Helgi Danielsson

Around the turn of the century Peterborugh United had some exciting talents, Jimmy Bullard was beginning to show why he is now a regular in the Premiership, Leon Mckenzie was scoring goals for fun, and David Farrell was in the middle of his memorable stay at London Road.

Also at this time Posh had another talent, Swedish born, but Icelandic by nationality, in the form of Helgi Danielsson.

Helgi is especially a memorably player for me personally, as he scored the winner in my first ever trip to London Road, in the F.A Cup against Bournemouth. Incidentally this was the year that saw Posh go all the way to the 4th round, and had that amazing tie against Bobby Robson’s Newcastle United, where Posh eventually lost 4-2.

The tall bearded midfielder was always the most recognisable player on the pitch, and it is easy to forget that when he was at London Road, Helgi was still very young. He made a total of 57 league games for Peterborough between 2000 and 2003, and remains somewhat of a cult figure among many Posh fans.

Helgi’s career has gone from strength to strength in recent times, and is now playing at a very respectable level for Swedish Premier side Elfsborg, a side that regularly plays in European competition.

I was lucky enough to get in touch with Helgi who was happy to talk about his time at Peterborough, and how life has gone for him since he left five years ago...




So Helgi, how did you find yourself playing for Peterborough in the first place?


My youth team coach in Iceland knew an agent with some contacts in England and he sorted me out with a couple of trials, the first one of which was at Posh. There I spent two weeks and played a couple of games and was offered a contract. It was very tempting for me to move to England, mainly because of the academy set-up and the big teams we played against every week. Also, the fact that I could focus so much more on the football than back in Iceland was enticing.

What is your best memory from your time at London Road?


It was probably the game against Tranmere at home when I scored my only two league goals. It was a great game where Leon McKenzie scored a hat-trick and I scored two. I’ve never been much of a goalscorer so it felt great to bag two in the same game.

Who was the best player you played with at Peterborough?


I would have to say Jimmy Bullard because of his energy on the pitch. He runs around like a madman for 90 minutes every game, screaming for the ball and irritating the rest of us, but he always has been a class act when on the ball.

Do you still keep an eye on how Peterborough are getting on, and are you still in contact with some of the old players?

Yes, I’m always going to follow the Posh and I saw a couple of games last season over the Christmas period. I still have a lot of contact with Peterborough the city because that’s where I met my girlfriend and her family all lives there. I have been in contact with Gareth Jelleyman and some of the other guys on the internet but it’s much less than I would like to.

How has your career gone since leaving Peterborough? How is the Swedish style of football different from English?


First I went back to Iceland to go to University and play part-time, and the standard of football there is nothing to write home about, but now I’ve been in Sweden as a professional for three years I feel like I’ve taken a few steps up in my career. My current team, Elfsborg, has been in European competitions every year for the last four years and we finished second in the league this year. In terms of the type of football played in Sweden it is quite a bit different than the English way. The football is a bit more relaxed than in England, where the tempo is sometimes too fast for its own good, and the better teams generally try to play from the back and get a good passing play going, for better or for worse. It’s definitely more continental football but the tempo and atmosphere is nowhere near as good as in England, and that probably has a lot to do with the fans and the passion for the game being so great in England.

Would you consider coming back to England if the right offer came in?


Absolutely! At the moment I’m very happy here in Sweden but England is the home of football and every player would like to play there at a high level. My girlfriend being English, I know she would love to sometime move back there and since no one knows what’s around the corner it is definitely possible.

I’m sure if he ever did make the move back to England, many a Posh fan would love to see him back at Peterborough, including myself, it’s clear that the years he has now spent at a good level of football in Sweden, and at International level would have done him the world of good. Also, at 27 years of age he is around his peak, and I for one hope to see Helgi back playing in England in the future, whether it be at Posh or not.

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