Valur Reykjavik
Wikipedia - Valur (men's football)
The Valur men's football team, commonly known as Valur, is the men's football department of the Knattspyrnufélagið Valur multi-sport club. It is based in Reykjavík, Iceland, and currently plays in the Besta deild karla, the top league of men's football in Iceland. The team plays it home games at Hlíðarendi in Reykjavík. The team's colours are red and white. Valur has spent most of its time in the top-flight of Icelandic football, spending only three seasons outside the top tier. Valur is one of the most successful football clubs in Iceland, with 23 Icelandic championships. It holds the record attendance for a football match in Iceland, with 18,243 spectators in attendance for their match against Benfica in 1968.
Valur participated in the Icelandic men's soccer tournament for the first time in 1915 and won the Icelandic championship for the first time in 1930. In total, it has won the Icelandic championship 23 times, the most recent success being in 2020.
In a reshape in the fall of 2022, following a disappointing season, Valur appointed Arnar Grétarsson as manager soon after he was sacked as manager of KA Akureyri, after having notable success as manager in the northern capital the Icelandic giants hope to bring stability to their setup. Along with Arnar Grétarsson Valur appointed Sigurður Höskuldsson former manager of Leiknir Reykjavík as assistant manager.
After the 2022/2023 season, Sigurður Höskuldsson and Valur parted ways, with Sigurður taking the manager job of Þór Akureyri. Valur appointed former captain Haukur Páll Sigurðsson| as assistant manager.
In March 2024 the club signed Icelandic international Gylfi Sigurdsson on a two year contract, a move widely regarded as the biggest signing of an Icelandic club. this signing signalled the clubs intentions of a championship run for the 2024 season.
Valur har deltagit i europeiska tävlingar vid flera tillfällen, inklusive UEFA Champions League och UEFA Europa League. Klubben har också producerat flera landslagsspelare, bland annat Eiður Guðjohnsen, Hermann Hreiðarsson och Kolbeinn Sigþórsson.
Valur är känd för sin starka ungdomsakademi och har producerat många talangfulla spelare som har gått vidare till att spela på högsta nivå. Klubben har en stark supporterbas och är en populär destination för fotbollsfans på Island.