Freyr Alexandersson (born 18 November 1982) is an Icelandic football coach and former player who was most recently [1] the head coach of the Belgian Pro League club Kortrijk. He was the manager of the Icelandic women's national football team from 2013 to 2018.[2]

Freyr Alexandersson
Freyr at the 2015 Algarve Cup
Personal information
Date of birth (1982-11-18) 18 November 1982 (age 42)
Place of birth Reykjavík, Iceland
Position(s) Defender
Youth career
0000–2001 Leiknir Reykjavík
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2001–2007 Leiknir Reykjavík 72 (1)
2008 KB 1 (0)
Total 73 (1)
Managerial career
2008 Valur (women)
2009–2010 Valur (women)
2011–2012 Valur (assistant)
2013–2015 Leiknir Reykjavík
2013–2018 Iceland women
2018–2020 Iceland (assistant)
2021–2024 Lyngby Boldklub
2024 Kortrijk
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Playing career

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Freyr came up through the junior ranks of Leiknir Reykjavík where he played 81 league and cup matches.[3]

Managerial career

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Freyr started his coaching career as a girls youth team coach at Leiknir Reykjavík. In 2006 he started as a youth coach for girls at Valur.[4]

Valur women's and men's team

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Freyr assisted Valur women's team manager Elísabet Gunnarsdóttir in the summer of 2007 and in September that year Freyr decided to retire from playing football and became joint manager of Valur women's team alongside Elísabet.[5] Freyr and Elísabet won the Úrvalsdeild kvenna in 2008 and after that season Elísabet departed to Sweden and Freyr took over as manager.[6][7] The next two years Freyr would win the Úrvaldeild two times and also the Icelandic Women's Football Cup two times.[8] After his time at Valur women's Freyr served an assistant manager for Valur men's team for two seasons.[9]

Leiknir Reykjavík

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After having appeared for the club as a player Freyr returned to Leiknir for the 2013 season, this time as joint manager of the 1. deild karla team, alongside Davíð Snorri Jónasson.[10] In their first season Leiknir finished in 7th place.[11] In his second season as joint manager Freyr managed to steer Leiknir to promotion to the first tier of Icelandic football for the first time in Leiknir's 41-year-old history.[12] Winning the 1. deild karla with 48 points.[13] In their first-ever Úrvaldeild karla match on 3 May 2015, Leiknir defeated Valur 3–0 at Hlíðarendi.[14] However they could not manage to keep Leiknir in the Úrvalsdeild and were relegated at the end of the season.[15] In the last game of the season Freyr and Davíð announced that they would not return for the next season.[16]

Icelandic women's national team

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In September 2013, Freyr was appointed manager of the Icelandic women's national team, combining the role with his existing job at 1. deild karla club Leiknir Reykjavík.[17]

With Margrét Lára Viðarsdóttir on maternity leave, Freyr appointed Sara Björk Gunnarsdóttir as Iceland's new team captain in January 2014.[18]

On 4 September 2018, he announced that he was stepping down as manager of the team after it failed to make the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup.[19]

Icelandic men's national team

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Freyr served as a game analyst for the Icelandic men's national team during the 2018 World Cup.[20] On 8 August 2018, Freyr was appointed as assistant manager to the new Icelandic national football team manager Erik Hamrén on a two-year contract.[21]

Lyngby Boldklub

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In June 2021 he became the new manager of the Danish 1st Division club Lyngby Boldklub.[22] With Frey as manager Lyngby Boldklub finished as runner up of the season, earning the club a promotion to the top level in Danish football, Superligaen.[23] In the 2022-23 season Alexandersson's team were last in the table with only one win at the winter break, but completed a comeback and avoided relegation at the last game of the season against fellow relegation candidates AC Horsens.[24]

KV Kortrijk

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On 4 January 2024, it was announced that Alexandersson would become the new coach of K.V. Kortrijk.[25] He was tasked with avoiding relegation for the South West-Flanders based team, which was at that time placed firmly at the bottom of the Jupiler League. Alexandersson and the team succeeded with the mission, as they gained enough points to avoid direct relegation, eventually winning two deciding play-off matches against Lommel to stay in the Belgish top tier.[26]

Honours

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As manager

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Valur women's

Leiknir R.

As player

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Leiknir R.

References

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  1. ^ "Freyr rekinn í Belgíu". www.mbl.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 17 December 2024.
  2. ^ "Fótbolti.net". www.fotbolti.net (in Icelandic). Retrieved 4 May 2020.
  3. ^ Kolbeinn Tumi Daðason (30 August 2013). "Freyr tekur við kvennalandsliðinu". Vísir.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 19 June 2018.
  4. ^ "Valsblaðið - 1. Tölublað (01.05.2006) - Tímarit.is". timarit.is. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
  5. ^ "Fótbolti.net". www.fotbolti.net (in Icelandic). Retrieved 4 May 2020.
  6. ^ "Íslandsmót - Landsbankadeild kvenna - 2008". www.ksi.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 4 May 2020.
  7. ^ "Fótbolti.net". www.fotbolti.net (in Icelandic). Retrieved 4 May 2020.
  8. ^ "Valsblaðið - 1. Tölublað (01.05.2010) - Tímarit.is". timarit.is. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
  9. ^ "Valsblaðið - 64. árgangur 2012 (01.05.2012) - Tímarit.is". timarit.is. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
  10. ^ "Fótbolti.net". www.fotbolti.net (in Icelandic). Retrieved 4 May 2020.
  11. ^ "Íslandsmót - 1. deild karla - 2013". www.ksi.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 4 May 2020.
  12. ^ "Fréttablaðið - 209. tölublað (06.09.2014) - Tímarit.is". timarit.is. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
  13. ^ "Íslandsmót - 1. deild karla - 2014". www.ksi.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 4 May 2020.
  14. ^ "Fótbolti.net". www.fotbolti.net (in Icelandic). Retrieved 4 May 2020.
  15. ^ "Íslandsmót - Pepsi-deild karla - 2015". www.ksi.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 4 May 2020.
  16. ^ "Fótbolti.net". www.fotbolti.net (in Icelandic). Retrieved 4 May 2020.
  17. ^ Stefánsson, Stefán (2 September 2013). "Ambitious Alexandersson takes Iceland post". Reykjavik: UEFA. Retrieved 5 March 2015.
  18. ^ "Freyr Alexandersson í viðtali" (in Icelandic). Leiknir.com. 13 January 2014. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 5 March 2015.
  19. ^ Henry Birgir Gunnarsson (4 September 2018). "Freyr hættur að þjálfa landsliðið". Vísir.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 4 September 2018.
  20. ^ Ingvi Þór Sæmundsson (19 June 2018). "Eins nálægt alsælu og þú kemst". Vísir.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 19 June 2018.
  21. ^ "Fótbolti.net". www.fotbolti.net (in Icelandic). Retrieved 4 May 2020.
  22. ^ "Lyngby hyrer islænding som ny cheftræner" (in Danish). bold.dk. 22 June 2021. Retrieved 28 June 2021.
  23. ^ "Lyngby er tilbage i Superligaen trods uafgjort". bold.dk. 23 May 2022. Retrieved 14 July 2022.
  24. ^ "Lyngby overlever i Superligaen" [Lyngby survives in the Superliga]. Tipsbladet.dk. Retrieved 14 June 2023.
  25. ^ "IJslander Freyr Alexandersson wordt de nieuwe coach van KV Kortrijk". HLN (in Dutch). Retrieved 4 January 2024.
  26. ^ Williams, Glen. "European manager admits he 'would love to manage Cardiff City' amid Erol Bulut delay". WalesOnline. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
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