That is until he opens his mouth.
Hilmar's accent, thanks to his father Paul, makes him sound like he was born and bred in Scotland.
"Aye, right it does," he says. "My dad's a Glaswegian."
After being released by Glasgow side Rangers when he was 20, Paul McShane went to Iceland in a bid to regain his fitness following an injury and signed with local club Fram Reykjavik.
"He got an Icelandic girlfriend and then I came along," says Hilmar. "So I was raised to speak English with this accent by my dad, and people often think I'm Scottish.
"I feel very connected to both Iceland and Scotland."
Iceland are one of six teams competing in the men's football competition in China. They got off to a great start with a 5-0 win over Honduras but lost 2-1 to Peru in their second game.
"My dad is extremely proud of my progress as a player and I hope to become a pro. We have got a very, very good under 15 side and Nanjing is the perfect experience for us.
"It's an excellent tournament and we think we can win it."
McShane said he hoped to follow in his father's footsteps and play for Rangers one day.
"Although I'd also like to play for Barcelona, so that would be fine, too," he adds.
(Writing by Peter Rutherford in Seoul; Editing by John O'Brien)
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