Coventry City disagreement gave Cardiff City a modern day hero: View | OneFootball

Aron Gunnarsson left Coventry City in 2011 and joined the Bluebirds where he'd spend a successful eight years

When Cardiff City supporters think back to their golden era of recent years, one man in particular will stand out as having played a pivotal role in their success.

Icelandic midfielder Aron Gunnarsson joined the Bluebirds on a free transfer after leaving Coventry City in 2011, and he'd spend eight years at the Cardiff City stadium - becoming a fans' favourite and a cult hero during that time.

It's fair to say that Coventry's loss was Cardiff's gain, and the Bluebirds can thank a contract dispute at the CBS Arena which allowed them to sign Gunnarsson on a free, which subsequently handed them a modern-day legend.

Cardiff City captialised on Coventry City failing to agree a new deal with Aron Gunnarsson

Gunnarsson's journey in English football started in 2008 when he joined Coventry City from AZ Alkmaar, and he'd spend three years in the Midlands with the Sky Blues, before his contract expired in the summer of 2011.

Coventry were keen to keep the midfielder at the club, having made 133 appearances during his three-year stay, but despite a 'lucrative deal' being offered to the Icelandic international, Gunnarsson turned it down, and subsequently joined Cardiff City.

The midfielder was just 22 at the time, which meant that Cardiff had to pay Coventry compensation, but that fee would have been a lot smaller than any transfer fee they would have had to pay had Gunnarsson been under contract.

To say that Cardiff benefited from Gunnarsson's Coventry exit would be an understatement, as he became a legend in the blue half of south Wales during the years that followed.

In total, the hard-working Icelandic midfielder would make 286 appearances for the Bluebirds, scoring 25 goals and registering 22 goals, helping the Bluebirds win promotion to the Premier League on two occasions, and is still remembered fondly by Cardiff supporters despite leaving five years ago.

Aron Gunnarsson became a modern-day legend at Cardiff City

Gunnarsson spent eight years at the Cardiff City Stadium, and played an important role throughout his stay in the Welsh capital, being a mainstay in the team for the vast majority of his time with the Bluebirds, and wore the captain's armband on a number of occasions.

In his first season at the club, Cardiff reached the play-offs where they were defeated by West Ham, but he was part of the side that reached the League Cup final, playing the full 120 minutes against Liverpool in the final.

The following season saw the Bluebirds lift the Championship title, and the former Coventry City man played an important role, playing in 45 out of the club's 46 league games as they won promotion to the Premier League for the first time in their history.

Despite immediately being relegated back to the Championship, Gunnarsson made 23 appearances in the top-flight, showing he was capable of making the step-up.

A few seasons of mid-table mediocrity followed in the Championship, but the Icelandic midfielder continued to be one of the first names on the teamsheet for Cardiff under the number of different managers they had during that period.

However, in his penultimate season as a Bluebird, Gunnarsson helped the club win a shock promotion to the Premier League under Neil Warnock, playing just 20 games due to injury, but making a big difference when fit during the club's end of season run-in.

The midfielder made it clear that the 2018/19 campaign would be his last in the Welsh capital, and he made the most of it, playing 28 games in the Premier League as Cardiff nearly pulled off an unlikely survival in the top-flight, but ultimately finished 18th, missing out on survival by two points.

His final game for the club saw the Bluebirds beat Manchester United 2-0 at Old Trafford, a perfect way to bring down the curtain on his time with Cardiff, despite the eventual relegation.

His time in English football came to an end when he joined Qatari outfit Al-Arabi in the summer of 2019, but Gunnarsson is still fondly remembered by the Bluebirds' faithful.

His eight-year stay at the club saw Cardiff enjoy one of the most successful periods in their recent history, and everyone at the club will always be thankful that Coventry weren't able to agree a fresh deal with him in the summer of 2011.