Full name Andris Vanins Number 1 Name Andris Vanins Height 1.86 m Date joined 2009 | Playing position Years Team Role Goalkeeper Weight 82 kg | |
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Date of birth (1980-04-30) 30 April 1980 (age 35) Place of birth Ilukste, Latvian SSR, Soviet Union
(now Republic of Latvia) Current teams FC Sion (#1 / Goalkeeper), Latvia national football team (Goalkeeper) | ||
Beste Paraden Andris Vanins!
Andris Vaņins (born 30 April 1980) is a Latvian football goalkeeper who currently plays for FC Zürich in the Swiss Challenge League. Vaņins is also a member of Latvia national football team.
Contents
- Beste Paraden Andris Vanins
- FK Ventspils
- FC Moscow
- FK Venta
- FC Sion
- FC Zrich
- International career
- Personal life
- Honours
- References
FK Ventspils
Vaņins started his professional football career in 1997, when he was only 17 years old. His first club was FK Ventspils. In 2003, he left the Virsliga, signing a contract with FC Torpedo Moscow.
FC Moscow
In 2003 Vaņins signed a contract with FC Moscow. He could not manage to get into the first team, mostly being used in the reserves. As playing for the reserve team did not please the Latvian international, he decided to leave.
FK Venta
In 2005, Vaņins returned to Latvia. FK Venta offered him a contract, which Vaņins accepted. He did not play much there either and the club went bankrupt in the second half of the season. The first-team players, including Vaņins, were released.
FK Ventspils
Having become a free agent, Vaņins agreed to a contract with FK Ventspils.He became the first-choice goalkeeper at the club and played there for three and a half years. In 2006, 2007 and 2008 he was named the best goalkeeper of the season in the LMT Virslīga, as well as the Latvian Footballer of the Year in 2008. In 2009 he started looking for a club abroad, but eventually he had to start the next season with FK Ventspils, because of unsuccessful negotiations. In February 2009 he went on trial with the Russian Premier League club Rubin Kazan.
FC Sion
In the middle of FK Ventspils' season Vaņins joined Swiss Super League club FC Sion on a three-year contract. He went on to become first-choice goalkeeper. His debut for the club was on 19 August 2009 in a 2-0 loss against Fenerbahçe S.K.. His first clean sheet came against FC Echallens. He was named the best goalkeeper of the league after the first and the second round. In his first season at FC Sion Vaņins played in all of the games and was named the best FC Sion player of the season. The Swiss portal sport.ch named him the best goalkeeper of the Swiss Super League of the 2009-2010 season. After the 2010–2011 season Vaņins was named the best FC Sion player by the team's fans, who gave him 34% votes in a survey via Facebook. After the 2011 season he was also named the best goalkeeper of the season in the "Swiss Golden Player Award" ceremony. In October 2013, Vaņins' contract at the club was extended till June 2017.
FC Zürich
On 17 June 2016 Vanins was signed by FC Zürich on a three-year contract.
International career
Vaņins made his international debut for Latvia in 2000 in a 1–3 loss against Slovakia. In summer 2007, when the first-choice keeper Aleksandrs Koļinko suffered a long-term injury, head coach Aleksandrs Starkovs faced a choice to either let Vaņins or Deniss Romanovs play. Vaņins was chosen to be the replacement, and since then he has become the first-choice goalkeeper of the team. As of December 2013 Vaņins has made 60 international appearances for Latvia.
Personal life
Andris Vaņins is married and has a son. He speaks Latvian, Russian, English and French.