They amazed Europe by qualifying for EURO 2016 and reaching the quarterfinals. It was a football miracle.
How do you describe what the Icelandic national team did? No, it's not a miracle anymore, it's a serious football story.
You don't go to the World Cup by chance, by a combination of circumstances, but with good games, quality, faith in your own abilities...
"Now definitely no one can say that we are so small, or whatever, that we would qualify for the biggest competition. Maybe someone thought we were at the European Championship by chance, now there are no more coincidences. We have shown that everything is possible in football and that this is a magical sport," says Iceland coach Heimir Halgrimson, in response to questions that "Vijesti" asked him via e-mail.
Contact with him was provided by his former associate, now coach of Budućnost Dragan Kažić.
Iceland, an unusual and isolated country, was on the football sidelines for many years. It was not so long ago, only a decade passed, when the national team lost to Liechtenstein 3:0. Four years later, he was ranked 112th in the FIFA rankings.
Then came the "miracle worker" - Lars Lagerbek, an experienced Swede, a man with an idea and a vision.
"He was a key figure. He had vast tactical knowledge, which he adapted to our natural physical constitution and strength. He worked hard, every day, he got everything positive. We learned from him," says Halgrimson, who has been Lagerback's associate since 2011, and after the European Championship, his successor.
"That was the plan, I think it's a normal process. I was maximally prepared for what awaited me, because I had a great man and a coach with me," says Halgrimson.
Iceland's football revolution began at the beginning of the 21st century, when the country was required to expand in the construction of football infrastructure.
Due to the climatic conditions, until then, playing football was limited to only a few months - from late spring to early autumn. There are now 179 football pitches in Iceland, and many of them are fully covered, air-conditioned and usable throughout the 12 months.
"That was the initial step. Nothing would be possible without the conditions for football. Now we have 23 thousand registered soccer players, almost every tenth inhabitant of Iceland plays soccer and has all the conditions for it," says Halgrimson.
He does not want to go into the story of how much the mentality and sports culture, which exists in Iceland, affected the results of the national team.
"These are immeasurable categories," says Halgrimson.
Knowledge cannot be measured either, but education is an important factor.
"We have done a lot on that issue. Clubs have realized how important it is to follow trends, gather knowledge, and coaches have realized that this is the only way they can keep up with the times. We were all on the same task," highlights Halgrimson, who obtained his UEFA Pro license in England.
The team that qualified for two major competitions in a row is composed mainly of the most talented players Iceland has ever had, who developed precisely with the development of football in that country - Sigurðsson, Sigtorsson, Finbogason, Margnusson, Arnason...
"During the World Cup qualifiers, we were lucky that our most important players were at a high level in every match. Their performance is very important, because throughout the cycle we stuck to our basic characteristics - good organization and team spirit," Halgrimson points out, emphasizing:
"I don't think any team in the world has such a team spirit as ours. If we can say that we stand out from the rest because of something - then it is our togetherness."
There is one more thing – the fans. There were almost 30 thousand of them in France last year, there will be even more in Russia.
“They are something special. Their help is invaluable. They are part of us. They started this path of success with us and we must never forget that," said Halgrimsson, who even today, before games, talks about football and ordinary people in Icelandic pubs.
What will he tell them before the trip to Russia?
"That we will go to win every match, as we have done so far. We know that we are not the best in the world, we have to be humble, but our goals don't have to," Halgrimson concluded.
MESSAGE FOR MONTENEGRO
With just over 300 inhabitants, Iceland is the smallest country to have a national team at the World Cup. Until now it was Trinidad and Tobago, which has four times the population.
The association with Montenegro is logical - what kind of advice is coming to us from Iceland?
"Plan ahead, invest in infrastructure and, most importantly, in people - coaches, officials, clubs, administration... Football is teamwork at all levels. Let the whole of Montenegro be like a football family. Be dedicated, focus and you will surely do something great", said Halgrimson.
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