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The best or one of the best Lithuanian footballers of the past season, Artūras Rimkevičius, agreed to give an interview to the portal Eurofootball.com and shared his thoughts.
The footballer plagued by injuries recently signed a contract with Lithuanian champions Panevėžys "Ekranas", although A.Rimkevičius is unable to step onto the field yet, he believes he will regain his sporting form soon.
You will find out more about the offers received from abroad, the injury he suffered, his dream club, and more by reading the interview.
Let's start with your current club "Ekranas." How do you evaluate this team and what do you expect from them?
"Ekranas" is a multiple-time Lithuanian champion, after FBK Kaunas left the A League, this team firmly rules in Lithuania, of course, every year other strong clubs are on their heels, but mastery and a winning mentality have been cultivated over many years, so "Ekranas" fights for gold every year, and I hope to remain part of this team, contribute to the victories, and perform successfully in European tournaments.
Last season you were unstoppable in the A League, do you think "Ekranas" will be able to demonstrate a similar sporting form?
I think it will take some time before I can reach optimal form and contribute significantly to the team's victories, as I missed the entire season preparing for treatment. I hope to continue scoring goals and maintain my role as a forward, but it is most important for the team to perform well, and then goals will not be lacking.
After the end of the A League season, you went to Edinburgh, what prevented you from staying with the "Heart" team?
On December 1st, I signed a contract with the "Heart" team and was supposed to debut in Scotland in January. After arriving in Edinburgh, I started training, everything was great, but due to a decision by the Scottish Football Association, the "Heart" team was banned from registering new players until the end of the season due to financial problems. And that's how paths diverged for me and this team.
This year your career was cloudy for a long time, why did this happen?
In Scotland, I experienced bad luck, tore my thigh muscle during training, which is where everything began. When I returned to Lithuania for treatment, I didn't rush back to the field, which further complicated my situation. While recovering from the injury, the transfer window was opened, and I received quite a few offers. Still partially recovering, I traveled to Israel, where I had already shaken hands with one club, but after feeling pain during training, I did not receive a contract. Some time later, I received offers from Dresden "Dynamo" and "Regensburg", but negotiations with these clubs failed. After that, I received various offers from clubs in Kazakhstan, China, Czech Republic, and Romania, but I had to undergo a medical examination everywhere, which I couldn't do due to the injury. Almost healed from the injury, I went to Turkey, where I was supposed to appear for Minsk "Dynamo", but after the injury recurred, I had to say goodbye again. Upon returning to Lithuania, I received an offer from "Ekranas," so there was no reason to refuse it.
You played few matches in the Lithuanian national team, do you believe that Csaba Laszlo will call you to the national team once you recover?
At the moment, the most important thing is to regain good sporting form, and then we can think about a call to the Lithuanian national team. Of course, it's too early to expect anything, but I will devote all my strength to this goal. It's a pity that things turned out this way, after a great last season, I received an offer from the national team coach and after playing a few matches, I left an impression. The injury made me start all over again, spend time without football, but I believe that once I regain my usual sporting form, I can expect a call.
In Lithuania, you are known as the "Lithuanian Messi," does this add confidence to you, or maybe you don't like being compared?
I don't pay attention to the fact that some websites or even people refer to me as the "Lithuanian Messi." It makes me smile a little because I'm definitely not like the best footballer on the planet, Lithuanian or not, there's really no comparison to that player.
Every footballer's dream is to represent a team of strong capabilities, do you have a dream club?
My dream club has been "AC Milan" since childhood. Of course, now it wasn't meant to fulfill this dream. Still, I hope to move to a stronger team, I have such a goal and I will strive for it, although I don't have much time left.
When can we expect to see you wearing the Lithuanian champions' jerseys on the field?
Well, I think I should be playing in a couple of weeks. Of course, the doctors have told me not to rush, so that the pain does not recur. Anyway, I hope that the injury will not recur, and I can help the team.
Are you looking forward to the match when you will meet with "Šiauliai," and why?
The match with "Šiauliai" will be the same as with other teams, maybe just nice to meet former teammates and the coach. I spent part of the season here and experienced great moments. Also, I would like to thank "Šiauliai" for the good times and wish them the greatest success.
Do you think "Ekranas" will succeed in winning the A League for the sixth time in a row?
I hope they will succeed. The team has changed slightly compared to last season, some excellent and experienced footballers have joined, but this season cannot be worse. "Ekranas" is a champion, and our goal is to become champions again!
