Tomas Žvirgždauskas

Tomas Žvirgždauskas (born 18 March 1975) is a retired football defender from Lithuania, who last played as defender for Halmstads BK.

Tomas Žvirgždauskas
Tomas Žvirgždauskas in 2010
Personal information
Full name Tomas Žvirgždauskas
Date of birth (1975-03-18) 18 March 1975
Place of birth Vilnius, Lithuanian SSR,
Soviet Union
Height 1.87 m (6 ft 1 1⁄2 in)
Position(s) Defender
Youth career
–1990 Zalgiris Vilnius
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1991–1995 Zalgiris Vilnius 38 (1)
1995–1996 Næstved BK 4
1996 Zalgiris Vilnius 12 (1)
1997–2001 Polonia Warszawa 112
2001–2002 Widzew Lodz 10 (1)
2002–2011 Halmstads BK 211 (6)
National team‡
–1996 Lithuania U21
1998–2011 Lithuania 56 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 14 March 2009
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 19 August 2009

Career

His career started in Zalgiris Vilnius, where he won the Lithuanian league title twice. In 1995, he moved to Danish team, Naestved BK, but only played a few games before moving back to Zalgiris Vilnius the following year. His return to Lithuania was short, as he moved yet again shortly thereafter to the Polish Premier League and the team Polonia Warszawa in January 1997,[1] where he won the title. He later played a short period for Widzew Lodz, then going on a trial at the Israeli club, Hapoel Be'er Sheva, but failed to get a contract.[2] In September 2002, he signed a contract with the Swedish club, Halmstads BK. Žvirgždauskas formed along with Tommy Jönsson a long lasting central defence at Halmstad, lasting until 2009 as Johnny Lundberg arrived at the club, he then created a defence with Lundberg, taking over Jönssons position on the left of the central part of the defence. As Lundberg suffered a severe injury in 2011, Žvirgždauskas had to pair up with rising talent Richard Magyar. Prior to the 2012 season Halmstads BK announced that they would not renew Žvirgždauskas contract and he would leave the club,[3] he had then played 307 matches for Halmstads BK.

In 2006, he received a 1-month ban after assaulting IK Brage forward, Mats Theander, in a friendly match.[4]

International career

Tomas Žvirgždauskas started his national career for Lithuania in 1998 with a friendly against Azerbaijan.[5] Eventually becoming a starting player in the national team until his retiring in 2008.[6] He however returned to the national team in 2011 for a friendly against Poland and was an unused substitute in the UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying match against Spain at home.[7]

Žvirgždauskas have played 56 international games for Lithuania.

Personal life

He lives with his wife, Aorsra, and their two children, Patricia and Jostas. His father died in 1993 due to a heart attack.[2]

In his youth, he played basketball. While his father wanted him to be a boxer, he stopped when his mother, a doctor, forbade him, due to her fear of seeing him get hurt.[8]

In every league he has played he has used nicknames rather than his own last name due to pronunciation difficulties, in Lithuania he was called Žvirgždas, in Poland Zvirac and in Sweden Zvirre.[9]

Honours

Club
Zalgiris Vilnius
Polonia Warsaw

References
  1. "Polonia Warszawa 1996/97". skladyfutbol.pl. Retrieved 1 February 2015.
  2. "Det går inte att vara snäll" (in Swedish). Aftonbladet.se. 25 March 2008. Retrieved 23 June 2008.
  3. "Tomas Zvirgzdauskas får gå från HBK" (in Swedish). hallandsposten.se. 19 November 2011. Retrieved 18 June 2012.
  4. ""Zvirre" avstängd en månad" (in Swedish). Hallandsposten.se. 6 July 2006. Retrieved 29 June 2008.
  5. "All Lithuanian Team Games 1998". omnitel.net. 5 May 1998. Archived from the original on 12 August 2012. Retrieved 18 June 2012.
  6. "Tomas Zvirgzdauskas" (in Swedish). hbk.se. Archived from the original on 14 June 2008. Retrieved 18 June 2012.
  7. "Zvirre gjorde comeback i landslaget" (in Swedish). hbk.se. 27 March 2011. Archived from the original on 18 April 2013. Retrieved 18 June 2012.
  8. "Fotbollsintervjun Tomas Zvirgzdauskas" (in Swedish). Expressen.se. 16 June 2007. Retrieved 11 June 2008.
  9. Magnusson, Calle: Profilen: Tomas Zvirgzdauskas, p. 15. Tidningen HBK, 2009.
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