Aron Gunnarsson ranks his Icelandic team mate Gylfi Sigurdsson right up there among the best of players ever produced by his country.
But that won’t stop him from putting on hold their 12-year friendship at Goodison Park this weekend when he tries to continue the Cardiff City revival against Everton.
The relationship between the two Icelandic European Championship and World Cup finals stars goes back to when they were 17. They speak every day and will exchange pleasantries on the field on Saturday before hostilities commence.
“We are good mates and we get in touch every day. I’m looking forward to going up against him,” said Gunnarsson
“It’s always difficult playing against a friend, but when the game starts it is all business. It is a matter of getting the three points.
“We first met when we played for the Iceland Under 17 team against Denmark. I am from the North of Iceland and it was the first time I had met the boys who were playing in Reykjavik. We grew from there into the good team we are now.
“Gylfi was good on the ball even then. He was taller than us and he has grown into a great player.
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“He works ever so hard and he’s always the last one off the training pitch. There have been a few times when our bus has been ready to leave the training ground with Iceland and he’s still been out there on the pitch while we’re all ready to go back to the hotel.
“He is up there with the all-time greats of Icelandic football. We’ve had some great players in the past, like Eider Goodjonsun, who was magnificent for Chelsea and the national team.
“But Gylfi is right up there, especially with the results we had in going to the Euros and the World Cup. I know how important he has been for Iceland and he is doing the same thing now for Everton now in terms of creating chances, assists and scoring goals.”
The two pals have only played against each other once in British football. That was five years ago, when the Bluebirds were last in the Premier League and Sigurdsson was at Tottenham, and a 93rd minute Paulinho goal earned Gylfi the bragging rights in a 1-0 win at Cardiff City Stadium.
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With two wins in their last four matches, Cardiff are currently two off the bottom and only one point away from Newcastle in 14th.
The battle for survival will continue against Everton, with the Icelandic battle in the midfield likely to be crucial to the outcome.
“It is going to be a hard task to stop him, but I feel like we are growing into the league. We have been showing quality and togetherness, but you can always progress,” added Gunnarsson.
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“I feel like we are growing into the league. We have been showing quality and togetherness, but you can always progress and we still have some way to go.
“We’ve had some set-backs, but we have bounced back and here is definitely more to come. Confidence and home form are massive in this league.
“Everton have been doing better this season than last. You can see the in-put their new manager Marco Silva has had on this team.
“He has changed a lot of things and they are a free-flowing team. We need to be careful of them and it’s another tough away game.”