Kristian Hlynsson
Icelandic footballer (born 2004)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kristian Nökkvi Hlynsson (born 23 January 2004) is an Icelandic professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Eredivisie club Twente and the Iceland national team.
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Hlynsson in 2024 playing for Ajax | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Kristian Nökkvi Hlynsson | ||
| Date of birth | 23 January 2004 | ||
| Place of birth | Odense, Denmark | ||
| Height | 1.76 m (5 ft 9 in)[1] | ||
| Position | Midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Twente | ||
| Number | 14 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| –2011 | Þór | ||
| 2011–2020 | Breiðablik | ||
| Norwich City | |||
| 2020–2023 | Ajax | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2019 | Breiðablik | 1 | (0) |
| 2020–2023 | Jong Ajax | 87 | (17) |
| 2023–2025 | Ajax | 29 | (8) |
| 2025 | → Sparta Rotterdam (loan) | 14 | (2) |
| 2025– | Twente | 27 | (7) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2018 | Iceland U15 | 2 | (2) |
| 2019 | Iceland U16 | 3 | (0) |
| 2019–2020 | Iceland U17 | 10 | (1) |
| 2021–2023 | Iceland U19 | 6 | (1) |
| 2021–2022 | Iceland U21 | 10 | (6) |
| 2023– | Iceland | 11 | (1) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 22 March 2026 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 31 March 2026 | |||
Club career
Kristian started his career with Icelandic club Breiðablik, making his senior debut in the Besta deild karla in 2019.[2] During his youth career, Hlynsson also spent time training with English club Norwich City.[3] In January 2020, he transferred to the youth academy of Ajax.[4]
Ajax
Hlynsson made his professional debut for Jong Ajax in the Eerste Divisie on 7 December 2020 against FC Eindhoven.[5] He gradually established himself as a key player for the reserve team, particularly during the 2022–23 season where he scored 11 goals in 37 league appearances from midfield.[2] His first goals for the senior Ajax team came on 15 December 2021, when he scored twice after coming on as a substitute in a KNVB Cup match against BVV Barendrecht.[6]
Hlynsson made his Eredivisie debut for Ajax on 19 August 2023 in a 2–2 draw against Excelsior.[7] He enjoyed a breakthrough during the 2023–24 season, becoming a regular starter in attacking midfield under managers Maurice Steijn and John van 't Schip. He scored 7 goals in 25 Eredivisie appearances and featured in the UEFA Europa League and UEFA Europa Conference League.[2] His performances earned him the Eredivisie Talent of the Month award for January 2024.[8] However, in the first half of the 2024–25 season, his first-team opportunities became more limited.[6]
Loan to Sparta Rotterdam
On 31 January 2025, seeking more consistent playing time, Hlynsson joined fellow Eredivisie club Sparta Rotterdam on loan until the end of the 2024–25 season.[9][6] He quickly integrated into the team, scoring his first goal for Sparta in a league match against Willem II on 2 March 2025.[2][10]
FC Twente
On 8 July 2025 Ajax and FC Twente reached an agreement regarding the transfer of Kristian Hlynsson to the club from Enschede.[11][12]
International career
Hlynsson has featured for the under-15, under-16, under-17, under-19 and under-21 Icelandic youth national teams.[13] He made his senior debut for the Iceland national team on 16 November 2023, appearing as a substitute against Slovakia in a UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying match.[14] He earned his second cap in a friendly against the Netherlands on 10 June 2024.[14] His third appearance came on 23 March 2025, again as a substitute, in a UEFA Nations League play-off match against Kosovo.[14]
Personal life
Kristian is the younger brother of Vestri player Ágúst Hlynsson.[15]
Career statistics
Club
- As of match played 22 March 2026
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | Europe | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Breiðablik | 2019 | Besta deild karla | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | |||
| Jong Ajax | 2020–21 | Eerste Divisie | 6 | 0 | — | — | — | 6 | 0 | |||
| 2021–22 | Eerste Divisie | 30 | 2 | — | — | — | 30 | 2 | ||||
| 2022–23 | Eerste Divisie | 37 | 11 | — | — | — | 37 | 11 | ||||
| 2023–24 | Eerste Divisie | 7 | 3 | — | — | — | 7 | 3 | ||||
| 2024–25 | Eerste Divisie | 4 | 1 | — | — | — | 4 | 1 | ||||
| Total | 85 | 17 | — | — | — | 85 | 17 | |||||
| Ajax | 2021–22 | Eredivisie | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| 2023–24 | Eredivisie | 25 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 7[b] | 0 | — | 33 | 7 | ||
| 2024–25 | Eredivisie | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3[c] | 0 | — | 8 | 1 | ||
| 2025–26 | Eredivisie | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Total | 29 | 8 | 4 | 2 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 43 | 10 | ||
| Sparta Rotterdam | 2024–25 | Eredivisie | 14 | 2 | — | — | — | 14 | 2 | |||
| Twente | 2025–26 | Eredivisie | 27 | 7 | 4 | 2 | — | — | 31 | 9 | ||
| Career total | 156 | 34 | 8 | 4 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 174 | 38 | ||
- Three appearances in UEFA Europa League, four appearances in UEFA Europa Conference League
- Appearances in UEFA Europa League
International
- As of match played 31 March 2026
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Iceland | 2023 | 1 | 0 |
| 2024 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2025 | 7 | 1 | |
| 2026 | 2 | 0 | |
| Total | 11 | 1 | |
- Scores and results list Iceland's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Kristian goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Cap | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 13 October 2025 | Laugardalsvöllur, Reykjavík, Iceland | 8 |  France | 2–2 | 2–2 | 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification |