Eduards Freimanis
Encyclopedia
Eduards Freimanis was a former Latvia
n football
forward, the first Latvian footballer to play with a professional club in England
.
. He played with the senior squad of Olimpija from 1937 to 1939, winning two Latvian Higher League titles. In 1939 he joined JKS Riga. In 1939 Freimanis was first capped for Latvia national football team
and scored two goals in his very first international match (he played his second international match the next year). In 1940 when Latvia was annexed by the Soviet Union
and former Latvian sports clubs were disbanded, Freimanis joined RAFS 1, later he played with Dinamo Riga. From 1941 to 1944 he played with Daugavieši and from 1942 to 1944 in the Riga
selected team. In 1942 with six goals scored Freimanis was the beft goalscorer in the Latvian Higher League
.
After World War II
Freimanis ended up in the West, from 1945 to 1946 he played in Greven
, the next season he moved to Holstein Kiel
and in the following year he settled in England
. His first club there was the amateur side Eynesbury Rovers, but in the 1947/1948 season he became the first Latvian footballer to play in a professional English football club as he joined Peterborough United (in 21 match for the club he scored 22 goals), for two more seasons he played with Northampton Town F.C.
, until finally he landed in Nuneaton Borough, where he also worked as a coach for some time.
Latvia
Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...
n football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
forward, the first Latvian footballer to play with a professional club in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
Playing career
Freimanis started playing football in the early 1930s with the youth squad of Olimpija LiepājaOlimpija Liepaja
Olimpija Liepāja was Latvian football club that in the 1920-1930s was one of the strongest in Latvia and with which played many Latvia national football team footballers. It was from the city of Liepāja.-History:...
. He played with the senior squad of Olimpija from 1937 to 1939, winning two Latvian Higher League titles. In 1939 he joined JKS Riga. In 1939 Freimanis was first capped for Latvia national football team
Latvia national football team
The Latvian national football team is controlled by the Latvian Football Federation, the governing body for football in Latvia and represents the country in international football competitions, such as the World Cup and the European Championships. So far, they have never qualified for a FIFA World...
and scored two goals in his very first international match (he played his second international match the next year). In 1940 when Latvia was annexed by the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
and former Latvian sports clubs were disbanded, Freimanis joined RAFS 1, later he played with Dinamo Riga. From 1941 to 1944 he played with Daugavieši and from 1942 to 1944 in the Riga
Riga
Riga is the capital and largest city of Latvia. With 702,891 inhabitants Riga is the largest city of the Baltic states, one of the largest cities in Northern Europe and home to more than one third of Latvia's population. The city is an important seaport and a major industrial, commercial,...
selected team. In 1942 with six goals scored Freimanis was the beft goalscorer in the Latvian Higher League
Latvian Higher League 1942
In 1942 under German occupation most pre-war Latvian football clubs were restored...
.
After World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
Freimanis ended up in the West, from 1945 to 1946 he played in Greven
Greven
Greven is a medium-sized town in the district of Steinfurt, in Germany's most populous state of North Rhine-Westphalia and close to the city of Münster.-Geography:Greven is situated on the river Ems, approx...
, the next season he moved to Holstein Kiel
Holstein Kiel
Holstein Kiel is a German association football and sports club based in the city of Kiel, Schleswig-Holstein. Through the 1910s and 1920s the club was a dominant side in northern Germany winning six regional titles and finishing as runners-up another six times...
and in the following year he settled in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. His first club there was the amateur side Eynesbury Rovers, but in the 1947/1948 season he became the first Latvian footballer to play in a professional English football club as he joined Peterborough United (in 21 match for the club he scored 22 goals), for two more seasons he played with Northampton Town F.C.
Northampton Town F.C.
Northampton Town Football Club are an English professional football club based in Northampton, Northamptonshire. They currently play in Football League Two, the lowest league division, after being relegated from League One on the last day of the 2008–09 season...
, until finally he landed in Nuneaton Borough, where he also worked as a coach for some time.