Guðni Bergsson
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Guðni Bergsson | ||
| Date of birth | 21 July 1965 | ||
| Place of birth | Reykjavík, Iceland | ||
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||
| Playing position | Defender | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1983–1988 | Valur | 94 | (7) |
| 1986–1987 | → TSV 1860 München (loan) | 3 | (0) |
| 1988–1994 | Tottenham Hotspur | 72 | (2) |
| 1994 | → Valur (loan) | 15 | (0) |
| 1995–2003 | Bolton Wanderers | 270 | (22) |
| Total | 454 | (31) | |
| National team‡ | |||
| 1984–2003 | Iceland | 80 | (1) |
|
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 13 December 2008. |
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* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 13 December 2008.
Guðni Bergsson (born 21 July 1965 in Reykjavík), is an Icelandic former football player who played for Bolton Wanderers.
Guðni started life in football with his local club Valur but soon harboured ambitions to play overseas. In 1985, he had a trial with English team Aston Villa but they did not follow up their initial interest.
In December 1988, he was to return to England with Tottenham Hotspur, as then manager Terry Venables paid a fee of around £100,000 to Valur, a fee which was then a record sale for the Icelandic club who have since gone on to produce many other top Icelandic exports.
At Spurs, the central defender or full back teamed up with England internationals Paul Gascoigne, Gary Mabbutt, Gary Lineker and Chris Waddle. Understandably, he found it hard to make a regular breakthrough for the London club often filling in intermittently due to injuries or suspension. This did not stop him from becoming a regular for the Icelandic national team, where he eventually became captain winning in excess of 80 caps, which was a record for that country at the time.
He had his most successful spell at Spurs under the management of Venables, but he missed out on the FA Cup truimph of 1991. The appointment of Ossie Ardiles as the Tottenham manager effectively spelt the beginning of the end for Guðni, who feared a life away from football at one stage.
In 1995, after being told he could leave Spurs, Guðni began studying to become a lawyer. A trial game for Crystal Palace reserves alerted the then Bolton Wanderers manager Bruce Rioch to Guðni's availability. Rioch could not understand why such a seasoned international was struggling to find a new club. A fee of £65,000 was agreed between Bolton and Tottenham, rising to £110,000 dependent on a certain number of clauses.
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