Ģirts Karlsons

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Ģirts Karlsons
Personal information
Full name Ģirts Karlsons
Date of birth June 7, 1981 (1981-06-07) (age 27)
Place of birth    Liepāja, Latvia, USSR
(now Republic of Latvia)
Height 1.89 m (6 ft 2+1⁄2 in)
Playing position Striker
Club information
Current club De Graafschap
Senior clubs1
Years Club App (Gls)*
1998–2003
2004
2005
2005–2007
2008-		 Liepājas Metalurgs
Shinnik Yaroslavl
Venta Kuldiga
Liepājas Metalurgs
De Graafschap		 96 0(40)
08 00(0)
06 00(0)
66 0(34)
05 00(0)   
National team2
 ?–?
2003–		 Latvia U-21
Latvia		 0? 00(?)
24 00(6)

1 Senior club appearances and goals
counted for the domestic league only and
correct as of 18:30 9 February 2008.
2 National team caps and goals correct
as of 19:33 9 February 2008.
* Appearances (Goals)

Girts Karlsons or Ģirts Karlsons (born June 7, 1981 in Liepaja) is Latvian football striker. He currently plays for De Graafschap in the Netherlands.

Contents

[edit] Club career

Karlson started his career at FK Liepājas Metalurgs in 1998. He spent the next six season with the club. In the 2003 Virslīga season he was second highest scorer in the league with 26 goals, which included two hat-tricks.[1]

After a month long trial, he moved to Russia in January 2004 to play for Shinnik Yaroslavl in the Russian Premier League, signing a three year contract.[2] However, after just one season, where he played only 8 league games, he returned to Latvia with newly promoted Venta Kuldiga in 2005, [3] However, the club struggled financially and after just five matches had to let some of their players go, including Karlsons[4] 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 final on 25 September which Liepājas Metalurgs lost 2-1 to Venta Kuldīga.[5] 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 and then scored in the final which the club won 2-1 over Skonto.[6] In December he was named runner-up in the Latvian Player of the Year Award by the Latvian Football Federation behind the winner Aleksandrs Kolinko of FC Rubin Kazan in Russia.[7] His contract expired in July 2007 and it was not renewed. He was then linked with English Championship club Bristol City, before going on trial with Southampton[8] and in January 2008 he had a two day trial with Wolverhampton Wanderers.[9] He then had trials in the Netherlands with FC Zwolle and De Graafschap, [10] and on 8 February 2008 he signed for De Graafschap who currently compete in the Eredivisie.[11]

[edit] International career

Karlsons played for the Latvia Under 21 team.[12] He plays for the Latvia national team and won his first cap on 20 December 2003 as a second half substitute against Kuwait in Cyprus which Latvia lost 2-0.[9] On 28 December 2005 he scored in Latvia's 2-1 win over Oman national football team to reach the final of the King's Cup in Thailand.[13] Latvia won the cup, beating Korea DPR 2-1 in the final on 30 December with Karlson again scoring.[14]

[edit] Honours

[edit] References

  1. ^ Latvia 2003. Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation (2004-10-01). Retrieved on 2008-02-09.
  2. ^ "Shinnik challenge for Latvian striker", UEFA, 2004-04-02. Retrieved on 2008-02-09. 
  3. ^ "Karlsons quits Russia for Venta", UEFA, 2005-02-10. Retrieved on 2008-02-09. 
  4. ^ "Venta enter the twilight zone", UEFA, 2005-05-13. Retrieved on 2008-02-09. 
  5. ^ Latvia 2005. Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation (2006-03-04). Retrieved on 2008-02-09.
  6. ^ Latvia 2006. Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation (2007-03-21). Retrieved on 2008-02-09.
  7. ^ "Kolinko given Latvian honour", UEFA, 2006-12-04. Retrieved on 2008-02-09. 
  8. ^ "Wolves take Latvian on trial", Express & Star, 2008-01-08. Retrieved on 2008-02-09. 
  9. ^ a b "Wolves trial Latvian striker: McCarthy takes a closer look at Karlsons", Sky Sports, 2008-01-08. Retrieved on 2008-02-09. 
  10. ^ "FC Zwolle test opnieuw aanvaller uit Letland", FC Zwolle, 2008-02-09. Retrieved on 2008-02-09. (Dutch) 
  11. ^ "Spits Karlsons naar De Graafschap", Sp!ts, 2008-02-08. Retrieved on 2008-02-09. (Dutch) 
  12. ^ "Late strike saves Sweden", UEFA, 2003-10-10. Retrieved on 2008-02-09. 
  13. ^ "Last-gasp Latvia earn final date", UEFA, 2005-12-28. Retrieved on 2008-02-09. 
  14. ^ "Latvia claim royal reward", UEFA, 2005-12-30. Retrieved on 2008-02-09. 

[edit] Externals links

v • d • e
De Graafschap – current squad

- Amezrine • - Cinalli • - Van Fessem • - Bot • - J. Buijs • - Bus • - Fung a Wing • - Fränkel • - Hese • - Jansen • - Keller • - Volmer • - Meijer • - Van den Ouweland • - Overgoor • - Robbemond • - Schøne • - Schuurman • - Sebens • - Siers • - Van der Sloot • - Terschegget • - Viðarsson • - De Groot • - Biseswar • - Johnson • - Karlsons • — Sissing • — Tarvajärvi • Manager: De Jonge


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