Girts Karlsons
Encyclopedia
Ģirts Karlsons is a republican city in western Latvia, located on the Baltic Sea directly at 21°E. It is the largest city in the Kurzeme Region of Latvia, the third largest city in Latvia after Riga and Daugavpils and an important ice-free port...
) is Latvia
Latvia
Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...
n football striker
Striker
Forwards, also known as strikers, are the players on a team in association football who play nearest to the opposing team's goal, and are therefore principally responsible for scoring goals...
currently playing for Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan , officially the Republic of Azerbaijan is the largest country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, and Iran to...
i club FC Inter Baku
FC Inter Baku
Inter Baku PFC is an Azerbaijani football club based in Baku, that currently plays in Azerbaijan Premier League.Inter Baku is a multi-sports club and competes in football, wrestling, boxing, judo and unifight. The football team won the championship in 2008 and 2010...
.
Club career
Karlsons started his career at FK Liepājas Metalurgs in 1998. He spent the next six season with the club. In the 2003 VirslīgaVirsliga
-Past Virslīga winners:-Top scorers:-Riga football league winners:* 1910 Union Riga* 1911 British FC Riga* 1912 Union Riga* 1913 British FC Riga* 1914 British FC Riga* 1915 British FC Riga-Champions of Latvia before Virslīga:* 1922 Ķeizarmežs...
season he was second highest scorer in the league with 26 goals, which included two hat-trick
Hat-trick
A hat-trick or hat trick in sport is the achievement of a positive feat three times during a game, or other achievements based on threes. The term was first used in 1858 in cricket to describe HH Stephenson's feat of taking three wickets in three balls. A collection was held for Stephenson, and he...
s.
After a month long trial, he moved to Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
in January 2004 to play for Shinnik Yaroslavl
FC Shinnik Yaroslavl
FC Shinnik Yaroslavl is a Russian football club, based in Yaroslavl.From 1957 to 1960 the team was called Khimik.- Russia:- Current squad :, according to the .-Out on loan:- Notable players :...
in the Russian Premier League
Russian Premier League
The Russian Premier League , currently called SOGAZ Russian Football Championship due to sponsorship reasons, is the top division of Russian football. There are 16 teams in the competition...
, signing a three year contract. However, after just one season, where he played only 8 league games, he returned to Latvia with newly promoted Venta Kuldiga
FK Venta Ventspils
FK Venta was a Latvian football club based in Ventspils. They were established in 1964 and were named after the Venta River, in 1967, they won the Latvian cup. In 1969 they won the Latvian championship. In 2004 after earning promotion to Virslīga the club moved to Kuldīga...
in 2005, However, the club struggled financially and after just five matches had to let some of their players go, including Karlsons who returned to his hometown club, Liepājas Metalurgs later that same year. He scored another hat-trick in the 2005 Virslīga season, and he also scored in the Latvian Cup
Latvian football Cup
The Latvian Football Cup is the main "knockout" cup competition in Latvian football. It started in 1937 replacing the previous knockout tournament – Riga Football Cup.The competition is a knockout tournament....
final on 25 September which Liepājas Metalurgs lost 2–1 to Venta Kuldīga. He scored yet another hat-trick in the 2006 Virslīga season, and finished the season as the second highest scorer in the league with 14 goals. In the Latvian Cup he scored a hat-trick in the 6–1 semi-final win over Dižvanagi Rēzekne
Dižvanagi Rezekne
Dižvanagi Rēzekne was a Latvian football club, located in Rēzekne. They currently compete under the name of Dižvanagi-2 in the Latgales zona of the 2.līga as the reserve team of FK Blāzma Rēzekne.-History:...
and then scored in the final which the club won 2–1 over Skonto
Skonto FC
Skonto FC is a Latvian football club, founded in 1991. The club plays at the Skonto Stadium in Riga. Skonto won the Virsliga in the first 14 seasons of the league's existence , and often provides the core of the Latvia national football team...
. In December he was named runner-up in the Latvian Player of the Year Award by the Latvian Football Federation
Latvian Football Federation
The Latvian Football Federation is the governing body of football in Latvia based in the capital, Riga. It organises the Latvian football championship , Latvian Football Cup and the Latvia national football team. LFF became a member of FIFA in 1922, but following Latvia's annexation by the Soviet...
behind the winner Aleksandrs Kolinko
Aleksandrs Kolinko
Aleksandrs Koļinko is a professional footballer, currently playing for FC Baltika Kaliningrad in Russian First Division.- Club career :...
of FC Rubin Kazan
FC Rubin Kazan
FC Rubin Kazan is a Russian association football club based in the city of Kazan . Rubin won the Russian Premier League championship in 2008 and 2009.-History:...
in Russia. His contract expired in July 2007 and it was not renewed. He was then linked with English Championship
Football League Championship
The Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League...
club Bristol City
Bristol City F.C.
Bristol City Football Club is one of two football league clubs in Bristol, England . They play at Ashton Gate, located in the south-west of the City...
, before going on trial with Southampton
Southampton F.C.
Southampton Football Club is an English football team, nicknamed The Saints, based in the city of Southampton, Hampshire. The club gained promotion to the Championship from League One in the 2010–2011 season after being relegated in 2009. Their home ground is the St Mary's Stadium, where the club...
and in January 2008 he had a two day trial with Wolverhampton Wanderers
Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C.
Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club that represents the city of Wolverhampton in the West Midlands region. They are members of the Premier League, the highest level of English football. The club was founded in 1877 and since 1889 has played at...
