Quote:
Originally Posted by RainMaker
Is there a story somewhere on how they got so good at soccer? It's just amazing for a country that size that doesn't seem to produce that many global stars.
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On the pitch: "Golden Generation" (people overlook they also almost qualified in 2014, loosing out in the Playoffs to Croatia), lots of players making great career choices and not at all hesitant to move abroad, very few injuries it seems, unorthodox tactical style which a lot of teams and their players rarely if ever face at national or club level. (flat 442 with physical wingers and lots and lots of aerial balls)
Off the pitch: As a country/federation, starting about in 2000, they also started to a) install astroturf everywhere and b) build several full-size indoor fields across the country. You can't overstate the importance of this in a country that's basically "blessed" with a half year long winter.
So obviously the fact that Iceland is well off economically and that the technology became available helped alot. But there has been a concious decision to develop at the base and infrastructure rather than foolishly attempt to bolster the national league. They also by now have the highest concentration of UEFA-qualified coaches per capita (i think) and that also started to develop in the early 00s.
Be interesting what happens after the current crop ages, about half the current squad are near or above 30. But even if they go through a few struggles, they'll still be way, way ahead of the other small countries in Europe.
Decent article:
Euro 2016: The story of Iceland's unlikely footballing revolutionÂ*
Nice little video :
The Vikings’ Shocking Euro Run: The Unbelievable Rise of Icelandic Soccer - YouTube