Gvidas Gineitis (born 15 April 2004) is a Lithuanian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Serie A club Torino and the Lithuania national team.
_9_(cropped).jpg) Gineitis with Torino in 2023 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 15 April 2004 | ||
| Place of birth | Mažeikiai, Lithuania | ||
| Height | 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in)[1] | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Torino | ||
| Number | 66 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2016–2018 | NFA Kaunas | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2018–2019 | NFA Kaunas | 10 | (0) |
| 2019–2020 | Atmosfera | 28 | (4) |
| 2020–2022 | SPAL | 0 | (0) |
| 2022– | Torino | 24 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2021–2022 | Lithuania U17 | 3 | (0) |
| 2021–2022 | Lithuania U19 | 8 | (1) |
| 2022– | Lithuania U21 | 3 | (0) |
| 2022– | Lithuania | 18 | (1) |
|
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 16 November 2024 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 19 November 2024 (UTC) | |||
In January 2023, he received the Best Young Lithuanian Footballer of the Year award by the Lithuanian Football Federation.[2][3]
Club career
editBorn in Mažeikiai,[4][5][6] Gineitis is a youth product of NFA Kaunas,[5] where he made his senior debut on 22 September 2018, coming on as a substitute in the second half of a 2–1 I Lyga defeat to Žalgiris B.[7]
In 2019, he then joined fellow second-tier side Atmosfera,[5] where he scored his first senior goal on 24 April 2019, in a 9–8 LFF Cup loss on penalties against Kėdainiai (the match had ended in a 3–3 draw after 120 minutes).[8]
In the summer of 2020, Gineitis joined Serie B side SPAL,[4][9] where he played for the under-17, under-18 and under-19 teams of the Italian club.[4][5]
On 31 January 2022, the deadline day for the winter transfer window, Gineitis joined Serie A side Torino on a permanent transfer,[10] as part of a deal that also involved Demba Seck and Francesco Dell'Aquila.[4][6] He subsequently signed a professional contract with the club on 8 June 2022, penning a three-year deal.[11]
Following his performances for Torino's under-19 squad, the midfielder was promoted to the first team during the winter break of the 2022–23 season, under head coach Ivan Jurić.[4][5][6][12] He went on to make his Serie A debut on 10 February 2023, starting and playing 45 minutes in a 1–0 loss to AC Milan.[12][13][14] In the occasion, he became the fourth Lithuanian player to ever feature in the Italian top tier, following the likes of Tomas Danilevičius, Marius Stankevičius and Edgaras Dubickas.[12]
In March 2023, Gineitis extended his contract with Torino until 2026.[15]
International career
editGineitis has represented Lithuania at various youth international levels, having played for the under-17, under-19 and under-21 national teams.[5]
In November 2022, he received his first call-up to the Lithuanian senior national team for the 2022 Baltic Cup.[16][17] He then made his senior debut for Lithuania on 16 November 2022, coming in as a substitute in the tournament's semi-final match against Iceland, which ended up in a 5–6 loss on penalties.[18] Three days later, he made his first start in the third place final against Estonia, which ended in a 2–0 loss.[5]
On 15 November 2024, during a 2024–25 UEFA Nations League C game against Cyprus, he scored his first goal for Lithuania, becoming at 20 years and 7 months its youngest goalscorer in UEFA Nations League.[19]
Style of play
editGineitis is a left-footed midfielder,[6][12] who mainly acts as a mezzala on attacking duties,[5] but can also play in every position of the midfield, or even in the number 10 role.[5] He has been mainly regarded for his physique, his athleticism and his off-the-ball movement.[4][5][6]
Due to his characteristics, he has been compared to Tommaso Pobega.[4]
References
edit- ^ https://www.torinofc.it/prima-squadra/2023-2024/centrocampista/gineitis-gvidas
- ^ "Geriausiu Lietuvos metų futbolininku tapo Gertmonas, tarp trenerių triumfavo Čeburinas". lrt.lt (in Lithuanian). 31 January 2023. Retrieved 11 February 2023.
- ^ "Kaune apdovanoti 2022-ųjų Lietuvos futbolo geriausieji". Eurofootball.lt (in Lithuanian). 1 February 2023. Retrieved 11 February 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f g Guaschini, Alessandro (31 December 2022). "Chi è Gvidas Gineitis, il 2004 che ha impressionato Juric". Numero Diez (in Italian). Retrieved 11 February 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Gualano, Leonardo (10 February 2023). "Chi è Gvidas Gineitis, il gioiello del Torino che fa il suo esordio in Serie A contro il Milan". Goal.com. Retrieved 11 February 2023.
- ^ a b c d e Golia, Simone (10 February 2023). "Fisico, tecnica, visione e posizione: chi è Gineitis, il 18enne che ha stregato Juric". La Gazzetta dello Sport (in Italian). Retrieved 11 February 2023.
- ^ "FK Žalgiris B - BE1 NFA". Lietuvos Futbolas (in Lithuanian). Retrieved 11 February 2023.
- ^ "Kėdainiai - FK Atmosfera". Lietuvos Futbolas (in Lithuanian). Retrieved 11 February 2023.
- ^ Rossi, Marco (3 March 2022). "Torino, Gineitis è di un'altra categoria". Corriere della Sera (in Italian). Retrieved 11 February 2023.
- ^ "Gineitis al Toro". Torino FC 1906 (in Italian). 1 February 2022. Retrieved 11 February 2023.
- ^ "Perspektyvus lietuvis susiejo ateitį su "Serie A" klubu". lrt.lt (in Lithuanian). 8 June 2022. Retrieved 11 February 2023.
- ^ a b c d "G.Gineitis šįvakar debiutuos Italijos "Serie A" lygoje". sportas.lt (in Lithuanian). 10 February 2023. Retrieved 11 February 2023.
- ^ Gambino, Simone (10 February 2023). "Milan-Torino 1-0: Giroud risveglia il Diavolo, i rossoneri tornano a vincere dopo 7 partite". Goal.com. Retrieved 11 February 2023.
- ^ Zarra, Angelo (10 February 2023). "Torino, Juric lancia Gineitis: esordio in Serie A per il lituano". MondoPrimavera (in Italian). Retrieved 11 February 2023.
- ^ "Gineitis, rinnovo sino al 2026". Torino FC 1906 (in Italian). 2 March 2023. Retrieved 9 June 2023.
- ^ "Lietuvos rinktinės treneris išrikiavo sudėtį Baltijos taurės turnyrui". 15min.lt (in Lithuanian). Retrieved 11 February 2023.
- ^ Ferrero, Carlo Federico (10 November 2022). "Internazionale Toro: dalla Lituania all'Austria, dalla Romania a un vero 'figlio del Filadelfia'". www.sprintesport.it (in Italian). Retrieved 11 February 2023.
- ^ "Gvidas Gineitis debiutavo šalies rinktinėje". santarve.lt (in Lithuanian). 22 November 2022. Retrieved 11 February 2023.
- ^ "Cyprus-Lithuania". UEFA. Retrieved 15 November 2024.
External links
edit- Gvidas Gineitis at National-Football-Teams.com
- Gvidas Gineitis at Soccerway
- Lietuvos Futbolas profile