. He then had trials in the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
with FC Zwolle
FC Zwolle
FC Zwolle is a Dutch football club based in Zwolle, currently playing in the Eerste Divisie, the country's second level of professional club football. The club was founded in 1990 after the bankruptcy of PEC. They have played in the Eredivisie, the highest tier of Dutch football, for a total of...
and De Graafschap
De Graafschap
De Graafschap is a professional football club from Doetinchem, Netherlands. It was formed on 1 February 1954 and they play their home games at the "De Vijverberg" stadium. Their current home ground stands on where the old pitch used to be located and was opened on 12 August 2000...
,
and on 8 February 2008 he signed for De Graafschap
De Graafschap
De Graafschap is a professional football club from Doetinchem, Netherlands. It was formed on 1 February 1954 and they play their home games at the "De Vijverberg" stadium. Their current home ground stands on where the old pitch used to be located and was opened on 12 August 2000...
who that time competed in the Eredivisie
Eredivisie
The Eredivisie is the highest football league in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956 two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is currently ranked the ninth best league in Europe by UEFA....
. He returned to Liepājas Metalurgs in the middle of 2008 because of the limited game time. After some impressive matches there he attracted interest from several European clubs, but finally settled down in Azerbaijan, signing a contract with Inter Baku in the summer of 2009. The next season he became the champion of Azerbaijan.
International career
Karlsons played for the Latvia Under 21 teamLatvia national under-21 football team
The Latvia national under-21 football team represents the under-21s of Latvia and is controlled by the Latvian Football Federation, the governing body of football in Latvia. The team competes in the UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship, held every two years...
. He currently plays for the Latvia national team
Latvia national football team
The Latvian national football team is controlled by the Latvian Football Federation, the governing body for football in Latvia and represents the country in international football competitions, such as the World Cup and the European Championships. So far, they have never qualified for a FIFA World...
and won his first cap on 20 December 2003 as a second half substitute against Kuwait
Kuwait national football team
The Kuwait National Football Team is the national team of Kuwait and is controlled by the Kuwait Football Association. They made one World Cup Finals appearance, in 1982, managing a draw with Czechoslovakia but losing to England and France. During the match against France, France scored a goal...
in Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
which Latvia lost 2–0. On 28 December 2005 he scored in Latvia's 2–1 win over Oman national football team
Oman national football team
The Oman national football team is the national team of Oman. Although the team was officially founded in 1978, the squad was formed long before, and has established a proper football association in only December, 2005...
to reach the final of the King's Cup
King's Cup
The King's Cup is an international football competition held in Thailand. It has been played annually since 1968, with the exception of 1983, 1985 and 2008. In some years, the competition has featured club or invitational teams as well as international sides....
in Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
. Latvia won the cup, beating Korea DPR
Korea DPR national football team
The Democratic People's Republic of Korea national football team represents the Democratic People's Republic of Korea in international association football and is controlled by the DPR Korea Football Association, the governing body for football in North Korea.North Korea surprised with a...
2–1 in the final on 30 December with Karlsons again scoring.
Honours
- FK Liepājas Metalurgs
- VirslīgaVirsliga-Past Virslīga winners:-Top scorers:-Riga football league winners:* 1910 Union Riga* 1911 British FC Riga* 1912 Union Riga* 1913 British FC Riga* 1914 British FC Riga* 1915 British FC Riga-Champions of Latvia before Virslīga:* 1922 Ķeizarmežs...
champion (5): 2005 - VirslīgaVirsliga-Past Virslīga winners:-Top scorers:-Riga football league winners:* 1910 Union Riga* 1911 British FC Riga* 1912 Union Riga* 1913 British FC Riga* 1914 British FC Riga* 1915 British FC Riga-Champions of Latvia before Virslīga:* 1922 Ķeizarmežs...
runner-up (5): 1998, 1999, 2003, 2006, 2007 - Latvian CupLatvian football CupThe Latvian Football Cup is the main "knockout" cup competition in Latvian football. It started in 1937 replacing the previous knockout tournament – Riga Football Cup.The competition is a knockout tournament....
winner (1): 2006 - Baltic LeagueBaltic LeagueThe Baltic League is a Baltic football club tournament, launched in 2007 inspired by the now defunct Scandinavian tournament Royal League and by the Baltic Basketball League. The top four club sides from Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania take part in the competition...
winner (1): 2007Baltic League 2007The 2007 season of Baltic League was the first edition of the Baltic League. The competition was won by Liepājas Metalurgs of Latvia, who beat fellow Latvians FK Ventspils 8–2 on aggregate in the final, which was spread over two legs on 8 November 2007 and 11 November 2007.-Group A:1 Dinaburg FC...
- Virslīga
- FC Inter Baku
- Azerbaijan Premier LeagueAzerbaijan Premier League-Attendance:- Records :Players in the Premier League compete for the Azerbaijan Premier League Golden Boot, awarded to the top scorer at the end of each season. Nazim Aliyev is the league's all-time top scorer with 183 goals, including 39 in the 1992 season.During the 1995–96 season he became the...
champion (1): 2010
- Azerbaijan Premier League
- Latvia
- King's CupKing's CupThe King's Cup is an international football competition held in Thailand. It has been played annually since 1968, with the exception of 1983, 1985 and 2008. In some years, the competition has featured club or invitational teams as well as international sides....
winner (1): 2005
- King's Cup
External links
- Girts Karlsons at playerhistory.com
- http://www.lff.lv/lv/aizlase/speletaji/KarlsonsĢirts Karlsons profile at the Latvian Football FederationLatvian Football FederationThe Latvian Football Federation is the governing body of football in Latvia based in the capital, Riga. It organises the Latvian football championship , Latvian Football Cup and the Latvia national football team. LFF became a member of FIFA in 1922, but following Latvia's annexation by the Soviet...
website] - National Football Teams