Ilja Vestermans
Encyclopedia
Iļja Vestermans was a Latvia
n football
forward
of Jewish origin.
He was born in Riga
. Most of his career he played with the Riga Jewish community sports club Hakoah. In the Latvia national football team
he made his debut in 1935 against Lithuania
and in the debut match he scored two goals.
In the 1938 FIFA World Cup qualification
Vestermans scored in both matches as Latvia beat Lithuania
and the single goal for Latvia against Austria
.
In his 23 matches for Latvia Vestermans scored 13 goals. It was the third result in goals for Latvia players before World War II
, however Vestermans achieved it in significantly less matches than Ēriks Pētersons
and Alberts Šeibelis
who had a better goal-tally. Vestermans was considered one of the most talented footballers in Latvia. Vestermans left Latvia before Latvia was annexed by the Soviet Union
and until his death at the age of 90 he lived in Florida
, USA.
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
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
forward
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...
of Jewish origin.
He was born in Riga
Riga
Riga is the capital and largest city of Latvia. With 702,891 inhabitants Riga is the largest city of the Baltic states, one of the largest cities in Northern Europe and home to more than one third of Latvia's population. The city is an important seaport and a major industrial, commercial,...
. Most of his career he played with the Riga Jewish community sports club Hakoah. In the Latvia national football 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...
he made his debut in 1935 against Lithuania
Lithuania national football team
The national football team of Lithuania is under the auspices of the Lithuanian Football Federation. It played its first match in 1923. In 1940, Lithuania was occupied by the Soviet Union; the country regained its independence in 1990 and played their first match as a new nation against Georgia on...
and in the debut match he scored two goals.
In the 1938 FIFA World Cup qualification
1938 FIFA World Cup qualification
-Group 2:----Norway qualified.-Group 3:----Poland finished above Yugoslavia on goal average, and thus qualified.-Group 5:Switzerland qualified.-First round:----Greece qualified for the final round....
Vestermans scored in both matches as Latvia beat Lithuania
Lithuania national football team
The national football team of Lithuania is under the auspices of the Lithuanian Football Federation. It played its first match in 1923. In 1940, Lithuania was occupied by the Soviet Union; the country regained its independence in 1990 and played their first match as a new nation against Georgia on...
and the single goal for Latvia against Austria
Austria national football team
The Austria national football team is the association football team that represents the country of Austria in international competition and is controlled by the Austrian Football Association ....
.
In his 23 matches for Latvia Vestermans scored 13 goals. It was the third result in goals for Latvia players before World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, however Vestermans achieved it in significantly less matches than Ēriks Pētersons
Eriks Petersons
Ēriks Pētersons was Latvian footballer and hockey player. In time between 1929–1939 he played 63 international matches and scored 21 goal for Latvia national team. He also played in Latvian national ice hockey team, where he appeared in 8 matches...
and Alberts Šeibelis
Alberts Šeibelis
Alberts Šeibelis was a Latvian footballer, one of the most popular Latvian footballers in the era before World War II. In 54 matches for Latvia he scored 14 goals-Biography:...
who had a better goal-tally. Vestermans was considered one of the most talented footballers in Latvia. Vestermans left Latvia before Latvia was annexed by the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
and until his death at the age of 90 he lived in Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, USA.