Gudjohnsens back at Stamford Bridge and ready to beat Chelsea
Eidur Gudjohnsen with son Andri, who faces Chelsea on Thursday
- Published
There are images of a four-year-old Andri Gudjohnsen celebrating the 2005 Premier League title win with his father on the pitch at Stamford Bridge.
Now 22 and returning as a striker for KAA Gent, the Iceland international will on Thursday play at the 40,000-seater capacity stadium where his father made history.
"It's quite typical, wasn't it, to get Chelsea in the draw?" he says.
The Gudjohnsen name is legendary around Stamford Bridge as Eidur helped secure the club's first title in 50 years under Jose Mourinho, which helped kickstart the Roman Abramovich era.
"I remember glimpses of those victories," Andri adds as he also returns to the city where he was born.
He added: "The first thing I did was call my father. He already knew. It's special for me and for him. I was born when my father played there; it's kind of a unique draw."
Of course, not only are Chelsea part of the Gudjohnsen family history, but they are the highest-ranked team in the Conference League and will be a huge test for a developing football talent in the Belgian league.
Andri Gudjohnsen joined Gent this summer
Three generations of footballers
The Gudjohnsens have all been forwards, inspired by the goalscoring feats of the previous generation.
Arnor: The grandfather, regarded as a legend at Anderlecht.
Eidur: Iceland’s most famous and successful player, now watching his sons with pride.
Sveinn: Eldest son, playing in Norway with Sarpsborg in a career spanning six countries.
Andri: Middle son - a striker who signed for Gent this season.
Daniel: Youngest son, currently at Swedish club Malmo.
Andri continues, refering to his grandfather's spell at Anderlecht and his dad's at Club Brugge: "It's just strange, really, that three generations of a Gudjohnsen player also end up here in the Belgian League and in one of the big teams.
"I wanted to be a goalkeeper when I was younger, but I think seeing my dad score a lot of goals throughout his career probably just inspired us boys.
"We want to score also, and to be kind of the main man up front, the one who scores all the goals. So yeah, it's probably just something that was passed on down the generations."
Eidur came on for his father when making his international debut. He was also assistant manager when Sveinn set up a goal for Andri in 2021, but being from a footballing family has its pitfalls.
"My father, for example, in Iceland, could barely go out on to the streets without people asking for pictures and signatures, and also in Chelsea and Barcelona. But at the end of the day he was just my dad to me. It's just something that you grow up with.
"My oldest brother perhaps took the biggest hits when it came to being compared to our father since he was the first born.
"You kind of get used to it, and you learn how to deal with it."
Talking about his father's influence, Andri adds: "He's found a kind of good balance between not being too critical or too involved in our business when it comes to football, but also being there for us when we need support or his advice."
Andri's career so far
Andri Gudjohnsen with Real Madrid legend Raul
Remarkably, Andri was educated in both the Barcelona and Real Madrid academies during his youth career, never training at Chelsea despite interest from English clubs.
It meant training under Madrid's legendary striker Raul in the B team and getting to meet Lionel Messi, Ronaldinho, Samuel Eto'o, Xavi and Andres Iniesta while his father was at Camp Nou.
The middle Gudjohnsen son had a turbulent summer as Danish club Lyngby triggered his release clause after a successful loan spell from IFK Norrkoping, before Gent swooped in to sign him less than two months later, which represents an important step in his footballing development.
Gent have lost only three of their 15 games this season in all competitions and are also one of the strongest teams in this competition.
“This is a game that any footballer wants to play," Andri says. "We're all excited and we go there with the mindset of taking something out of it.
"We have high expectations this season. We're putting together a young squad full of potential.
"We want to go as far as we possibly can, both in the league and in the Conference League.
"I think we have the quality, the players and the will to do very good things this season."