In the last "Žalgiris" match - gratitude to S. Mikoliūnas

2023-11-12 21:04 © E. Žaldario

Saulius Mikoliūnas finished his football career. The longtime Lithuanian national team and "Žalgiris" player took to the field for the last time and said goodbye to the fans.

In a special ceremony before the match, 39-year-old S. Mikoliūnas was escorted onto the field by young "Žalgiris" academy players at first, and later by the "Žalgiris" and "Dainava" teams.

Vilnius deputy mayor Donalda Meiželytė, Vilnius Regional Football Association President Deividas Šemberas, first coach Viktoras Osetrovas, "Žalgiris" director Vilma Venslovaitienė, and coach Vladimir Čeburinas thanked him for his long football career.

In his final match, S. Mikoliūnas played the first 13 minutes wearing the number 13 jersey. As he left the field, he symbolically passed the captain's armband to young Žalgiris player Martynas Šetkus, as well as to his son, young footballer Kajus.

S. Mikoliūnas started his professional career in the capital with the team "Šviesa," making his debut in the Lithuanian Championship in 2003. He later played for Panevėžys' "Ekranas" and FBK "Kaunas." From 2005 to 2009, he played for Edinburgh's "Hearts" (Scotland), and from 2009 to 2015 – in Ukrainian and Belarusian clubs. From 2004 to 2022, he represented the Lithuanian national team and played a record number of matches – 101.

In 2016, he returned to Vilnius and joined the Žalgiris team. With the team, he became Lithuanian champion four times (2016, 2020, 2021, 2022), cup winner five times (2015/16, 2016, 2018, 2021, 2022), and Super Cup winner four times (2004, 2016, 2020, 2023).

During this period, he played 221 matches for the team – 161 in the country's championship, 32 in cup competitions, and 27 in international matches.

In 2020, S. Mikoliūnas was named the best footballer playing in Lithuania. In 2022, he participated in the UEFA tournament group stage with "Žalgiris," a feat that no other Lithuanian club had achieved before.