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Gvidas Gineitis
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. In January 2023, he received the Best Young Lithuanian Footballer of the Year award by the Lithuanian Football Federation.[2][3] Club careerBorn 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 careerGineitis 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 playGineitis 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
External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to Gvidas Gineitis.
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