Giedrius Arlauskis (born 1 December 1987) is a Lithuanian professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...

who plays as a

goalkeeper In many team sports which involve scoring goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie or keeper) is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by blocking or intercepting o ...

for Romanian

Liga I The Liga I (; ''First League''), also spelled as Liga 1, is a Romanian professional league for men's association football clubs. Currently sponsored by betting company Superbet, it is officially known as the SuperLiga. It is the country's top ...

club

CS Universitatea Craiova U Craiova 1948 Club Sportiv, commonly known as Universitatea Craiova (), CS U Craiova, or simply U Craiova, is a Romanian professional football team based in Craiova, Dolj County, which competes in the Liga I, the top tier of the Romanian leagu ...

. He is one of the most famous and successful players who has ever played in the

. He is 2nd in an all time ranking, tied with

Ciprian Deac Ciprian Ioan Deac (; born 16 February 1986) is a Romanian professional footballer who plays as a winger or an attacking midfielder for Liga I club CFR Cluj. After starting out at Unirea Dej, he spent most of his professional career at CFR Cluj ...

Adrian Bumbescu Adrian Bumbescu (born 23 February 1960 in Craiova) is a retired Romanian footballer who played as a central defender. A defender with a tough attitude, he played mostly with Steaua București, helping it win the 1986 European Cup and subsequ ...

Mircea Lucescu Mircea Lucescu (; born 29 July 1945) is a Romanian professional football manager and former player, who is currently head coach of Ukrainian Premier League club Dynamo Kyiv. He is one of the most decorated managers of all time. Lucescu is also ...

Dumitru Stângaciu Dan Dumitru Stângaciu, (born 9 August 1964) is a retired Romanian football goalkeeper and a current coach. He is best known for his spell with Steaua Bucharest in the 1980s and 1990s where he won the European Cup in 1986 and the European Super ...

, and

Tudorel Stoica Tudorel Stoica (born 7 September 1954, in Brăila, Brăila County, Romania) is a Romanian retired footballer who played as a central midfielder. He is the most capped player in the history of Steaua București. He is one of the most famous an ...

, all with 7 championships won.

Marius Lăcătuș Marius Mihai Lăcătuș (; born 5 April 1964) is a Romanian football coach and former professional footballer. He is by far the most successful footballer ever to play for Steaua București and was part of their European Cup victory in 1986. L� ...

won it 10 times and is ranked 1st.

Club career

Early Career in Lithuania and Romania

Born in

Telšiai Telšiai (; Samogitian: ''Telšē'') is a city in Lithuania with about 21,499 inhabitants. It is the capital of Telšiai County and Samogitia region, and it is located on the shores of Lake Mastis. Telšiai is one of the oldest cities in Lithua ...

, Arlauskis started his youth career at Mastis Telšiai before moving on to

Šiauliai Šiauliai (; bat-smg, Šiaulē; german: Schaulen, ) is the fourth largest city in Lithuania, with a population of 107,086. From 1994 to 2010 it was the capital of Šiauliai County. Names Šiauliai is referred to by various names in different l ...

, starting his professional career. In two seasons at Šiauliai, Arlauskis made 34 appearances for the club. In January 2008 he moved to Romania, joining

Unirea Urziceni Asociația Sportivă Fotbal Club Urziceni, commonly known as FC Urziceni (), is a Romanian professional Association football, football Club (organization), club based in Urziceni, Ialomița County which currently plays in fourth division, Ialomi ...

for €150K, as a replacement for

Bogdan Stelea Bogdan Gheorghe Stelea (; born 5 December 1967) is a Romanian retired footballer who played as a goalkeeper, and a current coach. Having played professionally into his 40s, he played for all three major Liga I clubs in his country's capital, an ...

. On 24 March 2008 he made his debut in the

, playing 90 minutes in a 0–0 draw against Ceahlăul Piatra Neamț. In his first half of the season at Unirea Urziceni, Arlauskis made four appearances for the club. The 2008–09 season proved to be Arlauskis' breakthrough at Unirea Urziceni and he went on to make 32 appearances in all competitions. At the end of the season, with the club winning the

, Arlauskis was voted as the league's goalkeeper of the season and was listed in the league's 2008–09 Team of the Year. In 2009–10 season, Arklauskis continued to be the first choice goalkeeper at Unirea Urziceni and played five out of six matches in Champions League Group Stage. However, Arlauskis struggled to maintain a place in the first team, citing injuries and only made 27 appearances for the club.

