The Latvian Football Federation (LFF) held its annual awards ceremony today at the historic House of the Black Heads in Rīga, honoring the standout performers of the year across Latvian football. For the first time in his career, Latvia national team defender Andrejs Cigaņiks was named Latvian Footballer of the Year, while in women’s football Karlīna Miksone claimed the award for the second consecutive year.
The 28-year-old Cigaņiks, who plays his club football with Swiss top-flight side FC Luzern, faced competition from two FC RFS players – the previous two-time winner Jānis Ikaunieks and fellow national team midfielder Dmitrijs Zelenkovs. The vote proved decisive, as Cigaņiks received 51 votes, while Ikaunieks finished second with seven.
Cigaņiks’ award crowns a remarkable year in which he also became Latvia’s new record holder for consecutive international appearances, reaching 60 matches without missing a game.
In the women’s category, Miksone once again dominated the voting. The Polish top-division forward scored five goals in eight international matches in 2025, helping Latvia qualify for UEFA Women’s Nations League League B for the first time and reclaim the Baltic Cup. She collected 31 votes, while Elza Renāte Strazdiņa and Olga Ševcova received three votes each.
For the second year in a row, Edgars Tarankovs was named Latvian Futsal Player of the Year. The Anderlecht player will soon lead Latvia at the UEFA Futsal European Championship, where the national team will make its tournament debut.
Youth honors went to Latvia U-21 captain Ivans Patrikejevs, who spent the season with Estonia’s Nõmme Kalju, while the Young Female Footballer of the Year award was claimed by 17-year-old Gabriela Annija Andersone. The Italian club Sassuolo player earned her first senior national team call-up in 2025. Andersone also won this award for a third consecutive year.
Riga FC head coach Adrián Guľa collected two awards after guiding the club to the Virslīga title, being named both Virslīga Coach of the Year and Latvian Coach of the Year. Another Riga FC representative, Mouhamed El Bachir Ngom, was crowned Virslīga Player of the Year.
Source: https://lff.lv/zinas/18734/labakie-latvijas-futbola-2025-ciganiks-miksone-un-tarakanovs/
