Hólmbert Aron Briem Friðjónsson (born 19 April 1993) is an Icelandic professional footballer for South Korean football club Gwangju FC and who plays as a striker.
Club career In July 2011 Hólmbert transferred to Fram Reykjavík after making his mark as a young player with HK in the Icelandic second tier.
Keflavík-born Hólmbert emerged as a stand out player during the 2013 season and his 10 goals were crucial to help Fram Reykjavík avoid relegation from the Icelandic top league. The player also scored three times for the team in the Icelandic Cup, which helped them win the competition for the first time in 24 years. Hólmbert scored Fram's first goal in the Cup final, a 3–3 draw with Stjarnan, then converted his kick as Fram won on a penalty shootout, in a game that he described as "the highlight of my career".
After trials in the Netherlands with Heracles and in Scotland with Celtic, Hólmbert signed a four-year deal to join the Glasgow giants, for a fee of around £100,000. Although officially signing for the team on 1 January 2014 for the next transfer window, the player started training with his new club at the beginning of December 2013. Hólmbert made the decision to join the Scottish club after speaking to teammates Steven Lennon and Alan Lowing who both played previously in the Scottish Premiership.
Hólmbert joined Danish Superliga club Brøndby on loan in September 2014, after failing to feature in any competitive games for Celtic. During the loan, Hólmbert made eleven league appearances, scoring one goal. After returning to Celtic, he was released on 2 July 2015 without ever making a first team appearance. The same day, it was announced that he was returning to Iceland to play for KR Reykjavík on a 2.5-year contract. On 1 August 2016, he signed for Stjarnan on a loan deal for the remainder of the season. He then made the move permanent after the season.
On 5 October 2020, he joined Italian club Brescia.
In June 2021 it was announced Hólmbert would join 2. Bundesliga side Holstein Kiel for the 2021–22 season. In the first half of the season, he struggled with injuries and played just 82 minutes.
In January 2022 Hólmbert moved to Eliteserien club Lillestrøm SK on loan until the end of the year.
At the start of the 2024–25 season he moved to 2. Bundesliga side Preußen Münster.
On 6 August 2025, he moved to South Korean K League 1 club Gwangju FC.
International career Hólmbert received his first call-up for the Iceland national team on 16 January 2015 in a friendly against Canada. He scored his first goal on 19 January 2015 in their return friendly against Canada.
Career statistics Club
+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competitionClubSeasonLeagueNational cupContinentalTotalDivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsHK20101. deild karla19400–194201110310–113Total2971000307Fram2011Úrvalsdeild9000–90201213120–1512013211053–2613Total431173005014Celtic2013–14Scottish Premiership00000000Brøndby (loan)2014–15Danish Superliga11120–131KR2015Úrvalsdeild103222014520161001032142Total2033252287Stjarnan (loan)2016Úrvalsdeild9200–92Stjarnan2017Úrvalsdeild191140202511Aalesund2018Norwegian First Division281910–2919201924633–2792020Eliteserien151100–1511Total673643007139Brescia2020–21Serie B9000–90Holstein Kiel2021–222. Bundesliga4010–502022–238200–822023–2414122–163Total2633200295Lillestrøm SK (loan)2022Eliteserien2753143349Preußen Münster2024–252. Bundesliga23300–233Gwangju FC2025K League 19231–123202616100–161Total2533100284Career total308853012115349102
International Scores and results list Iceland's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Hólmbert goal.
+ List of international goals scored by Hólmbert FriðjónssonNo.DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition1 19 January 2015 UCF Soccer and Track Stadium, Orlando 1–1 1–1 Friendly 2 8 September 2020 King Baudouin Stadium, Brussels, Belgium 1–0 1–5 2020–21 UEFA Nations League A
References
External links