© EuroFootball.com
Russian Valerijus Karpinas, born in the Estonian capital of Tallinn, as promised earlier, ended his career as a professional footballer. On Saturday, the 36-year-old Russian played his last match, where he received a warm farewell from the fans.
The player was honored before the match against "Barcelona", and later, when V. Karpinas was substituted, the fans in the "Anoeta" stadium bid farewell to the player by applauding.
"I don't want to play football anymore. I have already made up my mind, and although I may regret it quickly, I think my decision is correct and it is the right time to retire," V. Karpinas told reporters.
"I want to thank 'Real Sociedad' for the opportunity to play in Spain, all the clubs where I played, and their fans," said V. Karpinas.
Born in Tallinn, the right-back started his career in 1990 at Moscow's "Spartak" club, with which he became the Russian champion three times and won the Russian Cup twice. In 1994, he moved to "Real Sociedad" in San Sebastian.
After spending two seasons in San Sebastian, V. Karpinas moved to "Valencia" for one season, and later played five seasons in the Celta Vigo team.
V. Karpinas returned to San Sebastian in 2002 and has been playing there ever since.
Representing the Russian national team, V. Karpinas has played 72 times and once represented the CIS national team.
