MÄris Verpakovskis
Māris Verpakovskis (* October 15, 1979 in Liepāja ) is a Latvian football player.
The striker is the top scorer of the Latvian national team. In 2014 he ended his active career and is currently the President of the newly founded association FK Liepāja.
Career
Verpakovskis began his career at Baltika Liepāja. His debut in the first Latvian league he gave in 1997 at FK Liepāja Metalurgs, where he was still, scored in four years in 59 games as a midfielder nine goals.
In 2001 he moved to Skonto Riga, where he won three league titles in a row. He scored 41 goals in 77 games. The end of 2003 Verpakovskis moved to Dynamo Kyiv in the Ukrainian league, although he, inter alia, also offers from the English Premier League templates. In the same year he was elected Latvian Footballer of the Year. In his first season at Kiev, he scored three goals in the UEFA Champions League 2003/ 04 and was re- Latvian Footballer of the Year. During the winter break of the 2006/2007 season he was loaned to Spanish side Getafe for half a year, but there was not really to train. He then moved again, this time on loan to Hajduk Split in the Croatian league. There he was able to establish quickly and scored in his first 18 games, five goals until the beginning of 2008 he drew upon an injury that prevented him over the next half year aground a second time for Hajduk. Also in the 2008/ 09 season Verpakovskis was awarded Kiev namely at Celta Vigo. In 2009 he moved to Ergotelis.
With the Latvian national football team Verpakovskis took part in the 2004 European Championships in Portugal. There in the first group game against the Czech Republic, he scored the first and so far last goal of Latvia in the finals of an international tournament.
In qualifying for the 2004 European Championship in Portugal Verpakovskis scored as many goals in six games. For national hero he was when he on 19 November (the day after the Latvian Independence Day) in the second playoff game against Turkey equalizer for a 2-2 draw achieved, which was tantamount to taking part in the finals in Portugal. Already in the first leg in Riga Verpakovskis had scored the only goal of the game in a 1-0 win in Latvia. His debut for Latvia he denied in June 1999 against Greece, where he was responsible for the only goal of the game.
Achievements
- Ukrainian Cup: 2004
- Ukrainian Cup: 2005, 2006
- Ukrainian Super Cup: 2004, 2006
- Latvian Championship: 2001, 2002, 2003
- Latvian Cup: 2001, 2002
- Participation in a European Championship: 2004 (3 Inserts / 1 goal)
- Player of the year in Latvia: 2003, 2004
Private
Verpakovskis has two children. In his first marriage he was with Baiba Seska, the daughter of the mayor of Liepāja, married. In September 2013 he married Alisa Elksne.