Rubin Kazan

After making three league appearances for Unirea Urziceni at the start of the season, Arlauskis moved to Russia, joining

Rubin Kazan FC Rubin Kazan (russian: Футбо́льный клуб Руби́н Каза́нь, ''Futbolny klub Rubin Kazan'' , Tatar: Рубин Казан) is a Russian professional football club based in the city of Kazan. They play in the second-tier ...

on a four-year contract worth €2 million. Arlauskis was also close to a move to

Dynamo Moscow MGO VFSO "Dynamo" (russian: МГО ВФСО «Динамо»), commonly known as Dynamo Moscow (russian: Динамо Москва) is a Russian sports club based in Moscow. Founded by Felix Dzerzhinsky on 18 April 1923, Dynamo Moscow was the first ...

. Arlauskis made his Rubin Kazan debut on 20 November 2010 in a 2–2 draw against

Zenit Saint Petersburg Football Club Zenit (russian: link=no, Футбольный клуб «Зенит» ), also known as Zenit Saint Petersburg or simply Zenit, is a Russian professional football club based in Saint Petersburg. Founded in 1925 (or in 1914, acco ...

. Arlauskis made his European debut at Rubin Kazan in a 2–0 loss against

Twente Twente ( nl, Twente , Tweants dialect: ''Tweante'') is a region in the eastern Netherlands. It encompasses the most urbanised and easternmost part of the province of Overijssel. Twente is most likely named after the Tuihanti or Tvihanti, a Germ ...

. In the 2011–12 season, Arlauskis made three league appearances for the club, followed by three appearances for the club in all competitions in the 2012–13 season. Arlauskis was unable to established himself as the first choice goalkeeper and was the second choice goalkeeper behind Sergey Ryzhikov. At the end of the 2013–14 season, Arlauskis was told by the club that his contract would not be renewed. Upon leaving Rubin Kazan, Arlauskis said he regret joining the club, saying it had been a wrong choice motivated by money.

FCSB

After four years in Russia, Arlauskis joined

FCSB Fotbal Club FCSB (), commonly known as FCSB, is a Romanian professional Association football, football club based in Bucharest. It has spent its entire history in the top flight of the Romanian football league system, Romanian league system, t ...

on 10 June 2014, as a replacement for Ciprian Tătărușanu who had left for

Fiorentina ACF Fiorentina, commonly referred to as Fiorentina (), is an Italian professional football club based in Florence, Tuscany, Italy. The original team was founded by a merger in August 1926, while the actual club was refounded in August 2002 fo ...

. Arlauskis was unveiled at a press conference the next day and was given number twenty-four shirt. After being named on the team in six matches in the Champions League Qualifying, Arlauskis made his FCSB debut on 26 July 2014, in a 3–1 win over

Rapid București Rapids are sections of a river where the river bed has a relatively steep gradient, causing an increase in water velocity and turbulence. Rapids are hydrological features between a ''run'' (a smoothly flowing part of a stream) and a '' cascade' ...

. Arlauskis was in goal for the Champions League Qualification Second Leg against Ludogorets Razgrad. The club lost on penalties after Arlauskis saved one of the seven penalties in the shoot-out, resulting in the club playing in the Europa League. In the Eternal derby between FCSB and

Dinamo București A dynamo is a magnetic device originally used as an electric generator. Dynamo or Dinamo may also refer to: Places * Dinamo (Moscow Metro), a station of the Moscow Metro, Moscow, Russia * Dinamo (Yekaterinburg Metro), a station of the Yekaterin ...

, Arlauskis was in goal when rival supporters threw a firecracker at him in the 82nd minute. After receiving help from the club's doctor he went on to play the full 90 minutes in a 3–0 victory. His good display at FCSB București throughout 2014 earned him a Lithuanian Footballer of the Year award. However, Arlauskis rejected a new contract with the club, leading to him being linked with a move to Fiorentina and

Roma Roma or ROMA may refer to: Places Australia * Roma, Queensland, a town ** Roma Airport ** Roma Courthouse ** Electoral district of Roma, defunct ** Town of Roma, defunct town, now part of the Maranoa Regional Council *Roma Street, Brisbane, a ...

