Latvia international striker Roberts Uldriķis has been named to the kicker Team of the Week following an outstanding display for Arminia Bielefeld, marking a major milestone in his return from a long-term injury.
The recognition comes after Uldriķis scored twice in Arminia’s 3-2 victory over Eintracht Braunschweig, a result that ended the club’s three-month wait for a league win. Germany’s leading football publication kicker.de rewarded the Latvian forward by including him in its symbolic 2. Bundesliga XI of the round.
Uldriķis’ performance also drew widespread praise from within the Arminia camp, particularly in light of the seriousness of the injury he suffered last year.
“Rob’s return after such an injury is incredible. If you had seen him during rehabilitation, you’d know he absolutely deserves this,” said midfielder Marius Wörl. Defender Tim Handwerker added: “I’m unbelievably happy for Rob that he’s come back like this.”
Head coach Mitch Kniat highlighted Uldriķis’ work ethic during his recovery process, underlining why the striker’s impact did not come as a surprise.
“If you saw his rehab process and how often that guy was here, even when he didn’t have to be, it’s unbelievable,” Kniat said. “It doesn’t surprise me at all that he scored twice. He worked hard for six, seven, even ten months to earn those goals, and that’s why I’m especially proud of him.”
For Uldriķis, the individual recognition is secondary to the collective effort that led to the result.
“It was a long year with difficult moments, but I worked hard and in the end it paid off,” said the 27-year-old. “But the most important thing isn’t who scores. This time it was me, next time it will be someone else. Football is a team sport. I’m a team player and I enjoy playing with everyone.”
Source: https://www.kicker.de/kniat-ueber-uldrikis-das-ist-wahnsinn-1191934/artikel#omrss
https://www.arminia.de/neues/schlagzeilen/detail/das-stadion-hat-uns-eine-super-energie-gegeben
