Rúrik Gíslason was 30 years old and had a World Cup match in his legs when he decided to hang up his boots for good. That match, of course, was the one in which he kept Messi from scoring against Iceland at Russia 2018. 🌍⚽
What happened next is hard to believe if you read it straight through: modeling, business ventures, and then winning the ‘Let’s Dance’ competition in Germany in 2021 by dancing—yes—Argentine tango alongside Renata Lusin. The universe has a sense of humor. Today, at 38, the Icelander stars in ‘Eat, Pray, Bark’, a comedy available on Netflix in which he plays Nodon, a dog trainer who uses Celtic traditions. He also took home the award for ‘Meteoric Career of the Year’ at the Vienna Awards. 🏆
From his viral peak at the World Cup—when he went from 300,000 to more than 500,000 followers overnight because of his resemblance to Thor—he now has more than 700,000 on Instagram. His first film director was, by the way, Hannes Halldórsson: Iceland’s goalkeeper who saved Messi’s penalty that day. 🎬