© E. Žaldario
Vilnius' "Žalgiris" safe line this season will be reinforced by the Lithuanian national team guard Ovidijus Verbickas. The 27-year-old player is returning to his homeland after a year-long break. Last year he played in the Kazakh championship for the "Taraz" club, represented by former "Žalgiris" player Serge Nyuiadzi. Prior to that, O. Verbickas represented Marijampolė's "Sūduva" for three seasons, coached at the time by current "Žalgiris" strategist Vladimiras Čeburinas, and became Lithuanian champion three times. Born in Ukmergė, O. Verbickas learned the basics of football in Vilnius, training with Viktoras Osetrovas since he was 10 years old. When he reached adulthood, the guard went to St. Petersburg's "Zenit," played for the club's reserves. He then joined Klaipėda's "Atlantas," where he spent a season and a half with a short break in the team of "Marbella" in Spain. O. Verbickas had his most successful season in 2018 under the coaching of V. Čeburinas. That season, the guard scored 9 goals in 22 matches, made 5 assists, and was named the best player in the A League. O. Verbickas made his debut for the Lithuanian national team in 2016 and has played 22 matches since then, scoring 1 goal.
