![]() Gineitis with Torino in 2023 | |||
Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Date of birth | 15 April 2004 | ||
Place of birth | Mažeikiai, Lithuania | ||
Height | 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in) [1] | ||
Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
Team information | |||
Current team | Torino | ||
Number | 66 | ||
Youth career | |||
2016–2018 | NFA Kaunas | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
2018–2019 | NFA Kaunas | 10 | (0) |
2019–2020 | Atmosfera | 28 | (4) |
2020–2022 | SPAL | 0 | (0) |
2022– | Torino | 36 | (2) |
International career‡ | |||
2021–2022 | Lithuania U17 | 3 | (0) |
2021–2022 | Lithuania U19 | 8 | (1) |
2022– | Lithuania U21 | 3 | (0) |
2022– | Lithuania | 18 | (1) |
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 18:13, 23 February 2025 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 19 November 2024 (UTC) |
Gvidas Gineitis (born 15 April 2004) is a Lithuanian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Serie A club Torino and the Lithuania national team.
In January 2023, he received the Best Young Lithuanian Footballer of the Year award by the Lithuanian Football Federation. [2] [3]
Born in Mažeikiai, [4] [5] [6] Gineitis is a youth product of NFA Kaunas, [5] where he made his senior debut on 22 September 2018, coming on as a substitute in the second half of a 2–1 I Lyga defeat to Žalgiris B. [7]
In 2019, he then joined fellow second-tier side Atmosfera, [5] where he scored his first senior goal on 24 April 2019, in a 9–8 LFF Cup loss on penalties against Kėdainiai (the match had ended in a 3–3 draw after 120 minutes). [8]
In the summer of 2020, Gineitis joined Serie B side SPAL, [4] [9] where he played for the under-17, under-18 and under-19 teams of the Italian club. [4] [5]
On 31 January 2022, the deadline day for the winter transfer window, Gineitis joined Serie A side Torino on a permanent transfer, [10] as part of a deal that also involved Demba Seck and Francesco Dell'Aquila. [4] [6] He subsequently signed a professional contract with the club on 8 June 2022, penning a three-year deal. [11]
Following his performances for Torino's under-19 squad, the midfielder was promoted to the first team during the winter break of the 2022–23 season, under head coach Ivan Jurić. [4] [5] [6] [12] He went on to make his Serie A debut on 10 February 2023, starting and playing 45 minutes in a 1–0 loss to AC Milan. [12] [13] [14] In the occasion, he became the fourth Lithuanian player to ever feature in the Italian top tier, following the likes of Tomas Danilevičius, Marius Stankevičius and Edgaras Dubickas. [12]
In March 2023, Gineitis extended his contract with Torino until 2026. [15]
Gineitis has represented Lithuania at various youth international levels, having played for the under-17, under-19 and under-21 national teams. [5]
In November 2022, he received his first call-up to the Lithuanian senior national team for the 2022 Baltic Cup. [16] [17] He then made his senior debut for Lithuania on 16 November 2022, coming in as a substitute in the tournament's semi-final match against Iceland, which ended up in a 5–6 loss on penalties. [18] Three days later, he made his first start in the third place final against Estonia, which ended in a 2–0 loss. [5]
On 15 November 2024, during a 2024–25 UEFA Nations League C game against Cyprus, he scored his first goal for Lithuania, becoming at 20 years and 7 months its youngest goalscorer in UEFA Nations League. [19]
Gineitis is a left-footed midfielder, [6] [12] who mainly acts as a mezzala on attacking duties, [5] but can also play in every position of the midfield, or even in the number 10 role. [5] He has been mainly regarded for his physique, his athleticism and his off-the-ball movement. [4] [5] [6]
Due to his characteristics, he has been compared to Tommaso Pobega. [4]