Yury Kendysh says he wants to end his career at Žalgiris, with the midfielder still driven by one major ambition he has yet to fulfil in the game: reaching the Champions League group stage.
The 35-year-old Belarusian, who first joined the Vilnius club in 2015 and returned in 2023, described Žalgiris as a central part of his life and said he hopes that final chapter will come in green and white. “With Žalgiris. This is my life. I will definitely finish my career here,” he said in an interview with club’s official media.
Kendysh has had a varied international career to date, having played for BATE in his homeland, Sheriff in Moldova, and Riga FC in Latvia. Of these, he won league titles in Lithuania, Belarus and Moldova during his career, and lifted his second Lithuanian championship with Žalgiris in 2024.
Speaking of the difficult 2026 season, Kendysh recalled one of the defining moments of that run as before the late-season match against Šiauliai, when he delivered an emotional dressing-room speech that was later featured in the club’s documentary series. He said head coach Rolandas Džiaukštas had asked him shortly before kick-off to speak to the squad, and he spent only a few minutes preparing his message in English.
Kendysh said he still believes the current side will improve despite an uneven start to the new season. He pointed to the scale of change in the squad and said time is needed for players arriving from different countries to settle. Even so, he added that responsibility remains with the players on the pitch.
Reflecting on his first spell at the club, Kendysh singled out the 2015 Lithuanian Cup final, the Champions League qualifier against Malmö and the title-clinching win over Atlantas among his standout memories. He said that Žalgiris side was one of the best he had played in and again praised former team-mate Deividas Šemberas, now retired, calling him a role model both on and off the pitch.
He also revealed that Šemberas influenced the way he thinks beyond football, particularly on money matters and investing. Away from the training ground, Kendysh said much of his routine in Vilnius revolves around his wife, his dog and padel, while he also spends time studying products he may invest in.
Asked whether his long-held Champions League target remains realistic, he said it is the one dream he still has in football. He added that he hopes to achieve it next year, and with Žalgiris.
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Source: https://fkzalgiris.lt/kendysinterviu0402/
