Wikipedia

Maria Thorisdottir

This is an Icelandic name. The last name is patronymic, not a family name; this person is referred to by the given name Maria.

Maria Thorisdottir (Icelandic: Maria Þórisdóttir; born 5 June 1993) is a Norwegian professional footballer who plays as a defender for Brighton & Hove Albion of the English Women's Super League and the Norway national team.[2] Prior to fully focusing on football, she also played handball in the Eliteserien for Sola and Stabæk.[3][4]

Maria Thorisdottir
Thorisdottir with Manchester United in 2023
Personal information
Date of birth (1993-06-05) 5 June 1993 (age 31)
Place of birth Stavanger, Norway[1]
Height 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)
Position(s) Defender
Team information
Current team
 Brighton & Hove Albion
Number 2
Youth career
Klepp
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2010–2017 Klepp 71 (8)
2012 Klepp II 1 (0)
2017–2021 Chelsea 22 (1)
2021–2023 Manchester United 31 (1)
2023– Brighton & Hove Albion 26 (0)
International career‡
2008 Norway U15 2 (0)
2008–2009 Norway U16 16 (6)
2009–2010 Norway U17 8 (0)
2010–2011 Norway U19 17 (1)
2012 Norway U20 5 (0)
2015 Norway U23 3 (0)
2015– Norway 71 (3)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 8 November 2024
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 16 July 2024

Club career

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Klepp

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Thorisdottir began her career at Norwegian first division team Klepp IL. Originally a midfielder or striker within the Klepp youth system, she first transitioned to centre-back while with the youth national team.[4] She made her senior debut as a 66th-minute substitute on 5 April 2010 in a 0–0 draw with Amazon Grimstad.[5] She scored her first goal for the club on 29 August 2010, a 90th-minute consolation goal in a 3–1 defeat to Arna-Bjørnar.[6]

In September 2012 Thorisdottir decided to retire from football due to injury, most notably citing her struggle with patellar tendinitis.[7] During this spell she began playing handball, signing for Stabæk in June 2013.[8]

In 2014, Thorisdottir made the decision to return to football and began training with Klepp again. Two years since her last appearance she made her comeback on 6 August 2014, starting in a 1–0 Norwegian Cup victory over Arna-Bjørnar.[9] In August 2015 Thorisdottir was sidelined again, this time with a torn ankle ligament. Close to a return, Thorisdottir suffered a further setback when doctors picked up a rare and complicated issue with the foot that would be "potentially career-threatening" if left untreated.[10] She underwent surgery in November 2015, keeping her out for the 2016 season.[7][11]

A perpetual mid-table team during her tenure, Klepp earned their highest finish position in 12 seasons when Thorisdottir returned in 2017, ending the season in fourth-place in her final season with the club.[12]

Chelsea

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In September 2017, Thorisdottir left Klepp to sign a two-year contract with English FA WSL team Chelsea.[13] She made her first appearance for the club on 24 September 2017 in a 6–0 WSL win over Bristol City. In her first season with the club Thorisdottir made 10 league appearances as Chelsea won the 2017–18 FA WSL title.[14] She also made three appearances in the FA Cup including as a substitute in the final as Chelsea beat Arsenal 3–1.[15]

In her second season at Chelsea, Thorisdottir scored her first goal for the club on 12 September 2018 in a UEFA Champions League Round of 32 5–0 victory over SFK 2000 Sarajevo.[16] In October 2018, she suffered a concussion during a game which kept her out until May 2019.[17] In June 2019, she renewed her contract with Chelsea until the summer of 2021.[18][19]

Manchester United

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On 22 January 2021, Thorisdottir signed for Manchester United from Chelsea on a two-and-a-half-year contract with an option to extend for a further year.[20][21] Two weeks later, she made her debut in a 2–0 league defeat to Reading.[22]

Brighton & Hove Albion

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On 30 August 2023, Brighton & Hove Albion announced the signing of Thorisdottir.[23]

International career

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Youth

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Thorisdottir went through all Norwegian junior teams beginning in 2008 at under-15 level. She was part of the under-17 team during 2009 UEFA Women's Under-17 Championship qualification and was called up to the finals in Nyon, Switzerland where Norway finished in fourth place.[24] A year later, she was again part of the under-17s as Norway proceeded to the second round of 2010 UEFA Women's Under-17 Championship qualification before losing out to Germany.

