vrancken-wordt-coach-arnar-vidarsso~1717571078002/ | title=Het nieuwe KAA Gent: Wouter Vrancken wordt coach, Arnar Vidarsson sportief manager | sporza }}
Club career
He started his career in FH, and moved to Belgium to play for Sporting Lokeren. He returned to FH for a short period and he also had a loan spell at Lillestrøm SK and a trial at then Cup holders Genk, appearing as a substitute for the club in the Belgian Supercup against reigning champions Club Brugge K.V. in August 1998. Genk lost the match 2-1. However, he was passed on by Genk after that window.
He has played for Sporting Lokeren from October 1998 until 2006, playing as a left-back in his early years. In his fourth season at Daknam, he was steadily modified into a defensive midfielder by then coach Paul Put. He became club captain in the summer of 2001, following Chris Janssens's departure to Dutch Willem II. Upon his arrival, the club signed many Icelandic players such as midfielder Rúnar Kristinsson who holds the Icelandic record for most international caps. {{citation needed|date=May 2025}}
Arnar's biggest achievement as a Lokeren player was finishing in third place in the 2002–03 season, behind champions Club Brugge K.V. and runners-up R.S.C. Anderlecht. Lokeren's midfield triangle was all-Icelandic consisting of himself, Rúnar Kristinsson and Arnar Grétarsson. Two seasons earlier, they had already managed to finish in fourth. {{citation needed|date=December 2022}}
In 2006, he transferred to FC Twente, where he signed a contract until 2009. For the 2007–08 season he was loaned out to newly promoted De Graafschap, before eventually returning to Belgium, playing for Cercle Brugge, where he ended his career as a player in the summer of 2014, becoming assistant under head coach Lorenzo Staelens. Following the sacking of Staelens on October of that same year, Arnar was appointed head coach.{{citation needed|date=December 2022}}
International career
Arnar was capped 52 times for Iceland, scoring 2 goals,[https://www.rsssf.org/miscellaneous/ijs-recintlp.html Iceland - Record International Players] - RSSSF as well as 41 times at youth level. He made his debut for the seniors in a June 1998 friendly match against South Africa.{{citation needed|date=December 2022}}
Personal life
Arnar is the brother of fellow Icelandic midfielders Bjarni and Davíð, and the son of Icelandic footballer Viðar Halldórsson.{{cite news|url=http://www.mbl.is/greinasafn/grein/799080/|title=Bjarni Þór Viðarsson samdi við Everton|trans-title=Bjarni Thor Vidarsson signed for Everton|language=Icelandic|newspaper=Morgunblaðið|date=20 May 2004}}
Managerial statistics
{{Updated|match played 30 March 2023}}{{citation needed|date=December 2022}}
| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;" | ||||
| rowspan="2"|Team
!rowspan="2"|From !rowspan="2"|To !colspan="5"|Record | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | D | L | Win % |
| align=left|Cercle Brugge
|align=left|6 October 2014 |align=left|18 March 2015 {{WDL|25|6|3|16}} | ||||
| align=left|Lokeren (caretaker)
|align=left|28 October 2018 |align=left|1 November 2018 {{WDL|1|0|1|0}} | ||||
| align=left|Iceland U21
|align=left|4 January 2019 |align=left|21 December 2020 {{WDL|13|8|1|4}} | ||||
| align=left|Iceland
|align=left|22 December 2020 |align=left|30 March 2023 {{WDL|31|6|13|12}} | ||||
| colspan="3"|Total
{{WDLtot|70|20|18|32|decimals=2}} |
References
{{reflist}}
External links
{{Commons category}}
- [http://www.vi.nl/Spelers/Speler/ArnarVidarsson.htm Profile at VI.nl]
- {{NFT player|3084}}
- {{KSÍ player|3180}}
{{Navboxes
| title = Managerial positions
| list1 =
{{Cercle Brugge K.S.V. managers}}
{{K.S.C. Lokeren Oost-Vlaanderen managers}}
{{Iceland national football team managers}}
}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vidarsson, Arnar}}
Category:Men's association football defenders
Category:Men's association football midfielders
Category:K.S.C. Lokeren Oost-Vlaanderen players
Category:Lillestrøm SK players
Category:De Graafschap players
Category:Cercle Brugge K.S.V. players
Category:Belgian Pro League players
Category:Expatriate men's footballers in Belgium
Category:Expatriate men's footballers in the Netherlands
Category:Expatriate men's footballers in Norway
Category:Cercle Brugge K.S.V. managers