, as his contract was due to expire at the end of the 2014–15 season. As a result, the club would leave him out of the squad for important matches, including against Rapid București. Despite this, Arlauskis remained the first choice goalkeeper at FCSB București, despite announcing he would be leaving the club at the end of the season. Arlauskis ended the season with 25 league appearances after being sent-off in the 47th minute of a 3–1 loss against

CS Pandurii Târgu Jiu Clubul Sportiv Pandurii Lignitul Târgu Jiu (), commonly known as Pandurii Târgu Jiu or simply Pandurii, was a Romanian football club based in Târgu Jiu, Gorj County, which competed last time in the Liga IV. Founded in 1962 following the merg ...

on 3 May 2015. Arlauskis missed the rest of the season because of injury concerns and being on the bench. The club went on to win the

Cupa României The Cupa României ( en, Romanian Cup) is a Association football, football cup competition for List of football clubs in Romania, Romanian teams which has been held annually since 1933–34 Cupa României, 1933–34, except during World War II. I ...

and

Cupa Ligii The Cupa Ligii ( en, League Cup) was Romania's secondary club football tournament. Like the Cupa României, it was played on a knockout (single elimination) basis. History It is unclear when the competition was first created, as there are no ...

, achieving a treble.

Watford

After one season at FCSB, Arlauskis joined

Watford Watford () is a town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, 15 miles northwest of Central London, on the River Colne. Initially a small market town, the Grand Junction Canal encouraged the construction of paper-making mills, print works, a ...

on a free transfer on 4 June 2015, signing a 4-year contract. Upon joining the club, he was given a number 34 shirt ahead of the new season with the name "Arla" on the back. Arlauskis made his Watford debut against

Preston North End Preston North End Football Club, commonly referred to as Preston, North End or PNE, is a professional football club in Preston, Lancashire, England, who currently play in the EFL Championship, the second tier of the English football league syste ...

in the

League Cup In several sports, most prominently association football, a league cup or secondary cup generally signifies a cup competition for which entry is restricted only to teams in a particular league. The first national association football tournament t ...

on 25 August 2015. Arlauskis made his Premier League debut on 28 November 2015, replacing the injured

Heurelho Gomes Heurelho da Silva Gomes (born 15 February 1981) is a Brazilian former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He played for Premier League clubs Tottenham Hotspur and Watford, having previously made a name for himself at Dutch club ...

in the 67th minute during Watford's 3–2 win at

Aston Villa Aston Villa Football Club is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club competes in the , the top tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1874, they have played at their home ground, Villa Park ...

. Reflecting on his debut, Arlauskis described the match as ''"really hard, the hardest ten minutes of islife. It felt much longer than ten minutes."'' Following Gomes' return to the first team, Arlauskis returned to the substitute bench and soon lost his first team place following the arrival of

Costel Pantilimon Costel Fane Pantilimon (; born 1 February 1987) is a Romanian professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper. He is currently a free agent. Pantilimon began his senior career at Politehnica Timișoara. In 2011, he signed for Manchester City ...

. However, upon returning to Watford in the 2016–17 season, Arlauskis remained out of the first team squad throughout the season. But following Pantilimon's injury, he was called to the 25-man squad, but remained on the substitute bench. Following the arrival of new manager

Marco Silva Marco Alexandre Saraiva da Silva (; born 12 July 1977) is a Portuguese former footballer who played as a right-back, currently manager of club Fulham. He played for a variety of Portuguese clubs, finishing his career with a six-year spell at ...

ahead of the 2017–18 season, he left Watford by mutual consent.

Loan at Espanyol

On 29 January 2016, Arlauskis joined Spanish side

Espanyol Reial Club Deportiu Espanyol de Barcelona (; "Royal Spanish Sports Club of Barcelona"), commonly known as Espanyol, is a professional sports club based in Barcelona, Spain, that competes in La Liga, the top tier of the Spanish football league sy ...

on a 5 months loan from Watford, with an option to buy, being reunited with his former FCSB manager,

Constantin Gâlcă Constantin Gâlcă (born 8 March 1972) is a Romanian former footballer, and a manager, who was most recently manager of Saudi Professional League club Al-Hazem. Equally at ease as a defensive or central midfielder and possessing an accurate lo ...

. Arlauskis made his

La Liga The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Primera División, commonly known simply as Primera División in Spain, and as La Liga in English-speaking countries and officially as LaLiga Santander for sponsorship reasons, stylized as LaLiga, is the men's ...

debut two days later, in a 0–6 defeat to

Real Madrid Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (, meaning ''Royal Madrid Football Club''), commonly referred to as Real Madrid, is a Spanish professional football club based in Madrid. Founded in 1902 as Madrid Football Club, the club has traditionally wor ...

