Jānis Ikaunieks (footballer)

Jānis Ikaunieks
Personal information
Full name Jānis Ikaunieks
Date of birth (1995-02-16) 16 February 1995
Place of birth Kuldīga, Latvia
Height 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Playing position Attacking midfielder
Club information
Current team
 FK Liepāja
Youth career
2005–2013 Liepājas Metalurgs
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2013–2014 Liepājas Metalurgs 19 (3)
2014–2015 FK Liepāja 32 (23)
2015–2018 Metz 12 (0)
2015–2017 Metz II 14 (4)
2017 → AEL (loan) 10 (1)
2017–2018 → FK Liepāja (loan) 6 (0)
2018– FK Liepāja 0 (0)
National team‡
2011 Latvia U-18 2 (1)
2013 Latvia U-19 1 (0)
2014 Latvia U-21 3 (0)
2014– Latvia 19 (3)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 1 January 2018
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 2 June 2018

Jānis Ikaunieks (born 16 February 1995 in Kuldīga) is a Latvian footballer playing as an attacking midfielder for the Latvian Higher League club Liepāja and for the Latvia national football team.

Club career

FK Liepāja

As a youth player Ikanieks played for the youth teams of Liepājas Metalurgs, scoring 11 goals in 20 matches in the 2012 Latvian First League season and helping Liepājas Metalurgs-2 win the championship. In 2013, he was taken to the first team. Ikaunieks debuted in the Latvian Higher League. Throughout his first professional season Ikaunieks played 19 league matches, scoring three goals. After the end of the season the club was dissolved due to financial difficulties and Ikaunieks alongside other players transferred to its successor, the newly established FK Liepāja.[1] Starting the season as a nominal substitute Ikaunieks strikingly rose to the first eleven and was named Latvian Higher League player of the month in May.[2] On 11 June 2014 Ikaunieks scored four goals in a 7-0 victory over FC Jūrmala.[3] All in all, he scored 23 goals in 32 league matches and became the second top scorer of the championship behind Vladislavs Gutkovskis from Skonto. In August 2014 Ikaunieks went on trial with the Croatian Prva HNL champions Dinamo Zagreb.[4] In September he was named player of the month for the second time in the season.[5] In October explicit interest in the player was reported for AFC Ajax, FC Metz, VfB Stuttgart and Udinese Calcio.[6] On 5 December 2014 Ikaunieks was named the best midfielder of the season and was simultaneously voted as the best player of the 2014 Latvian Higher League.[7]

FC Metz

On 23 December 2014 the chairman of FC Metz, Bernard Serin confirmed that Ikaunieks will join the Ligue 1 side on a four-year deal.[8] The transfer on an undisclosed fee was officially affirmed on 7 January 2015. Ikaunieks made his debut for Metz’ first team on 20 January 2015, coming on as a substitute in the Coupe de France 1/16 finals match victory over US Avranches.[9]

AEL

On 27 December 2016, Ikaunieks is expected in Greece to complete a 6-month loan move to AEL from Ligue 1 side Metz. The 21 year old Latvian is seeking playing time. There is not thought to be a buy option in the loan agreement.[10]

FK Liepāja

On 15 June 2017, it was announced that Ikaunieks had returned to FK Liepāja, while being on loan from Metz.[11]

International career

Ikaunieks was a member of Latvia U-18, Latvia U-19 and Latvia U-21 football teams. He made his debut for Latvia national football team on 13 October 2014, playing all 90 minutes in a 1-1 UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying draw against Turkey.[12] It was later calculated that Ikaunieks had repeated the record of Māris Verpakovskis who debuted in 1999, being exactly 19 years, 7 months and 25 days old.[13]

International goals

Scores and results list Latvia's goal tally first.[14]
No.DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
1.29 March 2016Victoria Stadium, Gibraltar Gibraltar1–05–0Friendly
2.5–0
3.2 June 2018Daugava Stadium, Riga, Latvia Estonia1–01–02018 Baltic Cup

Career statistics

As of 22 June 2017[15]
Club performance League Cup Continental Other Total
Season Club League Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Latvia League Cup Europe Other Total
2013 FK Liepājas Metalurgs Higher League 1933010—233
2014 FK Liepāja 322331—3524
Total 51266110—5827
2014–15 Metz II Championnat de France amateur 62—62
2015–16 32—32
2016–17 50—50
Total 144—144
2014–15 Metz Ligue 1 4020—60
2015–16 Ligue 2 8010—90
2016–17 Ligue 1 0000—00
Total 12030—150
2016–17 AEL Super League 10100—101
Total 10100—101
2017 FK Liepāja Higher League 2 0 0 0 0 0 — 2 0
Total 2 0 0 0 0 0 — 2 0
Career total 89319110009932

Honours

Player

Club

Liepājas Metalurgs II

Individual

Personal life

His elder brother Dāvis is also a professional footballer, playing for FK Jablonec.[16]

References

  1. ↑ "Virslīgā spēlēs FK "Liepāja"". liepajniekiem.lv. 2014-01-23. Retrieved 2015-01-26.
  2. ↑ "Virslīgas labākie maijā - J.Ikaunieks un Beškarevs". sportacentrs.com. 2014-06-06. Retrieved 2015-01-26.
  3. ↑ "Jānim Ikauniekam pokers, "Liepāja" ar 7:0 pazemo "Jūrmalu"". liepajniekiem.lv. 2014-06-11. Retrieved 2015-01-26.
  4. ↑ "Zagrebas "Dinamo" interesējas par J.Ikaunieku". nra.lv. 2014-08-06. Retrieved 2015-01-26.
  5. ↑ "Labākie septembrī - Jānis Ikaunieks un Viktors Dobrecovs". sportacentrs.com. 2014-10-10. Retrieved 2015-01-26.
  6. ↑ "Stuttgart an Ikaunieks dran?". n24.de. 2014-10-23. Retrieved 2015-01-26.
  7. ↑ "Jānis Ikaunieks - Latvijas "SMScredit.lv Virslīgas" labākais pussargs un futbolists". liepajniekiem.lv. 2014-12-05. Retrieved 2015-01-26.
  8. ↑ "Bernard Serin: "Albert Cartier et son staff ont toute ma confiance"" (in French). wort.lu. 23 December 2014. Retrieved 23 December 2014.
  9. ↑ "Jānis Ikaunieks debitē, "Metz" tikai pagarinājumā uzvar 3. līgas klubu". sportacentrs.com. 2015-01-20. Retrieved 2015-01-26.
  10. ↑ "Janis Ikaunieks (Metz) transféré à Larissa". www.lequipe.fr. 27 December 2016. Retrieved 27 December 2016.
  11. ↑ Αποστόλου, Κυριάκος. "Βρήκε ομάδα ο Ικάουνιεκς!" (in Greek). Retrieved 2017-06-15.
  12. ↑ "Latvija-Turcija (1:1)". lff.lv. 2014-10-13. Retrieved 2015-01-26.
  13. ↑ "Ikaunieks atkārto Verpakovska vecuma rekordu debijā izlasē". irliepaja.lv. 2014-10-13. Retrieved 2015-01-26.
  14. ↑ "Ikaunieks, Jānis". National Football Teams. Retrieved 7 June 2018.
  15. ↑ "J.Ikaunieks". uk.soccerway.com. Soccerway. Retrieved 2 April 2017.
  16. ↑ "Latvia - D. Ikaunieks - Profile with news, career statistics and history - Soccerway". soccerway.com. Retrieved 2015-01-26.

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