Romanian club SCM Zalău has officially announced that forward Liviu Antal has been loaned to Lithuanian champions FK Žalgiris until the end of the season. This marks the veteran striker’s third return to the Vilnius-based side, which he left this January after winning the league title and claiming the A Lyga top scorer award.
The 36-year-old returned to his homeland after last season, joining lower-tier Romanian side SCM Zalău. Now, Žalgiris’ all-time leading scorer of the 21st century makes his comeback to the club where he previously won two A Lyga titles, a Lithuanian Cup, and twice finished as the league’s top scorer.
The official confirmation came via a statement posted on SCM Zalău’s social media platforms:
“Liviu Antal has been loaned to FK Žalgiris until the end of this year. Our club has reached an agreement with FK Žalgiris Vilnius for the loan of Liviu Antal until the end of the 2025 season.
This will be Liviu’s return to the Lithuanian side where he won two league titles, two Lithuanian Cups, a Super Cup, and twice was crowned the league’s top goalscorer.
At the same time, he will have the opportunity to feature once again in European competitions, as FK Žalgiris is set to face Maltese champions Hamrun Spartans FC in the opening round of UEFA Champions League qualifying.
Good luck, Liviu Antal, at FK Žalgiris,” stated SCM Zalău.
In his most recent title-winning campaign, Antal scored 20 goals and provided six assists in 35 A Lyga matches. The Romanian striker first played for Žalgiris between 2017 and 2020, before returning to Romania to feature in the country’s top division with UTA Arad and CS Mioveni. He made his second return to Žalgiris in the summer of 2023.
To date, Liviu Antal has made 162 appearances for FK Žalgiris, scoring 89 goals, cementing his legacy as one of the most prolific forwards in the club’s modern history.
