Gints Freimanis (9 May 1985 – 6 June 2023) was a Latvian 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 played as a
right-back
In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield position whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring.
Centre-backs are usually positioned in pairs, with one full-back on either s ...
.
Club career
Freimanis joined
Saldus SS/Leevon
Saldus (; german: Frauenburg) is a Latvian town located in Courland ( lv, Kurzeme) and is the main town, and the central location in Saldus Municipality. The name Saldus has been noted in historical sources as far back as the mid-13th century, bu ...
in 2020.
International career
Freimanis first call-up to the senior
Latvia national team squad came in May 2014 for the
2014 Baltic Cup
The 2014 Baltic Cup was a football competition, held between 29 and 31 May 2014, hosted by Latvia.
Format
For the second time in a row Finland joined Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, thus the knock-out tournament format established in the pre ...
, making his national team debut as a 94th-minute substitute in the final game against
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 ...
, helping Latvia to win the trophy by a 1–0 scoreline.
Illness and death
Freimanis was diagnosed with
skin cancer
Skin cancers are cancers that arise from the skin. They are due to the development of abnormal cells that have the ability to invade or spread to other parts of the body. There are three main types of skin cancers: basal-cell skin cancer (BCC) ...
in October 2021.
He died on 6 June 2023, at the age of 38.
Career statistics
:''Scores and results list Latvia's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Freimanis goal.''
Honours
FK Jelgava
*
Latvian Football Cup
The Latvian Football Cup () is the main knockout cup competition in Latvian football. Since 2021, its full name is Responsible Game Latvian Football Cup (''Atbildīgas spēles Latvijas kauss'') due to the sponsorship by sports betting company Wil ...
:
2009–10,
2013–14,
2014–15,
2015–16
Latvia
*
Baltic Cup:
2014
File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...
,
2016
File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...
Individual
* Best defender of
2016 Latvian Higher League
The 2016 Latvian Higher League was the 25th season of top-tier football in Latvia. FK Liepāja were the defending champions. The season began on 11 March 2016 and ended on 5 November 2016; the relegation play-offs took place on 9 and 13 November 2 ...
References
External links
*
1985 births
2023 deaths
Deaths from skin cancer
Deaths from cancer in Latvia
Latvian men's footballers
Men's association football fullbacks
Latvia men's international footballers
Latvian Higher League players
League of Ireland players
FS Jelgava players
FK Ventspils players
RSK Dižvanagi players
FK Rīga players
St Patrick's Athletic F.C. players
Greifswalder FC players
FK Spartaks Jūrmala players
People from Saldus
Latvian expatriate men's footballers
Latvian expatriate sportspeople in Ireland
Latvian expatriate sportspeople in Germany
Expatriate men's association footballers in the Republic of Ireland
Expatriate men's footballers in Germany
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