Kristian Hlynsson

Kristian Hlynsson
Hlynsson in 2024 playing for Ajax
Personal information
Full name Kristian Nökkvi Hlynsson
Date of birth (2004-01-23) 23 January 2004
Place of birth Odense, Denmark
Height 1.76 m (5 ft 9 in)[1]
Position(s) Midfielder
Team information
Current team
Ajax
Number 38
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)
2025Sparta Rotterdam (loan) 14 (2)
2025– FC Twente 0 (0)
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 4 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 10 June 2025
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 11 June 2025

Kristian Nökkvi Hlynsson (born 23 January 2004) is an Icelandic professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Eredivisie club FC Twente and the Iceland national team.

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 Akademisk Boldklub player Ágúst Hlynsson.[15]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 18 May 2025
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
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
Career total 129 27 4 2 10 0 0 0 143 29
  1. ^ Includes KNVB Cup
  2. ^ Three appearances in UEFA Europa League, four appearances in UEFA Europa Conference League
  3. ^ Appearances in UEFA Europa League

International

As of match played 10 June 2025
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
Iceland 2023 1 0
2024 1 0
2025 2 0
Total 4 0

References

  1. ^ "Kristian Hlynsson". www.eurosport.com. Retrieved 22 April 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d "Iceland - K. Hlynsson - Profile with news, career statistics and history". Soccerway. Retrieved 2 April 2025.
  3. ^ "Alex Matos, the rise of a boy Chelsea are very excited about". The Athletic. 26 December 2023. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  4. ^ "Breiðablik selur fimmtán ára Kristian til Ajax". mbl.is. October 2020. Retrieved 8 December 2020.
  5. ^ "AJAX II VS. EINDHOVEN 1 - 1". Soccerway. Retrieved 2 April 2025.
  6. ^ a b c "Ajax and Sparta reach agreement on Kristian Hlynsson loan". AFC Ajax. 31 January 2025. Retrieved 2 April 2025.
  7. ^ "Excelsior 2–2 Ajax". eredivisie.nl. Retrieved 1 September 2023.
  8. ^ "Double prize won for Ajax again: Brobbey and Hlynsson named Eredivisie player of the month and Johan Cruyff talent of the month for January". Eredivisie. 2 February 2024. Retrieved 10 February 2024.
  9. ^ "Welkom, Kristian Hlynsson" [Welcome, Kristian Hlynsson] (in Dutch). Sparta Rotterdam. 31 January 2025. Retrieved 1 February 2025.
  10. ^ "Kristian Hlynsson Football Statistics". WhoScored.com. Retrieved 2 April 2025.
  11. ^ "Ajax and FC Twente reach agreement on Kristian Hlynsson".
  12. ^ Twente, F. C. "FC Twente verwelkomt Kristian Hlynsson". FC Twente (in Dutch). Retrieved 8 July 2025.
  13. ^ "Kristian Nökkvi Hlynsson - Knattspyrnusamband Íslands". ksi.is. Retrieved 8 December 2020.
  14. ^ a b c "Kristian Nökkvi Hlynsson, international football player". EU-Football.info. Retrieved 4 April 2025.
  15. ^ "Kominn til Ajax og dreymir um að spila í íslenska landsliðinu með bróður sínum". 5 June 2020. Retrieved 14 December 2020.