Former Latvia striker Artūrs Karašausks retires at 34

Artūrs Karašausks, a striker who played 25 times for Latvia, has retired from professional football at the age of 34. He announced the decision on social media on Wednesday evening.

“The time has come to say goodbye to my career as a professional footballer. It is sad, but looking back I can smile and be grateful. Thank you, football, for the lessons, the discipline, the friendships and the challenges,” Karašausks wrote. He thanked his family, team-mates, coaches, fans and the national football federation, singling out Guntis Indriksons, president of his first club Skonto, and Oļegs Hramovs, president of his last club Liepāja. The post ends with a promise: “This chapter is closing, but football will stay with me for the rest of my life. We will meet again — in a different role.”

Ten goals at 17

A Skonto youth product, he made his debut in the Virslīga, Latvia’s top division, for Olimps in 2009 and scored ten goals in 18 games at 17. A year later he was playing for the national team. At home he won the league with Skonto in 2010 and Riga FC in 2019, and lifted the Latvian Cup with Liepāja in 2017 and 2020. He also played for Gulbene, and finished with around 205 Virslīga games and 74 goals, according to the sports website sportacentrs.com.

Abroad he played for Dnipro in Ukraine, Rubin Kazan in Russia, Piast in Poland, Wil in Switzerland, Pafos, Achna and Krasava in Cyprus, Akzhayik in Kazakhstan and Visakha in Cambodia. His last competitive games came in Cambodia in May 2025. He then returned to Liepāja but did not play for the first team again and left the club last winter.

One international goal

Karašausks made his Latvia debut at 18 but featured only occasionally in the years that followed. His only international goal came in October 2018 in a 1-1 draw with Kazakhstan, and he won his last cap in October 2019.

He has not yet said what his “different role” will be. He is due to appear as a guest on the talk show eXi this week.

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