FK Kauno Žalgiris has announced another addition to its squad: Valdas Paulaskas, who was a star forward for FK Banga Gargždai last season.
The 23-year-old forward, who had a breakthrough season last year, began his professional career with FK Riteriai. In 2022, he joined FK Banga Gargždai on loan, and in the summer of 2023, he made a permanent move to the club.
During the last season, Valdas made 29 appearances in the A Lyga, scoring eight goals and providing two assists. Interestingly, in his first 73 A Lyga games, he scored only six goals in total, so last season, he surpassed his previous career total. Valdas was also instrumental in helping Banga win the Lithuanian Cup for the first time in the club’s history.
He started the comeback against his former team, FK Riteriai, in the second round of the cup by scoring a goal in regular time and assisting on both goals during extra time. His goal in the semifinal against FK Kauno Žalgiris knocked his new team out of the cup but propelled Banga to the final, where they won against Hegelmann. In total, he scored three goals and provided two assists in four cup matches.
As a result of his impressive performance, Valdas was called up to the Lithuanian National Team for the first time in his career. He made his debut in a UEFA Nations League match against Cyprus in September.
The head coach of Kauno Žalgiris, Eivinas Černiauskas, expressed his enthusiasm for the new player: “He is a player who controls the ball well, is technical and fast. He can play in several positions, understands the game well, and when he has the ball, he can make a difference and be effective in attack. At only 23 years old, he still has a lot of potential and opportunities ahead of him,” Černiauskas told Žalgiris.lt.
Mantas Kalnietis, the president of Kauno Žalgiris football club, also shared his satisfaction with the player’s decision. “We are pleased that one of the best players in the A Lyga last season has decided to continue his career with us. Valdas demonstrated last year that he is ready to take on more responsibilities and has the ability and desire to elevate his level of play even higher,” Kalnietis stated.
Source: https://zalgiris.lt/naujienos/papildymas-kauno-zalgiryje-atvyko-valdas-paulauskas