Elías Már Ómarsson was recently voted Best Player of the fourth period in the Kitchen Champion Division. By winning the Bronze Shield, he is also automatically nominated for a Golden Shield: the award for the best player of the entire season. In conversation with Football zone the Icelandic striker looks back on his first months at NAC Breda and his strong performances.
By Jordi Tomasowa
Ómarsson played three seasons for Excelsior in the past. In his last season for the Kralingers, he impressed with his many goals, which forced him to transfer to Nîmes Olympique. After a season and a half with the French Ligue 2 club, the attacker opted for a return to the Netherlands last winter with a transfer to NAC. “I didn’t really enjoy myself in France,” explains Ómarsson. “It was a difficult situation for my family. I actually wanted to go back to a place closer to home. When NAC came to see me, I immediately felt that it an interesting step was to go back to the Netherlands.”
Omarsson was recently voted Best Player of the fourth period in the Kitchen Champion Division.
Due to his previous experiences at Excelsior, Ómarsson knew what to expect from NAC. NAC is a big club with great fans and they have a great stadium. “Playing in a full stadium where the fans go crazy, I missed that a bit. NAC’s plan also appealed to me. The goal is to promote to the Eredivisie and I would like to help the club with that. I have been here for more than four months now and I can say that I do not regret my choice at all.”
Ómarsson needed a few games to find his footing in the team, but has been on an excellent track in recent months. He scored no less than nine times in the last ten games, often helping his team to a victory. The Icelander seems to have a good click, especially with Jort van der Sande. “Jort is a great player. He helps me a lot. He creates many opportunities. I actually get on well with everyone in the squad. There is a good atmosphere in the team at the moment. It’s cozy. Many new players and a new coach arrived during the winter break. I feel that the atmosphere has improved because of this, things are going really well.”
The attacker has the full confidence of his trainer Peter Hyballa. Ómarsson is very pleased with the mutual bond. “I enjoy working with Hyballa. He brings in a lot of new things and shows you a different view on certain things. He has a clear idea of what he wants to do. There is a thought behind every exercise we do in training.” With his passion and dedication, Hyballa is one of the most colorful trainers in the Netherlands. “I like it when people are passionate,” says Ómarsson. Everyone is different within a selection and you just have to deal with that. That’s the nice thing about it.”
Omarsson has scored nine goals in sixteen games since his arrival.
Ómarsson signed a one and a half year contract in January with the option for another year at NAC. He is now completely settled in Breda. “I enjoy with my family. It is really nice to be back in the Netherlands. It’s a bit like coming home. Both my children were born in the Netherlands. There is a third on the way, who will certainly also be born in the Netherlands. So most family members will soon be more Dutch than Icelandic,” he says with a laugh.
Partly thanks to his many hits, NAC is assured of participation in the play-offs. Especially his beautiful goal against Jong Ajax (2-6 loss) was a feast for the eyes. Still, Ómarsson attaches more value to his first goal for NAC, at home against MVV, where he eventually scored a hat-trick. “My goal against Jong Ajax was of course beautiful, but we played a match to quickly forget. With my first goal against MVV I managed to break the ice. The atmosphere in the Rat Verlegh Stadium was great.”
Elías Már Ómarsson saves NAC’s honor with the best goal of the match! ??#nacjaj
— ESPN NL (@ESPNnl) March 14, 2023
Ómarsson is looking forward to playing at home again soon. “Especially when the stadium is completely full and people are singing and screaming. That makes the game beautiful. It is so important to get this support because it gives something extra to the team. The home crowd is a kind of twelfth man. When you are on the field as a player and the whole crowd is cheering, it gives you so much more energy.” Together with Emil Hansson (Heracles Almelo), Thomas van den Belt, Apostolos Vellios (both PEC Zwolle) and Dylan Vente (Roda JC), Ómarsson has been nominated for the Gouden Schild in the Best Player category. The NAC striker calls his nomination “a great honor” and is happy with the recognition.
Still, he prefers to achieve success with the team. For NAC, the coming weeks will be dominated by the play-offs. “Now we are finally playing for something big. Very important matches are coming up. It’s very exciting. The belief within the team is greater than when I joined NAC in the winter. The group is getting closer and closer. We have to be really focused, have faith and then anything can really happen.”
With Excelsior, Ómarsson was relegated to the Kitchen Champion Division in the 2018/19 season after playing the play-offs. “It didn’t go well for us, but I can take this experience with me now. You could see then that really anything can happen. As a result, we now have every chance of promotion with NAC. With another round of the regular season scheduled, it remains to be seen who will meet NAC in the first round of the play-offs. Ómarsson has no preference. “We just have to wait and see. When you participate in the playoffs, you don’t just play one game. To get promoted, you play six matches. You have to be top every game, so it doesn’t matter which club we meet in the first round. It sounds cliché, but every game is a final. We just have to make sure we’re focused.”
You can vote for the Best Player and Best Goalkeeper of the Kitchen Champion Division here until Friday, May 19 (8 p.m.). The trainers and captains of all clubs in the Kitchen Champion Division choose the Best Talent and the Best Trainer of this season.
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