Grétar Steinsson

His breakthrough in the first team attracted interest from European clubs, such as Heerenveen, 1860 Munich and Sheffield United.

Grétar Rafn Steinsson (born 9 January 1982) is an Icelandic former professional footballer who played as a right back.

Born in Siglufjörður, Grétar was spotted playing football when he was playing "seven-a-side football in the tiny fishing village" in his hometown, leading him to joining a youth team.

Grétar started his career with local team KS in Siglufjörður, where he was a student at the time.

before joining ÍA Akranes in 2000.

Grétar made his ÍA Akranes debut in the opening game of the season, in a 1–0 win over KF on 18 May 2000.

Until the end of 2000, he went on to make 13 appearances, while he was captain for the youth side.

The following 2001 season saw Grétar establish himself in the first team.

He started the season well, scoring three times in the first five league matches.

He later scored three more goals, including a brace against Valur on 13 August 2001.

His performances at ÍA Akranes earned him a two–year contract extension.

Grétar finished the season making 31 appearances and scored 7 times in the season while his club won the Icelandic title.

He was also awarded the Most Promising Player and Team of the Year at the ceremony.

In the 2002 season, Grétar retained his place in the first team and scored on 29 May 2002, in a 3–1 win over Grindavík.

By the end of the 2002 season, Grétar had made the total of 31 appearances and scoring 2 times in all competitions.

After the 2003 season, during which he scored two goals 17 appearances,

After Grétar could not agree on a contract with ÍA Akranes, he moved abroad joining Swiss club BSC Young Boys on 24 July 2004, with the move taking effect the following January.

Upon joining the club, the length of his contract length was revealed as two years.

Grétar made his Young Boys debut playing 22 minutes after coming on as a substitute in a 1–1 draw against Grasshoppers on 27 February 2005.

He scored his first Young Boys goal in his first start for the side, in a 1–1 draw against Basel on 17 April 2005.

This was followed by a goal in a 2–2 draw against St. Gallen.

He added his third goal for the club on 18 May 2005, in a 3–2 win over Grasshoppers.

By the end of the season, Grétar had made 15 appearances scoring three times.

In the 2005–06 season, Grétar became a first team regular for the side, making 8 appearances at the start of the season.

He also scored in both legs against Lokeren in the UEFA Cup.

It was announced on 31 August 2005 that Grétar signed for AZ Alkmaar as a replacement for Jan Kromkamp.

Grétar made his AZ Alkmaar debut on 15 September 2005, starting the whole match in a right–back position, in a 5–3 loss to Krylia Sovetov Samara in a UEFA Cup Match.

He then made his league debut, coming on as a late substitute and played 6 minutes, in a 4–2 win over Ajax on 18 September 2005.

He then scored his first goal for AZ Alkmaar on 23 October 2005, in a 5–1 win over Willem II.

He scored again on 18 December 2005, in a 3–0 win over RKC Waalwijk.

Grétar scored again on 4 February 2006, in a 1–1 draw against Vitesse.

After missing out three league matches in March, due to international commitment, Grétar scored on his return on 12 March 2006, in a 3–1 win over Willem II.

Despite being out of the first team on three occasions, Grétar finished his first season at AZ Alkmaar, making a total of 28 appearances and scoring 4 times.

In the 2006–07 season, Grétar missed the start of the season, due to being on the substitute bench.

Despite this, Grétar managed to regain his first team place and scored his first goal of the season, in a 2–0 win over Sparta Rotterdam on 14 October 2006.

After being featured in a handful of first team appearances in the first half of the season, He scored again on 30 November 2006, in a 2–2 draw against Slovan Liberec.

His performance in December 2006 led him to be linked a move to Hearts, a move he described it as a "step backwards" on his career.

However, Grétar suffered a shoulder injury during a 2–1 win over Sevilla in a UEFA Cup match on 15 December 2006.

After the match, it was announced that Grétar would be out throughout the rest of 2006 but expects to return in the winter break.

After returning to the first team from injury in January, he regained his defensive position in the first team before rested for a match against Utrecht ahead of a UEFA Cup match against Newcastle United.