 Stepanovs playing for Latvia | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | (1976-01-21)21 January 1976 (age 49) | ||
| Place of birth | Ogre, Latvia | ||
| Height | 1.92 m (6 ft 4 in) | ||
| Position | Defender | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1992–1993 | Skonto Riga | 9 | (0) |
| 1994 | Interskonto | 20 | (2) |
| 1995–2000 | Skonto Riga | 129 | (11) |
| 2000–2004 | Arsenal | 17 | (0) |
| 2003–2004 | →Beveren (loan) | 21 | (0) |
| 2004–2006 | Grasshoppers | 50 | (0) |
| 2006 | FK Jūrmala | 9 | (0) |
| 2007–2008 | Esbjerg fB | 17 | (1) |
| 2008 | FC Shinnik Yaroslavl | 4 | (0) |
| 2009–2010 | RFS/Olimps | 7 | (0) |
| 2010–2011 | FK Jūrmala | 25 | (1) |
| Total | 306 | (15) | |
| International career | |||
| 1995–2011 | Latvia | 100 | (4) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2010–2011 | FK Jūrmala (player/assistant coach) | ||
| 2012–2018 | Latvia U-17 | ||
| 2017–2018 | Latvia U-18 | ||
| 2019 | Auda | ||
| 2020–2021 | Maldives U-19 | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Igors Stepanovs (born 21 January 1976) is a Latvian professionalfootball coach and a former player who played as adefender. He was the manager of theMaldives under-19 national team in 2020-21. Stepanovs played 100 international matches and scored four goals for theLatvia national team. He made his debut in 1995, and played inEuro 2004.
Born inOgre, Stepanovs started his club career at Skonto-Metāls (laterSkonto Riga). He made his debut in senior football at just 16 years old and won seven national titles. In 1995, he made his debut for theLatvia national team and soon became a regular member of the side. While playing with Skonto, Stepanovs played against teams likeInter Milan,Barcelona, andChelsea. In these games, Skonto and Stepanovs performed well. In 2000, he attracted interest from many European teams.
In 2000,Arsenal captainTony Adams was injured, promptingArsène Wenger to sign Stepanovs for a transfer fee of £1.35 million. He started the season well, scoring a goal for Arsenal in a 2–1League Cup defeat toIpswich Town on his debut.[1] His playing time grew until a match againstManchester United, when both sides were battling for thePremier League title. Arsenal lost this game 6–1 and their chances of winning the title were hit.[2] After this disappointing performance, Stepanovs played only once again that season in a game againstManchester City.[3] He recovered to make six Premier League appearances the following season as Arsenal won the2001–02 FA Premier League. Six would not normally be enough to earn a medal but he was an unused substitute on the day Arsenal clinched the title against Manchester United atOld Trafford, the scene of his lowest point the season before.[4] Arsenal also won the FA Cup in2002 and2003 but Stepanovs was left out of both matchday squads. He contributed to their 2002 triumph when featuring in a game againstNewcastle United during their run.[5]
Overall, he played just 17 times in the league for Arsenal, all of them starts, and 31 times in all competitions.
After unsuccessful years with Arsenal, Stepanovs was moved toK.S.K. Beveren, which had a co-operation agreement with the English club. There he gained back some confidence and he was again in good shape. Stepanovs played well in theLatvia national team, helping it to qualify forEuro 2004 where he played in all of Latvia's three games.
After Euro 2004, Stepanovs joinedGrasshopper Club Zürich. There he played for two seasons, but was released. In 2006, he returned to Latvia and played some games forFK Jūrmala. On 26 January 2007, he moved toDanish Premier League sideEsbjerg fB on a free transfer, but after just a year he moved to the RussianFC Shinnik Yaroslavl. He was released by Shinnik on 9 July 2008 and in April 2009 he signed for Latvian sideRFS/Olimps, but a year later re-joined his previous teamFK Jūrmala. He played there for two seasons, making 25 league appearances, scoring a solitary goal. In August 2011, the player announced his retirement from professional football. On 10 August 2011, Stepanovs was called up to the Latvia national team for a friendly match againstFinland. He played his 100th and last match for Latvia then, and was honoured during the match for his long-term commitment to the national squad.[6]
During his time atFK Jūrmala, Stepanovs worked as a player-coach assisting the club's managerVladimirs Babičevs. In March 2012, Stepanovs was appointed as the manager ofLatvia under-17 national team.[7]
Arsenal
Individual
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