A short BBC documentary on the Icelandic football team and its fantastic climb up the FIFA rankings over the past few years gives a great insight into the challenges faced by Icelandic football and how they have been surmounted.
Foremost among the challenges are the unforgiving cold and dark winters, the flip side of the same coin which has the beautiful scenery and views that draws large crowds of foreign visitors to Iceland every year. Indoor football stadiums have solved this problem, the documentary notes, ensuring that future footballers will be able to train safe from winter storms.
Read more: Heating soccer fields and growing cucumbers: 9 ways in which geothermal energy is used in Iceland
We at Iceland Insider would like to point out that outdoor fields have also been heated up for years with geothermal energy.
However, great facilities are no guarantee to success in football. What it all comes down to is players and coaches. The documentary therefore meets up with the coaches of the Icelandic team, Heimir Hallgrímsson and Lars Lagerbäck, to get their reaction on the success of the team.
Read more: Football fever: the best places in Reykjavík to watch the European finals
A final ingredient for football success is of course the fans! No team gets anywhere without dedicated fans to cheer them on. The documentary therefore ends with strongman Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson, threatening Cristiano Ronaldo the star of the Portuguese team: “I will find you and crush your head like I did with the Red Viper.”
Hafþór is of course referring to the scene where The Mountain, which he plays on The Game of Thrones, kills Oberyn Martell, also known as “The Red Viper”, by crushing his skull. Obviously Hafþór’s threat should not be taken too seriously, since he breaks out laughing – but still. One should always take the Mountain seriously!
A short BBC documentary on the Icelandic football team and its fantastic climb up the FIFA rankings over the past few years gives a great insight into the challenges faced by Icelandic football and how they have been surmounted.
Foremost among the challenges are the unforgiving cold and dark winters, the flip side of the same coin which has the beautiful scenery and views that draws large crowds of foreign visitors to Iceland every year. Indoor football stadiums have solved this problem, the documentary notes, ensuring that future footballers will be able to train safe from winter storms.
Read more: Heating soccer fields and growing cucumbers: 9 ways in which geothermal energy is used in Iceland
We at Iceland Insider would like to point out that outdoor fields have also been heated up for years with geothermal energy.
However, great facilities are no guarantee to success in football. What it all comes down to is players and coaches. The documentary therefore meets up with the coaches of the Icelandic team, Heimir Hallgrímsson and Lars Lagerbäck, to get their reaction on the success of the team.
Read more: Football fever: the best places in Reykjavík to watch the European finals
A final ingredient for football success is of course the fans! No team gets anywhere without dedicated fans to cheer them on. The documentary therefore ends with strongman Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson, threatening Cristiano Ronaldo the star of the Portuguese team: “I will find you and crush your head like I did with the Red Viper.”
Hafþór is of course referring to the scene where The Mountain, which he plays on The Game of Thrones, kills Oberyn Martell, also known as “The Red Viper”, by crushing his skull. Obviously Hafþór’s threat should not be taken too seriously, since he breaks out laughing – but still. One should always take the Mountain seriously!
