The former Liverpool kid admits his time in the capital in 2011 was life-changing as he changed his ways
13:16, 08 Jun 2025
Victor Palsson of Iceland celebrates scoring his team's third goal against Scotland at Hampden
Victor Palsson of Iceland celebrates scoring his team's third goal against Scotland at Hampden
Victor Palsson was barred from every nightclub in Edinburgh when he was a Hibs player.
The Icelander got drunk and was caught urinating against a wall, which resulted in a blanket ban.
But after quitting the booze, Palsson got his career back on track. And the former Liverpool kid has enjoyed a career which has taken him from New York to Holland, Sweden, Switzerland, Germany, Belgium - and now Plymouth.
Palsson, along with his Iceland team-mates, left Scotland looking punch drunk at Hampden on Friday night as they secured a 3-1 friendly win.
It brought back memories of his time in the capital with the Hibees in 2011, which he says was a life-changing experience.
The 34-year-old, who scored Iceland’s third goal against Steve Clarke’s side, said: “It was a very long time ago. I was a young lost boy back then.
Article continues below
“Looking back, I was young and not really aware of the importance of life and being a professional footballer. I made a lot of mistakes, especially at Hibs. It started off OK but then it wasn’t good.
“I didn’t leave in a good way either, so I think my time there is remembered for the wrong things. There was a big incident, a six month ban from all the nightclubs. But as I said, I was lost.
“It helped me focus, 100 percent. A few years later I made some big decisions to sort out my life. I’m happy I did that. I gave up drinking. The time at Hibs played a part in that.
“I just couldn’t handle my drinking. I gave it up and haven’t had a drink for almost 11 years now. I had to focus and I’ve managed to make a decent career.”
Iceland's Victor Palsson scores vs Scotland
Iceland's Victor Palsson scores vs Scotland
Palsson is now at Plymouth Argyle who were relegated from the English Championship last season. That was despite the efforts of Scottish striker Ryan Hardie, who bagged 12 goals for the Pilgrims.
And Palsson insists he could play for Scotland. He said: “Ryan is a really good player and I hope we can hold on to him.
“For two years, he’s hit double figure goals in the Championship. He talks to us about Scotland. He’s a great professional who wants to play for his country and I think he’s done enough to get a chance - even in a friendly.
“Hopefully we’ll see him play for Scotland in the future. Ryan is a great finisher and so quick. He’s rapid.”
Iceland fully deserved their shock win over Clarke’s men at Hampden on Friday night - even if they were helped by mistakes from rookie keeper Ciaran Slicker.
Palsson was delighted with the result and admits they took advantage of the goalie’s fragility.
He said: “We played some great football in the first half and didn’t give away many chances. We suffered a bit in the second half but overall it was a fair win.
Article continues below
“I try to put myself in the shoes of the young goalkeeper. He came on after two minutes and we could see with his first few kicks, he wasn’t 100 percent.
“We just started pressing him and it gave us blood on the teeth. We heard the crowd boo at half-time so we just said, keep doing what we’re doing. It was a good win for us.”