Valērijs Šabala

Valērijs Šabala (born 12 October 1994) is a Latvian football striker, who plays for FK Sūduva and the Latvian national football team.

Valērijs Šabala
Personal information
Full name Valērijs Šabala
Date of birth (1994-10-12) 12 October 1994
Place of birth Riga, Latvia
Height 1.77 m (5 ft 10 in)
Playing position(s) Forward
Club information
Current team
 Sūduva
Number 20
Youth career
0000–2009 Daugava Rīga
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2009 Daugava Rīga 2 (0)
2010 Olimps 21 (6)
2011–2013 Skonto Riga 77 (28)
2014–2017 Club Brugge 0 (0)
2014 → Skonto Riga (loan) 9 (5)
2014 → Anorthosis Famagusta (loan) 8 (0)
2015 → Jablonec (loan) 9 (2)
2015–2016 → Miedź Legnica (loan) 9 (3)
2016 → Příbram (loan) 7 (2)
2016 → DAC Dunajská Streda (loan) 13 (1)
2017 → Riga (loan) 13 (4)
2017–2019 Podbeskidzie Bielsko-Biała 61 (21)
2019–2020 Miedź Legnica 16 (2)
2020– Sūduva 9 (1)
National team‡
2010–2011 Latvia U-17 5 (0)
2011–2012 Latvia U-19 13 (2)
2012– Latvia U-21 3 (2)
2013– Latvia 52 (13)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 8 August 2020
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 23:53, 6 August 2019 (UTC)

Club career

Early career

As a youth player Šabala was a member of Daugava Rīga academy. With the club winning the 2008 Latvian First League and being promoted to the Latvian Higher League for the 2009 season, Šabala was one of the youngsters to be included in the first team squad by the manager Vladimirs Beļajevs.[1] Šabala made his debut on 15 October 2009, having just turned 15, when he came on as a substitute in the 46th minute in an 8–0 loss against the defending champions FK Ventspils.[2] Three days later he appeared in the match against FC Tranzit, coming on as a substitute in the 88th minute. Daugava Rīga were relegated to the Latvian First League and Šabala joined the Latvian Higher League newcomers JFK Olimps in January 2010. Šabala scored his first Latvian Higher League goal on 23 April 2010 in a match against Skonto Riga. At the time he was 15 years and 193 days old, which made him the youngest ever goalscorer in the history of Latvian championship and all the top tier European football leagues.[3] His record was broken on 10 June 2014, when Skonto Riga midfielder Jānis Grīnbergs scored a penalty against Daugava Daugavpils being just 15 years and 102 days old.[4] All in all that season Šabala played 21 league matches and scored 6 goals.

Skonto Riga

In February 2011 Šabala joined that time Latvian Higher League champions Skonto Riga.[5] In his debut season with the club he was rarely used in the first eleven and often came on as a substitute, scoring 2 goals in 22 matches. Šabala scored his first league goal for Skonto on 25 September 2011 against his former club JFK Olimps. Despite the limited playing time, he was named Young player of the year and received the Ilmārs Liepiņš prize.[6] Throughout the season Šabala went on short term trials with Arsenal, Watford and Udinese Calcio.[7]

In January 2012 Šabala went on trial with the Ukrainian Premier League club Dynamo Kyiv alongside his international teammate Vitālijs Jagodinskis, but eventually returned to Skonto with only the latter one signing a contract.[8] On 30 June 2012 Šabala scored his first hat-trick in a league match against FS Metta/LU being just 17 years 8 months and 18 days old.[9] On 10 July he was named the best Latvian Higher League player in June.[10] In September Šabala went on trial with the Russian Premier League club CSKA Moscow and played in their friendly match against Lokomotiv-2 Moscow.[11] In November information appeared in the media that CSKA Moscow were ready to offer Skonto 3.5 million euros for the player, but eventually the move did not occur.[12] Šabala finished the 2012 season as the 5th top scorer of the league with 11 goals. In December he received the Ilmārs Liepiņš prize as the Young player of the year for the second season in a row.[13]

In the 2013 season Šabala scored 15 league goals, coming one goal short to his teammate Artūrs Karašausks and Daugava Daugavpils player Andrejs Kovaļovs, who both became the top scorers of the league with 16 goals each. On 18 July Šabala helped Skonto beat the Czech club Slovan Liberec 2–1 at home in the UEFA Europa League 2nd round qualification match, scoring the first goal.[14] He was included in the LFF and sportacentrs.com Latvian Higher League Team of the Tournament and named the best forward of the season.[15] Skonto confirmed having received concrete offers for the player from the Turkish Süper Lig club Trabzonspor, Italian Serie A club Hellas Verona and Belgian Pro League club Club Brugge.[16]

Club Brugge

On 29 January 2014 Šabala joined the Belgian Pro League club Club Brugge, signing a contract till 30 June 2018. In order to get immediate playing time he was loaned back to Skonto till 1 July 2014.[17] During the loan spell Šabala appeared in 9 league matches and scored 5 goals. Having spent the pre-season preparation period with Club Brugge, Šabala was given out on another loan to the Cypriot First Division club Anorthosis Famagusta on 22 August 2014.[18]

Podbeskidzie Bielsko-Biała

After loan stints in Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Latvia, on August 4, 2017 Šabala signed a two-year contract with I liga side Podbeskidzie Bielsko-Biała.[19] He became the top scorer of the 2018–19 I liga season, scoring 12 goals.

