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One of the most experienced Lithuanian national team football players, Saulius Mikoliūnas, returned to the national team after a three-year break. The goalkeeper, who has shone again in recent years, says he still has a lot to give and wants to give his all representing his country.
S. Mikoliūnas started his career in the national team in 2004 and scored five goals in 74 matches, known for his excellent technical abilities playing in the right attacking wing.
The last time he played for the national team was in friendly matches with Russia in March 2016 and he did not think about a return for long, but that changed when Valdas Urbonas became the national team coach.
"Time flies fast, it doesn't feel like three years have passed. It seems like I didn't play for the national team a long time ago. Many players have stayed, but maybe during that time they matured and improved. Now we will adapt to Valdas Urbonas' philosophy," said S. Mikoliūnas.
The invitation to the national team for S. Mikoliūnas was not entirely unexpected, as last year he played under V. Urbonas' wing at Vilnius "Žalgiris" club: "We understood each other well, I understood his playing philosophy and what he requires. I thought I wouldn't have to wear the national team jersey anymore, but football is interesting because you don't know how things will turn out in the future. Now I'm glad that I can represent the Lithuanian national team."
S. Mikoliūnas ranks third in the list of most matches played for the Lithuanian national football team. Only Deividas Šemberas (82) and Andrius Skerla (84), who is currently V. Urbonas' assistant, have worn the national team jerseys more times. However, S. Mikoliūnas insists that surpassing them is not a priority.
"I didn't return to think about surpassing Andrius or Deividas. Of course, we joke about it during training camp, but everyone understands why players come here. I returned to be able to give something to Lithuania and dedicate myself fully. I understand that I don't have much time left to play, but I'm currently in good form and I think I can help Lithuania," reflected S. Mikoliūnas.
Having played as a goalkeeper in the national team under various coaches, S. Mikoliūnas saw how the team evolved. Speaking about the recent years' "slump," S. Mikoliūnas emphasized that the national team players were under a lot of psychological pressure: "Sometimes on the field, that pressure prevented them from playing smartly in certain situations. Everyone had a lot of desire, but sometimes actions were individual instead of team-oriented. This unbalanced the team and it was difficult to return to the normal rhythm.
"It's always important to support the team, no matter what the situation is. People's positivity can give us additional strength. Players' performance is also greatly influenced by psychology. When you convince a player that they can, they actually do it later," said the former FBK Kaunas, Edinburgh "Hearts" and Kiev "Arsenal" player.
S. Mikoliūnas did not hide his satisfaction with his fulfilling career but also revealed that it could have taken him to the highest leagues in England: "There was an opportunity to move to 'Swansea City' team, but maybe there were not enough people who could advise me on this issue, I started to doubt and look for better options. I think I should have seized that chance, and perhaps everything would have turned out differently."
Returning to "Žalgiris" in 2015, the veteran experienced difficult periods of injuries, but the family growth last year gave him new strength in the second half of the season, where he was one of the team leaders. With "Žalgiris," he became the winner of the LFF Cup and contributed to the team's push in the A league, where they only finished second in the championship round behind "Sūduva."
"The main goal for everyone should be to create a beautiful family. When you have a solid foundation, you can continue to build everything. The birth of a daughter added a lot - when you are in a good mood, on wings, everything goes well," smiled the Vilnius native.
S. Mikoliūnas will seek to win the first victory in the European Championship qualification matches on Friday evening. In the Group B matches, Lithuanians will face the Luxembourg team at the "Josy Barthel" stadium. The match, starting at 9:45 PM, will be broadcast on LRT television.
