Ģirts Karlsons

Football player infobox
playername = Ģirts Karlsons
fullname = Ģirts Karlsons


dateofbirth = birth date and age|1981|6|7
cityofbirth = Liepāja
countryofbirth = USSR
height = height|m=1.89
currentclub =
clubnumber =
position = Striker
nickname =
youthyears =
youthclubs =
years = 1998–2003
2004
2005
2005–2007
2008
clubs = Liepājas Metalurgs
Shinnik Yaroslavl
Venta Kuldiga
Liepājas Metalurgs
De Graafschap
caps(goals) = 96 0(40)
08 00(0)
06 00(0)
66 0(34)
05 00(0)
nationalyears = ?–?
2003–
nationalteam = Latvia U-21
Latvia
nationalcaps(goals) = 0? 00(?)
30 00(7)
pcupdate = 18:30 9 February 2008
ntupdate = 19:33 14 September 2008

Ģirts Karlsons (born June 7 1981 in Liepaja) is Latvian football striker.

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.cite web
title = Latvia 2003
publisher = Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation
date = 2004-10-01
url = http://www.rsssf.com/tablesl/let03.html
accessdate = 2008-02-09]

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.cite news
title = Shinnik challenge for Latvian striker
publisher = UEFA
date = 2004-04-02
url = http://www.uefa.com/footballeurope/news/kind=2/newsid=142074.html
accessdate = 2008-02-09 ] However, after just one season, where he played only 8 league games, he returned to Latvia with newly promoted Venta Kuldiga in 2005, cite news
title = Karlsons quits Russia for Venta
publisher = UEFA
date = 2005-02-10
url = http://www.uefa.com/footballeurope/news/kind=2/newsid=278884.html
accessdate = 2008-02-09 ] However, the club struggled financially and after just five matches had to let some of their players go, including Karlsonscite news
title = Venta enter the twilight zone
publisher = UEFA
date = 2005-05-13
url = http://www.uefa.com/footballeurope/news/kind=2/newsid=301506.html
accessdate = 2008-02-09 ] 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.cite web
title = Latvia 2005
publisher = Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation
date = 2006-03-04
url = http://www.rsssf.com/tablesl/let05.html
accessdate = 2008-02-09] 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.cite web
title = Latvia 2006
publisher = Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation
date = 2007-03-21
url = http://www.rsssf.com/tablesl/let06.html
accessdate = 2008-02-09] 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.cite news
title = Kolinko given Latvian honour
publisher = UEFA
date = 2006-12-04
url = http://www.uefa.com/footballeurope/news/kind=2/newsid=486403.html
accessdate = 2008-02-09 ] 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 Southamptoncite news
title = Wolves take Latvian on trial
publisher = Express & Star
date = 2008-01-08
url = http://www.expressandstar.com/2008/01/08/wolves-take-latvian-on-trial/
accessdate = 2008-02-09 ] and in January 2008 he had a two day trial with Wolverhampton Wanderers.cite news
title = Wolves trial Latvian striker: McCarthy takes a closer look at Karlsons
publisher = Sky Sports
date = 2008-01-08
url = http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11688_3031406,00.html
accessdate = 2008-02-09 ] He then had trials in the Netherlands with FC Zwolle and De Graafschap, cite news
title = FC Zwolle test opnieuw aanvaller uit Letland
language = Dutch
publisher = FC Zwolle
date = 2008-02-09
url = http://fczwolle.org/content/view/516/1
accessdate = 2008-02-09 ] and on 8 February 2008 he signed for De Graafschap who currently compete in the Eredivisie.cite news
title = Spits Karlsons naar De Graafschap
language = Dutch
publisher = Sp!ts
date = 2008-02-08
url = http://spitsnet.nl/nieuws.php/3/484543/anp
accessdate = 2008-02-09 ]

International career

Karlsons played for the Latvia Under 21 team.cite news
title = Late strike saves Sweden
publisher = UEFA
date = 2003-10-10
url = http://www.uefa.com/competitions/under21/history/season=2004/round=1585/match=69122/report=rp.html
accessdate = 2008-02-09 ] 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.cite news
title = New-look Latvia defeated
publisher = UEFA
date = 2003-12-20
url = http://www.uefa.com/footballeurope/news/kind=1/newsid=135087.html
accessdate = 2008-02-09 ] 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.cite news
title = Last-gasp Latvia earn final date
publisher = UEFA
date = 2005-12-28
url = http://www.uefa.com/competitions/worldcup/news/kind=1/newsid=381923.html
accessdate = 2008-02-09 ] Latvia won the cup, beating Korea DPR 2-1 in the final on 30 December with Karlson again scoring.cite news
title = Latvia claim royal reward
publisher = UEFA
date = 2005-12-30
url = http://www.uefa.com/competitions/worldcup/news/kind=1/newsid=382062.html
accessdate = 2008-02-09 ]

Honours

*FK Liepājas Metalurgs
** Virslīga champion (1): 2005
** Virslīga runner-up (5): 1998, 1999, 2003, 2006, 2007
** Latvian Cup winner (1): 2006
** Baltic League winner (1): 2007

*Latvia
**King's Cup winner (1): 2005

References

Externals links

*soccerbase|id=44786|name=Girts Karlsons
* [http://www.playerhistory.com/Default.aspx?page=player_details&playerID=32485&cCareerID=32485 Girts Karlsons at playerhistory.com]
* [http://www.lff.lv/lv/aizlase/speletaji/Karlsons Ģirts Karlsons profile at the Latvian Football Federation website] lv icon