International career

Šabala was a member of all international youth teams and made his debut for the Latvia national football team on 24 May 2013 in a friendly match against Qatar.[20] In the next match he scored his first goals for the national team, scoring twice in a friendly against Turkey,[21] becoming the youngest ever international goal scorer for Latvia. His first official qualifier match was the 2014 World Cup qualifying match against Bosnia and Herzegovina.[22]

International goals
Scores and results list Latvia's goal tally first.[23]
#DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
1.28 May 2013Schauinsland-Reisen-Arena, Duisburg, Germany Turkey
2–3
3–3
Friendly
2.
3–3
3.15 October 2013Skonto Stadium, Riga, Latvia Slovakia
1–2
2–2
2014 FIFA World Cup qualification
4.3 September 2014Skonto Stadium, Riga, Latvia Armenia
1–0
2–0
Friendly
5.
2–0
6.13 October 2014Skonto Stadium, Riga, Latvia Turkey
1–1
1–1
UEFA Euro 2016 qualification
7.3 September 2015Torku Arena, Konya, Turkey Turkey
1–1
1–1
UEFA Euro 2016 qualification
8.10 October 2015Laugardalsvöllur, Reykjavík, Iceland Iceland
2–2
2–2
UEFA Euro 2016 qualification
9.29 March 2016Victoria Stadium, Gibraltar Gibraltar
3–0
5–0
Friendly
10.6 September 2016Estadi Nacional, Andorra la Vella, Andorra Andorra
1–0
1–0
2018 FIFA World Cup qualification
11.10 October 2017Skonto Stadium, Riga, Latvia Andorra
2–0
4–0
2018 FIFA World Cup qualification
12.
3–0
13.13 November 2017Olympic Stadium Adem Jashari, Mitrovica, Kosovo Kosovo
2–1
3–4
Friendly

Career statistics

Club
As of 16 July 2014[24]
Club Season League Cup Europe Other[nb 1] Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
FK Daugava 2009 Virsliga 2000000020
JFK Olimps 2010 216000010226
Skonto FC 2010 0000003131
2011 222102000252
2012 31114020003711
2013 24154341003219
2014 9500000095
Career total 1093993814113044

Honours

Club
Skonto FC

International

Individual

Notes
  1. Includes other competitive competitions, including the Baltic League and Latvian Supercup
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References
  1. "1. līgā triumfē "Daugava"". Sportacentrs.com. 8 November 2008. Retrieved 14 July 2014.
  2. "FK Ventspils ar 8:0 sagrauj Daugavu". Diena.lv. 15 October 2009. Retrieved 14 July 2014.
  3. "Valērijs Šabala - skontofc.com". Skontofc.com. Retrieved 14 July 2014.
  4. "Grīnbergs labo Šabalas rekordu un kļūst par jaunāko vārtu guvēju Virslīgā". Sportacentrs.com. 10 June 2014. Retrieved 14 July 2014.
  5. "Žuniors tuvu pārejai uz "Maccabi", Šabala pievienojas "Skonto"". Sportacentrs.com. 7 February 2011. Retrieved 14 July 2014.
  6. "LFF Gada futbola laureātu vakars 2011. gads". LFF.lv. 9 December 2011. Retrieved 14 July 2014.
  7. "Valērijs Šabala: "Ir jākļūst šeit par labāko un tad var lūkoties ārzemju virzienā"". H-side.lv. 11 July 2011. Retrieved 14 July 2014.
  8. "Šabala un Jagodinskis pārbaudās "Dynamo", Jemeļins Polijā nepaliks". Sportacentrs.com. 16 January 2012. Retrieved 14 July 2014.
  9. "Šabala sabombardē "hattrick", "Skonto" sagrauj "Mettu/LU"". Sportacentrs.com. 30 June 2012. Retrieved 14 July 2014.
  10. "Labākie jūnijā – Šabala un Pahars". Sportacentrs.com. 10 July 2012. Retrieved 14 July 2014.
  11. "Šabala aizvada pilnu spēli Maskavas CSKA rindās". Sportacentrs.com. 12 September 2012. Retrieved 14 July 2014.
  12. "Latvijas futbolists Šabala par iespaidīgu pārejas naudu varētu pievienoties CSKA". Delfi.lv. 5 November 2012. Retrieved 14 July 2014.
  13. "LFF Gada futbola laureātu vakars 2012. gads". LFF.lv. 13 December 2012. Retrieved 14 July 2014.
  14. "Skonto spēlē teicami, gūst skaistus vārtus un pieveic Slovan". Sportacentrs.com. 18 July 2013. Retrieved 14 July 2014.
  15. "Noteikta 2013.gada "SMScredit.lv" Virslīgas simboliskā izlase". LFF.lv. Retrieved 14 July 2014.
  16. "Koļesņičenko: "Esam vainīgi, bet LFF nav vienādi stingra pret visiem"". Sportacentrs.com. 13 March 2014. Retrieved 14 July 2014.
  17. ""Skonto FC" vienojušies ar slaveno beļģu klubu "Club Brugge" par Šabalas pāreju". Skontofc.com. 29 January 2014. Retrieved 14 July 2014.
  18. "Šabala apstiprina pievienošanos Kipras klubam "Anorthosis"". Sportacentrs.com. 22 August 2014. Retrieved 24 August 2014.
  19. "Šabala karjeru turpinās Polijas 1. līgā". Sportacentrs.com. 4 August 2017. Retrieved 4 August 2017.
  20. "Žigajevs gūst skaistus vārtus; Latvijas futbolisti zaudē Katarai". delfi.lv. 24 May 2013.
  21. "Latvijas futbolisti atspēlē divu vārtu deficītu un izrauj neizšķirtu pret Turciju". delfi.lv. 28 May 2013.
  22. "Latvijas futbolisti mazākumā 'salūst' cīņā pret Bosniju un Hercegovinu". delfi.lv. 7 June 2013.
  23. "NFT Profile". National Football Teams. Retrieved 10 October 2017.
  24. V. Šabala. Soccerway profile]
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