Iceland Goalkeeper Hannes Halldórsson Directs Rousing World Cup Ad

As you may have noted if you’ve been following our Meet The Smiters series, Hannes “Wild Claws” Halldórsson—Iceland’s number one goalkeeper—is also a film director. Hannes is currently in Russia, where his focus lies on preparing for Iceland’s opening game against Argentina on Saturday—but in the seven months before leaving, he also directed a rousing Iceland-themed World Cup Coke commercial that was released today.

The ad features some locations viewers might be familiar with, alongside cameos from Icelandic sportsmen and football-related figures such as Eiður Smári Guðjohnsen, martial artist Gunnar Nelson, weightlifter Sara Sigmundsdóttir, and famously frenzied commentator Gummi Ben.

“We wanted to make an advertisement that touched the people,” said Hannes, in a statement accompanying the video’s release. “An advertisement that would remind everyone that we’re on this journey together. There may be only eleven players on the field, but we never feel alone—we feel that all Icelanders are standing behind us.”

Read more about Iceland’s World Cup-winning destiny here. Get a Smite The World T-shirt here.