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Former ISL Golden Boot winner Nerijus Valskis has announced his retirement from football.
The striker, who represented both Chennaiyin FC and Jamshedpur FC, has 27 goals and seven assists to his name in 55 ISL appearances. He started his career with Lithuanian club Zalgiris Vilnius and went on to play for several other teams across Lithuania, Poland, Thailand, Israel and Romania.
The 36-year-old took to Instagram to announce his decision to retire from the 'beautiful game' via a post that read:
"Hello everyone, I decided to retired. After 20 wonderful years. Thank you football for everything what you gave me. Thank you my family, my wife, my two kids. For all these years, for support and believe. Thanks to all the clubs where I played. To the managers, coaches, staff and players it was an honor to play alongside. Thank you fans for support and criticism, which pushed me to be a better footballer."
While Chennyin FC finished the 2019-20 ISL as runners-up after losing 3-1 against ATK in the final at Fatorda, Valskis ended up winning the Golden Boot for scoring 15 goals over the season for the Marina Machans. In addition to that, he had six assists to his name in that edition of the ISL, serving as a major contributor to his team's success on the pitch.
The Klaipeda-born player moved to Jamshedpur FC ahead of the 2020-21 ISL season and registered ten goals and an assist in 24 matches for the Red Miners before coming back to Chennaiyin FC in January 2022.
Seven months later, he exited the Marina Arena and returned to his home nation to join Kauno Zalgiris where he finished his professional career.
A look at Nerijus Valskis's international career
Nerijus Valskis made his debut for the Lithuanian men's national football team in October 2013 against Latvia in a 2014 FIFA World Cup Qualifier match. In 25 matches, Valskis whose last appearance in a Lithuanian jersey was against Kosovo in March 2021, managed a solitary goal and an assist for his country.
Despite a short career in India, Valskis has made sure that his name is etched in the history books of Indian football given his Golden Boot-winning performance. Fans will hope his life's next journey also turns out to be as entertaining and successful as his footballing career!
