At just 15 years old, Brynjar Narfi Arndal is already bending the arc of Icelandic handball history. He has broken age records, stunned top-flight defenders, and drawn comparisons to Aron Pálmarsson – except some insiders insist he’s ahead of where Aron was at the same age. And yet, the precocious left back carries it all with a calmness that belies his youth.
When FH Hafnarfjörður sent a 14-year-old into an Icelandic top-division match last February, most expected a symbolic cameo. Instead, Brynjar Narfi Arndal – 14 years and 229 days old – became the youngest player ever to set foot in the league, and he looked like he belonged. By September, now 15 years and 81 days, he had become the league’s youngest-ever goalscorer. The records fell quickly; the buzz spread faster.
Many in Iceland quietly say it out loud: they have never seen a more complete talent at this age. Even Aron Pálmarsson, Arndal’s idol, debuted a year later – and at the same club.
Arndal plays left back and playmaker, but reducing him to positions undersells what makes him special. His offensive feel is startling – an instinctive balance of shooting choice, timing, and vision. Former FH captain Ásbjörn Friðriksson now turned TV pundit has watched him grow up in Kaplakriki (the home arena for FH), and he didn’t hesitate when asked about Arndal:
“I have watched him grow up in Kaplakriki… He is an exceptional talent… He is just so good, with high handball IQ and what he has in abundance more than most is that he knows how to play the game. It is just a joy to watch him play in the top league, he states.”
Here is a recent video of Arndal.
Photo: Johannes Long
If his understanding of the game feels advanced, FH’s coaching staff insists that the approach is still cautious. His father and coach, Sigursteinn Arndal, stresses balance.
“We are focused on not putting too much load on him… He has been doing well and the situation is that he is now a part of our main group,” he has stated to Icelandic media in the past.
Arndal himself doesn’t shy away from ambition.
“I am not going to lie but I want to go all the way… I know that it takes a lot of hard work. But yes, I want to go all the way.”
Already making noise in Europe
For a 15-year-old, Arndal has handled pressure like a seasoned pro. His assists and finishes in the league have gone viral more than once, and he produced one of the European campaign’s flashpoints – a goal against a Turkish opponent that circulated widely.
Europe at large first took serious notice during the Partille Cup, where coaches and scouts finally saw in person the Icelander they’d only heard whispers about. Ferocious yet elegant is the mix most often mentioned.
A star in two leagues at once
Arndal isn’t just contributing to FH’s senior team – he’s dominating Iceland’s First Division with IH Hafnarfjörður, the club’s feeder team. Through seven games, he’s poured in 43 goals. For FH in the top league, he has added 15 more across 12 matches. These are not youth-team numbers; these are professional numbers.
Unsurprisingly, Europe’s giants are circling. Germany, Spain, France, Poland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark – everyone has him on their radar. What path Arndal chooses remains uncertain, but his rise already feels inevitable.
For now, he stays grounded in Hafnarfjörður, studying the game, chasing the next training session, trying to live up to the player he admires most.
“Aron Palmarsson, no question about that.”
Where he goes from here is unknowable. What’s clear is that Iceland’s next great handball story has already begun – and it’s being written far earlier than anyone thought possible.
Sources: Handbolti.is