At under-19 level Thorisdottir was part of the team at the 2011 UEFA Women's Under-19 Championship, reaching the tournament final before losing 8–1 to Germany.[25] The tournament also acted as qualification for the 2012 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup, only the second time Norway had qualified. Thorisdottir was part of the squad in Japan, making three appearances as Norway reached the quarter-finals before meeting Germany again and losing 4–0.[26] Following the tournament, Thorisdottir announced her retirement from football due to injuries.[7] Having reignited her club career with Klepp, she made a return to international football three years later, receiving a call-up to the under-23 team for the La Manga U23 invitational against Japan and the United States in February 2015.[27]

Senior

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On 16 February 2015, Thorisdottir was called-up to the senior team for the first time as part of the 2015 Algarve Cup squad.[28] On 6 March 2015, just four days after appearing for the under-23 team in La Manga, Thorisdottir made her senior international debut starting in a 1–0 victory over Iceland.[29] She had earlier been approached to play for Iceland but turned it down in the hope of making the Norwegian team.[30][31] Despite this she described how special it was to debut against the country of her father's birth that she visited every summer to stay with her grandparents.[32]

On 14 May 2015, she was named to the squad for the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup.[33] After sitting out the opening group game, she made her World Cup debut in a 1–1 draw with Germany.[34] Norway progressed from the group stage before being eliminated by England in the Round of 16.[35] Despite missing the entire qualification campaign with injuries, Thorisdottir was named in the squad for UEFA Women's Euro 2017.[36] Having at least reached the semi-finals in the past four editions, Norway surprisingly crashed out bottom of the group having lost all three games, the first time they had failed to pick up any points at the tournament.[37] Thorisdottir played the full 90 minutes in group games against both eventual finalist Denmark and Netherlands. In January 2018, she scored her first senior international goal in a 3–0 friendly win over Scotland.[38] Having stayed fit enough to start all 8 of Norway's 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification matches in which the team topped a group including the Netherlands, Thorisdottir was named to the final tournament squad in May 2019.[39] She played every minute of all five of Norway's games in France before they were once again eliminated by England, this time at the quarter-final stage.[40][41]

Thorisdottir was part of the squad that was called up to the UEFA Women's Euro 2022.[42]

Personal life

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Thorisdottir was born in Norway to a Norwegian mother and an Icelandic father, Þórir Hergeirsson,[43] appointed coach of the Norway women's national handball team in 2009.[27][44] Her father's extended family lives in Iceland.[32]

During her childhood, she was part of a juggling group and performed with different companies.[45]

Thorisdottir got a golden retriever called Theo in 2015 and has regularly commented on the positive impact owning a dog has had on her mental health, especially during the two-year spell she had battling frequent injuries.[46][47]

Career statistics

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Club

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As of 8 November 2024[48][49]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup[a] League cup[b] Continental[c] Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Klepp 2010 Toppserien 17 1 0 0 — — 17 1
2011 14 4 1 0 — — 15 4
2012 7 1 0 0 — — 7 1
2013 0 0 0 0 — — 0 0
2014 5 0 1 0 — — 6 0
2015 14 1 2 1 — — 16 2
2016 0 0 0 0 — — 0 0
2017 14 1 3 0 — — 17 1
Total 71 8 7 1 — — 78 9
Chelsea 2017–18 FA WSL 10 0 3 0 4 0 7 0 24 0
2018–19 5 0 0 0 3 0 2 1 10 1
2019–20 5 1 0 0 3 0 — 8 1
2020–21 2 0 0 0 2 0 1 0 5 0
Total 22 1 3 0 12 0 10 1 47 2
Manchester United 2020–21 WSL 6 0 2 0 0 0 — 8 0
2021–22 20 1 2 0 5 0 — 27 1
2022–23 5 0 1 0 4 0 — 10 0
Total 31 1 5 0 9 0 — 45 1
Brighton & Hove Albion 2023–24 WSL 20 0 2 0 4 0 — 26 0
2024–25 6 0 0 0 0 0 — 6 0
Total 26 0 2 0 4 0 — 32 0
Career total 150 10 17 1 25 0 10 1 202 12
  1. ^ Includes NM Kvinner and FA Cup
  2. ^ Includes FA Women's League Cup
  3. ^ Includes Champions League

International

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As of match played 16 July 2024
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
Norway 2015 8 0
2016 0 0
2017 12 0
2018 11 1
2019 10 1
2020 5 0
2021 8 1
2022 10 0
2023 3 0
2024 4 0
Total 71 3
Scores and results list Norway's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Thorisdottir goal.
List of international goals scored by Maria Thorisdottir
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1 19 January 2018 La Manga Stadium, La Manga, Spain   Scotland 3–0 3–0 Friendly
2 4 October 2019 Borisov Arena, Barysaw, Belarus   Belarus 3–1 7–1 Euro 2022 qualifying
3 25 November 2021 Arena Kombëtare, Tirana, Albania   Albania 3–0 7–0 2023 World Cup qualification

