It took Hákon Arnar Haraldsson some time to settle in France following his move from Copenhagen to Lille ahead of the 2023/24 season. The young Icelandic winger went to an unknown country with a language that he admittedly found difficult to learn. It took until after Christmas for Haraldsson to find his feet and regularly show the clear potential that the club had noticed.
Haraldsson's first and second goals for the club came in January during a 12-0 defeat of the Golden Lion in the Coupe de France. This was followed in the next round by the winning try in the 1-0 win over Racing Club de France. In February, Haraldsson scored against more fancied opposition when he registered his first league goal in the 3–1 defeat to Toulouse FC.
However, his best performances were perhaps saved for the Europa Conference League, where the winger helped Les Dogues to their first ever European quarter-final, where they were ultimately knocked out by Aston Villa in a somewhat infamous penalty shootout. Haraldsson failed to score in Europe, but assisted in both matches against SK Sturm Graz in the round of 16 and in the second leg against Aston Villa.
For his then manager Paulo Fonseca, the biggest praise for Haraldsson was that “today he is a player again.” He was no longer a prospect who had to adapt, he was someone who could be relied on in the club's biggest games. Lille finished the season in fourth place and with a chance to secure a place in this year's Champions League via the play-offs.
Fonseca would leave, but confidence in Haraldsson would only grow with new manager Bruno Génésio. In the middle of Lille's qualifying campaign, Génésio said: “I expect him to give everything for the group… [and] to lead the entire team towards qualification.” The winger would do his bit by earning another European assist during the 2-0 win against SK Slavia Prague. However, Haraldsson's year would take an unfortunate turn.
The winger suffered a broken foot during training with the Icelandic national team in early September. It was a serious injury, meaning Haraldsson has missed many games for Lille this season, including most of their impressive Champions League campaign. However, the budding star has bounced back from this setback and will hopefully continue his progress into 2025.
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