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It was June 28, 2016 . The Allianz Riviera moved into delirium as the ‘Viking clap’ made its first foray into the footballing world. Iceland had trumped England 2-1, their first major international victory. It was the birth of a nation – one madly in love with the game. The world stood still in awe of their commitment as the newbies took their first steps to rise above mediocrity.
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The world froze again two years later as this time Iceland held two-time world champions Argentina — a team that had the world’s best player in Lionel Messi — to an inspiring draw at the grandest stage. Winter had come and Iceland had truly arrived, to where they belong. The ”Viking clap’ was here to stay.
In fact, ‘La Albiceleste‘ had 27 shots on goal, 11 of which came from Messi – including a missed penalty – but not a goal to his name. It showed that the now famous victory over England was not a fluke, but a predicament of things to come.
“We have earned the right to be there, just like anyone else. We are not only representing Iceland, we are representing Europe,” head coach Heimir Hallgrímsson had said after his team qualified for the World Cup. “We’ve beaten big nations to be there so why can’t we achieve something like anyone else?”
It is said that every night before a home game Hallgrimsson will go to a bar and announce his team sheet to to the fans, well before he presents it to the world. Both parties in return keep the matter private. “My people should know the players and our approach to the game.”
What it did was, it gained their support but most importantly it gained their faith. Almost 8% of the 3,50000 population travelled to France to watch their match against England, while 98% of their people were glued to television sets, to witness the historic encounter. Iceland had rattled the English, just as they unsettled the South-American giants three nights ago. It was staggering to the world but ordinary to many that had seen the team rise from rank 134 in 2012 to 22 at the present.
More so for a team that has a semi-professional coach who is a dentist, a goalkeeper, also working as a film director and another who worked as a salt-packer before coming to Russia. Five other players work as medical doctors and if one scrutinise this team, most have a separate job that they do.
“This is normal for an Icelander, you know? More normal than going to the World Cup,” said defender Birkir Saevarsson in a talk with Associated Press.
Or even more to a country that has just a handful of professional footballers and one that cannot built an outdoor stadium. The wind is so strong and harsh that balls change directions at will and in a months time the pitches disappear in snow. But what it failed to dampen was their indomitable spirit, the ‘Islenska geoveikin’ ( Icelandic madness), that broke through the snowy landscape as if a volcanic eruption was taking place.
The government built indoor dome structures and artificial pitches so that youngsters could play football even during winter. “Every village wanted an artificial pitch, and by now there is one field close to almost every school in Iceland,” said Hallgrímsson to BBC Sport.
Many among the 23 players in Russia have grown up playing in those artificial pitches and were part of the team that made history by qualifying for the European U-21 Championships in 2011 – the nation’s first excursion into any major international tournament. They are called the “Indoor Kids” – Kids that reinforced belief in the famous story of David and Goliath.
Four years later they are dancing in the world’s biggest extravaganza, partially weaving magic in the streets of Russia and may completely takeover in another few nights.
From an handball loving country to a nation with the ball at its feet, they have held their own in competing against the best and will continue to do so, standing apart from the rest.
If surprises came in boxes, Iceland will perhaps have too many of them, to fit into a truck. For such is this country of 3, 50000 people, smaller than that in Buenos Aires or in London. Almost 20 hours of winter nights in this land are spent in darkness and while daylight hours increases by 1-3 minutes every summer, it is just the opposite during cold.
But how can a country, where a game of football is ‘like the meeting of a group of friends’, not overcome the wrath of nature? They may not have the skill-set and pool of talent like many of their competitors, but self-belief and unity have and perhaps, will always carry them forward.
This is the story of Iceland – the smallest nation by population to play in world cup – a land full of surprises. For it is one thing to do it once but to raise yourself and do it again, is quite another. As the nation soaks in the joy of a grand beginning, they know they have to pull off such Herculean tasks in the future. But they will not back down, for they have held their own at times when the world gets small.
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