The Saturday Interview

FISHERMEN the length and breadth of Iceland will down their nets at 3pm on Monday and huddle around the nearest TV set to watch Bolton Wanderers play-off final with Watford at Wembley.

One of their most famous footballing sons will fulfil a childhood dream when he steps out under the shadow of the famous Twin Towers.

But don't expect iceman Eidur Gudjohnsen to melt in the pressure-cooker atmosphere of a play-off final.

He might be only 19, but the blond bombshell has a maturity beyond his tender years.

Already in a remarkable career, he's played alongside Ronaldo, experienced the thrill of a European Cup tie in the Nou Camp, and made a piece of footballing history as unique as Manchester United's treble.

Yet the magic of a Wembley appearance is sure to still send a shiver down his spine.

"To play at Wembley is a dream come true - it's legendary all over the world," said Gudjohnsen.

"I've played in European Cup ties and, at the time, they were very big to me as well.

"But after all my injuries this will be the biggest game."

At the age of 15, Gudjohnsen was the hottest property in Icelandic football, the Scandinavian equivalent of Michael Owen.

His father, Arnor, was one of the biggest legends the country had ever seen after a glittering career with Belgium giants Anderlecht.

Eidur seemed destined to follow in his footsteps from the day he scored all five goals in Brussegem's 5-1 win over an Anderlecht youth team at the age of 11.

He played for the Icelandic Under 16s at the age of 13. And two years later he made his first team debut in his country's premier division with Valur Reykjavik and was voted the most talented player in the league after scoring eight goals in 14 games in a struggling side.

"At the time I didn't think too much of it.

"But, when I look at boys who are 15 now, I sometimes think I must have been a bit bigger and stronger than everyone else."

In the autumn of 1994, PSV Eindhoven scout Gerrit van Tilburg spotted the young striker playing in a tournament in Malta, where he picked up the player of the tournament award.

PSV manager Frank Arnesen acted on his scouting report and beat off a host of Europe's top clubs to his signature.

With the likes of Ronaldo and Luc Nilis already on the books, though, his chances of a first team birth seemed limited.

But he continued to develop in the club's reserve side and, after a couple of injuries robbed new manager Dick Advocaat of his senior strikers, he finally made the breakthrough in January 1996.

His PSV debut came as a substitute in a game against NAC Breda. And he scored his first goal in his first full start in the 6-0 thrashing of Volendam.

But his biggest night came two months later when he replaced Rene Eijkelkamp as a second half substitute in PSV's European Cup tie with Barcelona in the Nou Camp.

"That was amazing. The atmosphere was incredible, just like it was on TV for the Manchester United game this week.

"I only played for a few minutes but just being there and being involved was brilliant."

It was around the same time that he and his father also wrote themselves into the history books.

Never before had a father and son played on the same international team together.

But when Eidur was called up to the full Iceland squad for a match in Estonia, 34-year-old Arnor was also in the 22.

Camera crews descended on the tiny Talin stadium, waiting to capture the historical event.

But only father Gudjohnsen started the game and Eidur was left on the bench until he replaced his dad in the second half for his first full international cap.

They might not have played together, but it was the first time ever a son had replaced his father in an international.

"It was a big moment in football history. One that made me very proud.

"But I would have liked to have started the game with him because we haven't played together since."

Little did he know that disaster lurked just around the corner. On tour in Ireland with Iceland's Under 18 squad during the summer, a crunching tackle from behind left him with a badly broken ankle and ligament damage.

Initially, he thought he'd be out for four months but the injury was slow to heal and the club doctor at the Dutch giants said he would never play again and recommended PSV didn't renew his contract.

They took his advice and Eidur returned to Iceland.

"It had been going on for so long I was actually glad to be going home.

"I always knew I would come back, though, because I had the confidence."

That comeback came with Bolton last summer, ironically on a tour of Ireland.

After scoring a goal in a trial game against Waterford, manager Colin Todd moved swiftly to offer him a permanent deal.

And though his first team chances were initially limited as he battled back to fitness, the Bolton boss decided to bring him in from the cold during the last few weeks and it has paid dividends.

Five goals in 11 appearances, four as sub, catapulted Wanderers into the play-offs

And now they stand just one step away from the promised land of the Premier League.

It's no wonder then that Eidur is enjoying his time in English football. He's found it easy to settle, especially after fellow countrymen Gudni Bergsson and Arnar Gunnlaugson were already at The Reebok before he arrived.

Gunnlaugson has since moved to Leicester but it's Gudjohnsen who remains the big fish in his native land.

After three championship titles and two Belgium Cup wins in his seven seasons with Anderlecht, his 37-year-old dad remains one of Iceland's greatest footballing exports of all time.

And the whole country will be willing Eidur on against Watford on Monday to see if that legacy can live on.

"They'll have a big screen up in some of the pubs back home, I'm sure, because English football is very popular over there.

"I just hope I give them something to cheer.

"I think I've shown I have it in me to become a really good player but I still need to carry on and get there."

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.