Honours

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Chelsea

Manchester United

  • Women's FA Cup runner-up: 2023

References

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  1. ^ "European Handball Federation - Maria Thorisdottir". history.eurohandball.com. Archived from the original on 2 July 2022. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
  2. ^ Anton Ingi Leifsson (9 June 2019). ""70% af jörðinni er þakið vatni, restin er María Þórisdóttir"". Vísir.is (in Icelandic). Archived from the original on 1 July 2019. Retrieved 9 June 2019.
  3. ^ Øyvind Knoph Askeland (13 May 2015). "Håndball-sjefens datter med i VM-troppen: Thorisdottir: – Går aldri tilbake til håndballen". Verdens Gang (in Norwegian). Archived from the original on 9 June 2019. Retrieved 9 June 2019.
  4. ^ a b "Stelpa frá Selfossi í norska landsliðinu í fótbolta". Árborg (in Icelandic). 1 July 2008. Archived from the original on 9 June 2019. Retrieved 9 June 2019.
  5. ^ Fotballforbund, Norges. "Klepp - Amazon Grimstad - 05.04.2010 15.00". fotball.no - Norges Fotballforbund (in Norwegian). Archived from the original on 2 July 2022. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
  6. ^ Fotballforbund, Norges. "Klepp - Arna-Bjørnar - 29.08.2010 15.00". fotball.no - Norges Fotballforbund (in Norwegian). Archived from the original on 2 July 2022. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
  7. ^ a b c Larsen, Eirin (23 March 2016). "Karrieren kan være over for Maria Thorisdottir". NRK (in Norwegian). Archived from the original on 13 February 2022. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
  8. ^ Gulbrandsen, Ragnhild (12 June 2013). "Henter landslagssjefens datter". www.budstikka.no (in Norwegian). Archived from the original on 13 February 2022. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
  9. ^ Fotballforbund, Norges. "Klepp - Arna-Bjørnar - 06.08.2014 18.00". fotball.no - Norges Fotballforbund (in Norwegian). Archived from the original on 12 October 2023. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
  10. ^ "Maria Thorisdottir talks about her love for football and willingness to fight for her place on the pitch". VAVEL. 24 September 2018. Archived from the original on 19 April 2021. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
  11. ^ "Thorisdottir operert". NRK (in Norwegian). 13 November 2015. Archived from the original on 13 February 2022. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
  12. ^ "Klepp med imponerende seier – jakter beste plassering på 12 år". www.aftenposten.no (in Norwegian). 8 October 2017. Archived from the original on 12 October 2023. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
  13. ^ "Chelsea sign defender Thorisdottir". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 2 July 2022. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
  14. ^ Brookes, Chris (18 May 2018). "Why Emma Hayes' Chelsea are best FA WSL team in history". SheKicks. Archived from the original on 17 May 2022. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
  15. ^ "Arsenal Women 1-3 Chelsea Ladies". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 13 January 2021. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
  16. ^ "Sarajevo-Chelsea UEFA Women's Champions League". UEFA.com. Archived from the original on 12 October 2023. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
  17. ^ "Fyrsti leikur Maríu í hálft ár". Morgunblaðið (in Icelandic). 8 May 2019. Archived from the original on 9 June 2019. Retrieved 9 June 2019.
  18. ^ Ívan Guðjón Baldursson (15 February 2019). "María Þórisdóttir framlengir við Chelsea". Fótbolti.net (in Icelandic). Archived from the original on 9 June 2019. Retrieved 9 June 2019.
  19. ^ "Maria Thorisdottir: Chelsea Women defender signs new deal to 2021". BBC. 15 February 2019. Archived from the original on 9 June 2019. Retrieved 9 June 2019.
  20. ^ "Man Utd sign Thorisdottir from Chelsea". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 8 January 2023. Retrieved 22 January 2021.
  21. ^ "United Women sign Maria Thorisdottir". www.manutd.com. Archived from the original on 22 January 2021. Retrieved 22 January 2021.
  22. ^ "Manchester United Women 0–2 Reading Women: Royals stun title-chasing United". BBC Sport. 7 February 2021. Archived from the original on 14 February 2021. Retrieved 27 March 2021.
  23. ^ "Thorisdóttir signs for Albion from Manchester United". www.brightonandhovealbion.com. 30 August 2023. Archived from the original on 30 August 2023. Retrieved 30 August 2023.
