17-year-old forward Nils Veinbergs has signed a three-year contract with Finnish Veikkausliiga club Ilves. Veinbergs, who has developed at Rovaniemen Palloseura (RoPS) thus far, is regarded as one of the top youth prospects playing in Finland.
Veinbergs made a name for himself in the Finnish U17 Championship qualifying series, scoring an incredible 20 goals in just 16 games, making him the league’s top scorer. The towering 190-centimeter striker continued his impressive form in the final SM-sarja season, netting five goals in 11 games. Once again, he emerged as his team’s top scorer and finished tied for sixth place in the league scoring charts.
The young talent got a taste of Ilves’ environment in October when he trained with both the club’s Veikkausliiga squad and their second team, Ilves/2, which competes in the Finnish Men’s Kakkonen league.
“Ilves contacted me, and from that moment, I was excited about the opportunity to join. The agreement feels great, and there’s a very positive vibe here, I see myself as a goal scorer – my strengths lie in aerial duels and finishing.” said Veinbergs.
Veinbergs’ potential has also been recognized on the international stage. In November, he represented Latvia’s U18 national team in practice matches against Malta. Veinbergs, who holds dual Latvian and Finnish citizenship, has also participated in Finland’s UEFA A model group camp for U16 players.
Ilves’ sporting director, Miika Takkula, praised Veinbergs for his technical ability and instinct for goal scoring, noting the striker’s strong impression during his training stint with the club:
“Nils Veinbergs is a very interesting and versatile striker, despite his size, he moves gracefully, has a natural sense for finding scoring opportunities, and is technically sound. He really impressed us with his potential during his trial period.”