Full name Renars Rode Number 19 Name Renars Rode Height 1.88 m | Playing position Years Team Role Footballer | |
 | ||
Date of birth (1989-04-06) April 6, 1989 (age 26) Place of birth Riga, Latvian SSR, Soviet Union
(now Republic of Latvia) Current teams Latvia national football team (Defender), Skonto FC (#3 / Defender) | ||
How to Improve Your First Touch
Renars Rode (born 6 April 1989 in Riga) is a Latvian professional footballer, who used to be a center back for the Latvian Higher League club FK Ventspils and Latvia national football team but is now going to play for Finland.
Contents
- How to Improve Your First Touch
- Skonto Riga
- FK Teplice
- FK Ventspils
- International career
- International goals
- Honours
- References
Skonto Riga
As a youth player Renars Rode played for the Skonto Riga academy. In 2008 he joined the Latvian Higher League club JFK Olimps, and played 15 matches, scoring his first league goal in a 7-0 victory over Daugava Riga on 8 July 2009. In 2010 Rode moved to Skonto Riga. During his first season at the club, he scored 3 goals in 16 league matches and under the manager Aleksandrs Starkovs became the champion of the Latvian Higher League. In 2011 he helped the club win the Baltic League and in 2012 won his first Latvian Cup with Skonto. In January 2012 it was announced that Rode would go on trial with the Scottish Premiership club Heart of Midlothian alongside his teammate Armandrs Petersons, but the potential move fell through. After the 2013 Latvian Higher League season Rode was included in the sportacentrs.com and Sporta Avize teams of the tournament, having appeared in 25 league matches and scored 3 goals, with Skonto suffering only one loss throughout the season. All in all, during his four seasons with the club Rode played 90 league matches, scoring 10 goals, and appeared in two UEFA Champions League and eight UEFA Europa League matches.
FK Teplice
On 10 December 2013 it was announced that Rode had signed a two-year contract with the Czech Gambrinus Liga club FK Teplice after a successful trial period. Rode left the club in March 2014 having been given a notice of contract termination after the arrival of the newly appointed manager. Following the release Rode went on trial with the Norwegian Tippeligaen side Sarpsborg 08, but did not stay with the club.
FK Ventspils
On 17 July 2014 Rode returned to the Latvian Higher League, signing a contract with the title holders FK Ventspils. He helped the club retain the title for the second year in a row.
International career
Rode was a member of Latvia national under-21 football team. He received his first full international call-up under that time manager Aleksandrs Starkovs on 22 January 2010 for a friendly match against South Korea. His next call-up came just 3 years later, when he was included in the national squad for a friendly match against Estonia on 14 August 2013 by the newly appointed Marians Pahars. Rode made his full international debut for Latvia on 6 September 2013 in a 2-1 2014 World Cup qualifying victory over Lithuania. He scored his first international goal on 15 October 2013 in a WC qualifying match against Slovakia, securing Latvia a point with a late goal in a 2-2 draw.
International goals
Scores and results list Latvia's goal tally first.Honours