  24. ^ "European Women U-17 Championship 2008–09". Rsssf.com. 17 September 2010. Archived from the original on 13 July 2022. Retrieved 3 June 2015.
  25. ^ "Women's Under-19 2011 – Norway-Germany –". Uefa.com. 11 June 2011. Archived from the original on 30 October 2019. Retrieved 3 June 2015.
  26. ^ "FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup Japan 2012 – Overview". FIFA.com. Archived from the original on 27 January 2024. Retrieved 3 June 2015.
  27. ^ a b Opsal, Signe; Fossum, Øystein (6 March 2015). "Islandske Maria Thorisdottir (22) debuterte mot Island" (in Norwegian). NRK. Norwegian News Agency. Archived from the original on 10 January 2017. Retrieved 3 June 2015.
  28. ^ "A-landslagstropp til Algarve Cup – fotball.no – Norges Fotballforbund". Fotball.no. Archived from the original on 9 March 2015. Retrieved 3 June 2015.
  29. ^ "María byrjar gegn Íslandi". Morgunblaðið (in Icelandic). 6 March 2015. Archived from the original on 9 June 2019. Retrieved 9 June 2019.
  30. ^ Óskar Ófeigur Jónsson (23 January 2018). "Ísland eða Noregur? María Þórsdóttir í sérstakri stöðu í kvöld". Vísir.is (in Icelandic). Archived from the original on 9 June 2019. Retrieved 9 June 2019.
  31. ^ Ingvi Þór Sæmundsson (28 December 2016). "Maríu Þórisdóttur bauðst að spila fyrir Ísland". Vísir.is (in Icelandic). Archived from the original on 9 June 2019. Retrieved 9 June 2019.
  32. ^ a b Gunnar Birgisson. "María: Mjög sérstakt að spila við Ísland". RÚV (in Icelandic). Archived from the original on 9 June 2019. Retrieved 9 June 2019.
  33. ^ "Her er Norges VM-tropp – fotball.no – Norges Fotballforbund". Fotball.no. Archived from the original on 14 May 2015. Retrieved 3 June 2015.
  34. ^ "Germany Women 1-1 Norway Women". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 5 August 2019. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
  35. ^ Association, The Football. "Bronze stunner seals place in World Cup quarter final". www.thefa.com. Archived from the original on 20 April 2021. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
  36. ^ "Her er Norges EM-tropp". fotball.no. 28 June 2017. Archived from the original on 11 October 2020. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
  37. ^ "Euro 2017: Holland beat Belgium to qualify as Norway crash out to Denmark". the Guardian. 24 July 2017. Archived from the original on 27 January 2024. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
  38. ^ "Scotland women lose friendly to Norway". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 20 May 2022. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
  39. ^ Madsen, Christer (2 May 2019). "Her er Norges VM-tropp" (in Norwegian). Norwegian Football Federation. Archived from the original on 2 May 2019. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
  40. ^ "Ruthless England beat Norway to reach semis". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 13 January 2021. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
  41. ^ "FIFA Women's World Cup France 2019 – Norway". FIFA.com. Archived from the original on 21 March 2019. Retrieved 13 June 2019.
  42. ^ "Se Norges EM-tropp". Norges Fotballforbund (in Norwegian).
  43. ^ Hafliði Breiðfjörð (1 July 2008). "Íslensk stúlka í landsliði Noregs – Skemmtilegt að vera íslensk". Fótbolti.net (in Icelandic). Archived from the original on 27 January 2024. Retrieved 9 June 2019.
  44. ^ Eiríkur Stefán Ásgeirsson (6 December 2011). "Dóttir Þóris: Þetta verður sérstakur leikur fyrir fjölskylduna". Vísir.is (in Icelandic). Archived from the original on 9 June 2019. Retrieved 9 June 2019.
  45. ^ "Getting to know Chelsea Women: Maria Thorisdottir". 9 April 2020. Archived from the original on 27 January 2024. Retrieved 21 May 2020.
  46. ^ "Da det meste var mørkt, møtte hun Theo. Han kom inn og endret alt for Maria Thorisdottir". www.aftenposten.no (in Norwegian). 15 June 2019. Archived from the original on 13 April 2021. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
  47. ^ O'Meara, Kim (25 April 2022). "Maria Thorisdottir: My Dog's the Best Therapist". Archived from the original on 19 January 2021. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
  48. ^ "Maria Thorisdottir Profil". Norges Fotballforbund (in Norwegian). Archived from the original on 27 May 2022. Retrieved 16 May 2022.
  49. ^ "M. Thorisdottir – Soccerway profile". soccerway.com. Archived from the original on 26 June 2022. Retrieved 16 May 2022.
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