The story of 25-year-old Vilnius goalkeeper Nojus Sulnis shows how determination, unexpected opportunities and persistence can keep a football career alive even when the path is far from straightforward.
Sulnis, a product of the Vilnius Football School (FM) academy, began playing football at the age of eight after his father brought him to his first training session. His first coaches were Nikolajus Pupkinas and Genadijus Davidsonas. Finding his position on the field did not take long. At first he played as an outfield player, but after only a couple of months he tried standing in goal.
“I played in the field for a few months, but then I tried going in goal. I liked it immediately and never left that position again,” Sulnis recalls.
After finishing youth football, his path continued through several levels of Lithuanian football. He played in the Vilnius SFL, then in the Second League, later in the First League, and again returned to the Second League before eventually taking his chances abroad. During this period he remained involved in the game in multiple ways, both playing and coaching children.
“Football has never disappeared from my life from the very beginning until now, and I hope it never will,” he says.
Some players from his environment eventually became professional footballers, although Sulnis believes that there could have been more.
“There were people who became professionals, but there could have been even more. Not everyone chose that path.”
When the career he hoped to build in Lithuania did not materialise, Sulnis moved to the Netherlands to continue his studies. At that time he was not playing football regularly. One day at university, however, a lecturer approached him and mentioned that he had been looking into the backgrounds of his students and noticed that Sulnis had played football. The lecturer encouraged him to try joining a club and explained how the Dutch football system works.
Soon after, Sulnis met an agent who organised a trial with Rijnsburgse Boys, a club competing in the third tier of Dutch football. The club invited him to train with the first team while playing matches with the U-23 squad.
“The biggest difference was the infrastructure,” Sulnis explains. “We had a huge training base with five pitches, a gym and a large coaching staff. It was an ideal place to develop.”
After his spell in the Netherlands, Sulnis’ career path took another turn. In the summer of the previous year he prepared for a move to the Philippine top division, but during pre-season preparations he suffered an ankle ligament injury. Once he recovered he eventually travelled there, but during medical tests one of the stronger clubs in the league decided not to sign him after concerns that the injury might reoccur.
Sulnis attended trials with a couple of other clubs, but negotiations over salary and conditions did not lead to an agreement. As a result, he returned to Lithuania in September 2025, believing he might have to wait until the winter transfer window to find another opportunity.
Instead, an unexpected option appeared soon after. A Croatian club in the sixth division, NK Kraljevčan 38, urgently needed a goalkeeper. The conditions offered by the club were good enough for Sulnis to accept the move. He signed a half-season contract with an option to extend it until the end of the season, and spent the final months of the year playing in Croatia.
Asked how his off-season periods usually look, Sulnis answers simply: family, friends, rest and travel.
“At the moment I am still in Croatia. I cannot talk too much about the details yet because nothing has been officially agreed, but in the coming weeks I should join one of the local teams,” he says. A few days after this interview Sulnis joined Croatian side NK Criknevica. [M.A.]
Alongside football, Sulnis has always placed importance on education. In Lithuania he studied International Business and Communication, while in the Netherlands he continued his studies in Sports Management.
“It’s not like everything I do professionally is only football,” he explains. “If you are not a top-level player in the world, it’s quite naïve to believe you will live comfortably only from playing. A sports career is short and unpredictable. But while my health allows it, I want to continue playing and remain a footballer first. Education helps now and will help even more in the future.”
Life abroad also left a strong impression on him. In the Netherlands he appreciated how convenient daily life is thanks to a highly developed transport system, although the population density sometimes felt overwhelming. Croatia, however, feels more similar to home.
“The mentality of people here is quite similar to Lithuania, and the climate is great.”
Like many players trying to build a career abroad, Sulnis has sometimes had to pay agents for opportunities to attend trials.
“Usually you pay some advance for the opportunity to show yourself, and then the rest only if you sign a contract. I have never personally suffered from dishonest agents or club officials, but it’s very important to evaluate realistically how genuine the opportunity is, because scammers often take advantage of young players’ naivety.”
When it comes to football inspirations, Sulnis names Liverpool as his favourite club and the Lithuanian national team as his favourite national side. His biggest idol has always been legendary Italian goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon, while among active players he highlights Alisson Becker, Liverpool’s Brazilian goalkeeper.
Despite standing 190 centimetres tall, basketball was never a serious option for him.
“For me football is simply a more interesting and more beautiful sport. I sometimes play basketball casually, but I never thought about training seriously for it. Besides, by basketball standards I’m not actually that tall.”
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