Jon Dadi Bodvarsson's World Cup dream
By his own admission it hasn't been the season Jon Dadi Bodvarsson had hoped for.
With Wolves struggling for form and Bodvarsson struggling for goals it's been a transitional season for player and club.
But the Icelandic striker, fervent in his own ability, is eyeing up a dream 2017/18 which he hopes will end in promotion for Wolves – and a World Cup campaign with Iceland.
Iceland currently sit second in Group I, three points behind leaders Croatia who they host in a crucial clash in June.
With Ukraine, Turkey and Finland for company and only the top team automatically qualifying (second place leads to a two-legged play off) it's a tough ask for Iceland to repeat their heroics of qualifying for Euro 2016.
But Bodvarsson is hopeful that their Euros success won't be a one-off.
"We talked about it after the Euros, it was important to keep striving and not be a one-hit wonder," Bodvarsson told the Express & Star.
"We needed to keep doing the same things, not change anything...it’s still working. It’s very positive.
"We’re up against teams that maybe respect us a bit more, so it’s tough. We’re not as much underdogs as before and the expectations in Iceland are higher.
"That’s something we’re prepared for. We’re focusing on the same things, on ourselves.
"It’s important for the youth in Iceland as well, they finally have some role models to look up to and want to improve themselves as well in the near future.
"That, for me, the beautiful thing about it, that we’re making other kids believe anything is possible. It wasn’t like that before, the success wasn’t there for the national team.
"I spoke to my older coach in Iceland, he was saying how lucky we are with the timing of being in a group like this. I’m very grateful, it’s wonderful to be in an environment like that."
Iceland made it all the way to the quarter finals of Euro 2016, beating England in the second round and leading to the squad, including Bodvarsson who played in every game and scored in a 2-1 win over Austria, gaining hero status back home.
It's an achievement the 24-year-old will surely appreciate even more when he looks back in years to come.
For now though there's no time for reminiscing. Bodvarsson is planning for a huge season, at the end of which he'd love to be promoted with Wolves and play in a World Cup for his country.
"That would be the perfect ending to it all," he added.
"The Euros a memory now. It was a huge moment for me and the country in general but you can’t live in the past. I’ll remember it for the rest of my life.
"The qualifying group we're in is a very good group with strong teams, we play Croatia in June and hopefully we’ll get a win.
"The World Cup is the next dream, it’s our goal. If we manage to go to the Euros then why not the World Cup.
"I feel everything is possible. It’s harder because for the Euros third place could qualify, now it’s only first place that goes straight through. But it’s more likely than not that we can achieve this."
