Iceland is famous around the world for the views of the Aurora Borealis, the warming Blue Lagoon and more recently the Viking Thunderclap. An island so astray from the European mainland and with a tiny population when compared to many other European nations.

The World Cup, the pinnacle of international football, every nation has the right to participate with every player holding the same dream, of becoming a world champion. A feat unmatched by any other international competition.

Reading the title of this piece you may think that this is another story of a young talent ready to take the world by storm, but this is not the case with Roy Krishna. This is a story looking at the only ever Fijian native to become a professional footballer.

The 2026 World Cup is now only two years away and already in some regions of the globe qualification for the tournament has begun, Africa, Asian and South America (Conmebol) have played numerous games with the usual suspects leading the way in most stages.

The likes of Argentina, Egypt and Japan currently sitting top of their respective groups. With this tournament to be like no other, the format expanding from 32 teams up to 48, but what does this mean?

Sat in the local watering hole on a Saturday evening watching the 5:30 pm kick-off with your friends, reminiscing over some obscure footballers bringing with them the happy memories of times gone by. The likes of Adel Taraabt, Hatem Ben Arfa and the one-season wonder Michu, are all skilful players and almost untouchable on their day.

Suddenly somebody mentions that name, ‘Rory Delap’, and abruptly there’s a chill in the air, the fear of facing one of those long, flat, direct throws into your team’s penalty area filling you with despair and angst. Nobody knew what was about to unfold.

This got me thinking, do my friends know about the man with the world record throw in football? I mention the name and I am greeted with looks of confusion. Nobody had heard of Alireza Beiranvand.