Jóhannes Eðvaldsson (3 September 1950 – 24 January 2021) was an Icelandic international football player.[1] He won the Scottish league championship twice with Celtic F.C. and the Scottish Cup once.[2]

Jóhannes Eðvaldsson
Personal information
Full name Jóhannes Eðvaldsson
Date of birth (1950-09-03)3 September 1950
Place of birth Reykjavík, Iceland
Date of death 24 January 2021(2021-01-24) (aged 70)
Place of death Glasgow, Scotland
Position(s) Centre-back
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1968–1971 Valur 50 (15)
1972 Cape Town City 10 (2)
1972–1974 Valur 42 (13)
1974 FC Metz 0 (0)
1975 Holbæk B&I 12 (2)
1975–1980 Celtic 127 (24)
1980–1981 Tulsa Roughnecks 68 (17)
1981–1982 Hannover 96 21 (1)
1982–1984 Motherwell 55 (6)
1984–1985 Þróttur 33 (0)
International career
1971–1983 Iceland 34 (2)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Playing career

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Jóhannes started his career with Valur in his native land before short spells with Metz of France and Holbek of Denmark. He was signed by Sean Fallon in 1975, joining Scottish club Celtic after a short trial. He played in almost every outfield position while at Celtic but was most suited to central defence. He was nicknamed "Shuggy" by the fans. After making 188 appearances for the Glasgow club, during which he scored 36 goals, Johannes won 2 Premier Division titles and 1 Scottish Cup before he moved to the US in February 1980, joining NASL side Tulsa Roughnecks.

Jóhannes returned to Europe in 1981, joining German side Hannover 96.[3] He later joined Motherwell in 1982 and played two seasons for the Fir Park side before retiring in 1984.

During his career he gained 34 caps[4] for the Iceland national side, 16 of which were attained while with Celtic.

Coaching career

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Jóhannes started a coaching career with Þróttur in 1984[3] but soon returned to live in Scotland, where his wife is from. He suffered a brain haemorrhage in 1995 but made a full recovery. Jóhannes was a coach for a 1994 team at Jimmy Johnstone Academy.

Personal life

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Jóhannes' father Evald Mikson was an Estonian international goalkeeper in the 1930s,[2] who was later Deputy Head of the Tallinn Police during the Nazi occupation. Accused of war crimes, Mikson fled Estonia at the end of World War II, eventually alighting in Iceland where he settled and raised a family, changing his name to the Icelandic Eðvald Hinriksson.[1]

Jóhannes' brother Atli, seven years his junior, was also an international footballer. Atli was for a period Iceland's record cap holder, and played most of his career in Germany with Borussia Dortmund, Bayer Uerdingen and Fortuna Düsseldorf before moving into coaching. He managed the Icelandic national side between 2000 and 2003.[1][2]

Jóhannes died in Glasgow in January 2021 from COVID-19.[5] He was 70.[2][6][7][8]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "News Archive". Bob Dunning 1970-71 Football review. 30 September 2005. Archived from the original on 12 October 2013. Retrieved 5 October 2013.
  2. ^ a b c d Haukur Harðarson (24 January 2021). "Jóhannes Eðvaldsson látinn". RÚV (in Icelandic). Retrieved 24 January 2021.
  3. ^ a b "Jóhannes Eðvaldsson". Neil Brown player Records. Retrieved 5 October 2013.
  4. ^ Passo Alpuin, Luis Fernando; Nygård, Jostein (25 April 2013). "Iceland – Record International Players". RSSSF. Retrieved 5 October 2013.
  5. ^ "Tragic News as Johannes "Shuggy" Edvaldsson Has Passed Away". 24 January 2021.
  6. ^ Kristinn Páll Teitsson (25 January 2021). "Fyrrum liðsfélagar minnast Jóhannesar sem lést úr COVID". Fréttablaðið (in Icelandic). Retrieved 5 September 2021.
  7. ^ Hörður Snævar Jónsson (25 January 2021). "COVID-19 var banamein Jóhannesar – Margir minnast hans með fallegum orðum". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). Retrieved 5 September 2021.
  8. ^ "Tragic News As Johannes "Shuggy" Edvaldsson Has Passed Away". OneFootball. 24 January 2021. Retrieved 5 September 2021.