'Lost boy': Victor Palsson on Hibs spell, nightclub incident, giving up alcohol and varied career

Back then, Hibs signed the highly-regarded Icelander on an 18-month contract from Liverpool, where he had come through the youth system. His time at Easter Road was chequered, the occasional glimpse of ability in a bang average team overshadowed by an incident in an Edinburgh establishment that resulted in him being banned from all capital nightclubs for six months. He left almost exactly a year from his arrival in Leith.

That was a long time ago, though. Palsson has grown significantly since being a 20-year-old at Hibs, both on and off the pitch. A fruitful career has taken him across the globe. He has played in the MLS for New York Red Bulls and DC United and trotted around Europe with NEC Nijmegen, Helsingborgs, Esbjerg, FC Zurich, Darmstadt, Schalke and Eupen. Currently he is at Plymouth Argyle. Have boots, will travel is clearly his motto.

A midfielder at Hibs, Palsson is now a defender. For Iceland, he plays right-back and was an unlikely scorer when he popped up to head their third goal past Scotland keeper Cieran Slicker to prevail 3-1 at Hampden. It was only his third goal in 49 appearances for his country.

Palsson was kind enough to stop in the Hampden mixed zone afterwards to chat. "A very long time ago,” he said when we recalled his time at Hibs. “I mean, I was a young boy - a very lost young boy back then.

“What should I say? I mean, memories from the Hibs time. Looking back at it, I was young, not really aware of the importance of life and being a professional footballer. So I did a lot of mistakes, especially in my time at Hibs. It started off okay, but then it wasn't good. Left not in a good way either, so I don't know if my name at Hibs is maybe remembered for the wrong things.”

Hibs nightclub incident and going teetotal

Palsson is happy enough to bring up the incident in question, when he was accused of urinating in an Edinburgh nightclub. He was given a half-year order not to attend such venues in the city as a punishment. He is not the first nor the last to get caught up in the trappings of a young footballer and it is to his immense credit that he learned from his mistakes.

“It was the big incident, the six-month ban from all the nightclubs,” admitted Palsson. “I look back at that time, like I said, I was lost and young, but happy.”

That experience helped him mature and was also a milestone in terms of finally giving up drink - he has been teetotal now for more than a decade.

"Oh, 100 per cent,” continued Palsson when asked if his time at Hibs made him focus. “I mean, later on, a few years later, I did a lot of shift in my life and took some big decisions because I knew that I needed to sort out my life. So I'm happy I've done that big best decision. Gave up drinking because it wasn't...”

Was the nightclub incident the main reason? "Well, that was part of it, but then I gave up drinking a few years later because I just couldn't handle my drinking,” Palsson said, honestly. “Gave up drinking and haven't had a drink for almost 11 years now, so just had to focus on the importance and yeah, I've made a decent career.”

He is an old head in young and vibrant Iceland team who play brave, possession-based football under their new head coach Arnar Gunnlaugsson. They surprised Scotland with the way they played in Glasgow and are in stark contrast to previous Iceland teams built on resoluteness and a conservative outlook.

"I thought we played some great football in the first half,” said Palsson of the win. “I thought we didn't give away a lot of chances. It was really annoying to concede from a set-piece. But yeah, I thought the first half was alright.

“Second half, I thought we came well into the game, didn't give them much and then suffered a bit in the last 20-25 minutes where they had more ball possession

“We've got a new manager now who's got a completely different view of how to play. If you look at how we've been in the last years, where we were more direct and more defending, now we've got so many good footballers. Not that we didn't back then, but now we've got a new manager, he's got his new ideas. It's only his third game, so just building it up, yeah.”

In a World Cup group with France, Ukraine and Azerbaijan, progress from that won’t be easy. It will likely be Palsson’s last chance to play in such a tournament, but as an established internationalist, he remains a key player for Gunnlaugsson.

At club level, there is a bit more flux. Plymouth were relegated to England’s League One last season and manager Miron Muslic has left for Schalke. St Mirren’s Stephen Robinson has emerged as a candidate. “It's a great place to live,” Palsson said of the Devon outpost. “It's a bit far from everything, but south of England, it's a beautiful place, great place. You know, not the biggest of clubs, but a family club. Good mentality, good lads.”

Palsson seems like one of those. With a warm handshake and a smile, he is off to face Northern Ireland in another friendly on Tuesday night. It will bring up his half-century of Iceland caps. A more than decent career.

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