Kári Árnason (born 13 October 1982) is an Icelandic footballer who plays as defender for Gençlerbirliği. He has also played for Víkingur, Djurgården, AGF Aarhus, Esbjerg fB, Plymouth Argyle, Rotherham United and Malmö FF. Capable of playing in midfield or defence, Kári has represented Iceland at senior international level since 2005, having made his debut against Italy.
Early years Born in Gothenburg, Kári began his career as a youngster in 1999 with Víkingur at his home town of Reykjavik, where he spent the first five years in his career. He played one season for Adelphi University in 2004. After putting together a string of impressive performances in midfield with Víkingur at an early age in the 2004 season, Kári was signed by Swedish Allsvenskan club Djurgårdens IF in 2004, where he won the Swedish league and cup double in 2005. He was signed by Danish club AGF Aarhus in 2007 and spent two years with the club, along with a spell on loan at fellow Superliga club Esbjerg fB.
Plymouth Argyle Kári had a trial at English Football League Championship side Plymouth Argyle in the summer of 2009, and after impressing in a couple of friendly matches he signed a one-year contract with the club. He made his debut in August 2009 against Derby County and established himself as a first-team regular at the heart of the club's defence. He scored his first goal for the club against Reading on 28 December 2009 at Home Park, to become the 500th player to score a league goal since the club became professional in 1903. Kári signed a two-year contract extension in January 2010, after a string of consistent performances, to keep him at the club until the summer of 2012.
Aberdeen Kári joined Heart of Midlothian on trial during their pre-season trip to Italy in June 2011, having been released by Plymouth's administrator after refusing to defer his wages for June. He was not offered a contract by Hearts and then began a trial with fellow Scottish Premier League club Aberdeen. He signed for Aberdeen on 18 July and received international clearance four days later. He made his debut in a 0–0 draw against St Johnstone on 23 July and scored his first goal for Aberdeen on 15 October, the opener in a 3–1 win against Dundee United. In the return New Firm fixture on 2 January 2012, Árnason scored the winning goal from 30-yards at Tannadice. He was offered a new contract in December to extend his stay with the club beyond the 2011–12 season.
His goal against Rangers in a 1–1 draw at Ibrox Stadium took his tally for the campaign to three. Kári rejected Aberdeen's offer of a new contract towards the end of January and manager Craig Brown said that he expected him to leave in the summer. "We made Kári an exceptionally good offer. However, the player believes he can earn a better deal elsewhere," said an Aberdeen spokesperson.