. He later conceded two goals in the followed up match on 8 February 2016, in a 5–0 defeat to

Real Sociedad Real Sociedad de Fútbol, S.A.D., more commonly referred to as Real Sociedad (; ''Royal Society''), La Real in Spanish, Erreala in Basque, is a Spanish professional sports club in the city of San Sebastián, Basque Country, founded on 7 Septem ...

. During the match, he tore his rupture in the abductor in his right leg, resulting his substitution and was sidelined throughout February. Although he remained as a second-choice goalkeeper behind

Pau López Pau López Sabata (; born 13 December 1994) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Ligue 1 club Marseille. López reached the final of the 2017 European Under-21 Championship with Spain. He made his full debut th ...

, Arlauskis was able to make another appearance on 22 April 2016, in a 4–0 defeat to

Las Palmas Las Palmas (, ; ), officially Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, is a Spain, Spanish city and capital of Gran Canaria, in the Canary Islands, on the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital (jointly with Santa Cruz de Tenerife), the most populous city in th ...

on 22 April 2016. At the end of the season, making three appearances for the side, the club turned down to exercise the right to purchase Arlauskis on a permanent basis, allowing him to return to his parent club.

CFR Cluj

After leaving Watford, Arlauskis was speculated over the transfer move return to Romania, joining

CFR Cluj Fotbal Club CFR 1907 Cluj, commonly known as CFR Cluj ( or ), is a Romanian professional association football, football club based in the city of Cluj-Napoca, Cluj County, which competes in the Liga I. It was founded in 1907 as ''Kolozsvári Vas ...

. The move was confirmed on 15 August 2017.

International career

In August 2008, Arlauskis' performance in Romania led him being called by the

Lithuania Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania ...

for the first time. Arlauskis made his national team debut as a substitute against

Moldova Moldova ( , ; ), officially the Republic of Moldova ( ro, Republica Moldova), is a Landlocked country, landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Romania to the west and Ukraine to the north, east, and south. The List of states ...

in a friendly game on 19 November 2008. He joined the game in the 46th minute and conceded a goal after 67 minutes as Lithuania drew with Moldova 1–1. After playing two more caps as a substitute, his first competitive game then came on 18 June 2010, when Lithuania played a goalless draw with Latvia in the Baltic Cup.

Personal life

Arlauskis brother, Davydas is also a footballer. Other than speaking Lithuanian, Arlauskis speaks Romanian and English. Growing up in

, Arlauskis initially played as a defender before being switched to a goalkeeper by his coach. Arlauskis is a keen fisherman, having caught a fish weighing 21.7 kg.

Career statistics

Club

International

Honours

Unirea Urziceni *

: 2008–09 Rubin Kazan * Russian Cup: 2011–12 *

Russian Super Cup The Russian Super Cup () is a one-match football annual competition. Its official sponsored name is ''OLIMPBET Russian Supercup'' (). The two participating clubs are the Russian Premier League champions and the Russian Cup winners. If the Premie ...

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...

FCSB *

: 2014–15 *

: 2014–15 CFR Cluj *

: 2017–18, 2018–19, 2019–20,

2020–21 The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen b ...

, 2021–22 *

Supercupa României The Supercupa României ( en, Romanian Supercup) is a Romanian football championship contested by the winners of the Liga I and the Cupa României. It is usually played at the Arena Națională in Bucharest. The competition started off in 1994, ...

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, COVID- ...

Lithuania * Baltic Cup:

2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...

Individual * Lithuanian Footballer of the Year: 2014 *

Team of the Season: 2017–18, 2019–20

References

External links

Profile
at LFF.lt * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Arlauskis, Giedrius 1987 births Living people People from Telšiai Lithuanian footballers Association football goalkeepers A Lyga players FC Šiauliai players Liga I players FC Unirea Urziceni players FC Steaua București players CFR Cluj players CS Universitatea Craiova players Russian Premier League players FC Rubin Kazan players Premier League players Watford F.C. players La Liga players RCD Espanyol footballers Al-Shabab FC (Riyadh) players Saudi Professional League players Lithuania international footballers Lithuanian expatriate footballers Expatriate footballers in Romania Lithuanian expatriate sportspeople in Romania Expatriate footballers in Russia Lithuanian expatriate sportspeople in England Expatriate footballers in England Lithuanian expatriate sportspeople in Spain Expatriate footballers in Spain Expatriate footballers in Saudi Arabia