 Ikaunieks with Latvia in 2022 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | (1995-02-16)16 February 1995 (age 30) | ||
| Place of birth | Kuldīga, Latvia | ||
| Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) | ||
| Position | Attacking midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Rīgas FS | ||
| Number | 10 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2005–2013 | Liepājas Metalurgs | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2012–2013 | Liepājas Metalurgs II | 21 | (11) |
| 2013–2014 | Liepājas Metalurgs | 19 | (3) |
| 2014–2015 | Liepāja | 32 | (23) |
| 2015–2018 | Metz | 12 | (0) |
| 2015–2017 | Metz II | 14 | (4) |
| 2017 | →AEL (loan) | 10 | (1) |
| 2017–2018 | →Liepāja (loan) | 6 | (0) |
| 2018–2019 | Liepāja | 47 | (16) |
| 2020 | Strømsgodset | 6 | (0) |
| 2020 | RFS | 14 | (7) |
| 2021–2022 | KuPS | 31 | (11) |
| 2023– | RFS | 76 | (50) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2011 | Latvia U17 | 2 | (0) |
| 2011 | Latvia U18 | 1 | (1) |
| 2013 | Latvia U19 | 2 | (0) |
| 2014 | Latvia U21 | 3 | (0) |
| 2014– | Latvia | 73 | (12) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 17 November 2025 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 17 November 2025 | |||
Jānis Ikaunieks (born 16 February 1995) is a Latvian professionalfootballer who plays as anattacking midfielder forRīgas FS and theLatvia national team.
Ikaunieks was born inKuldīga. As a youth player, he played for the youth teams ofLiepājas Metalurgs. Ikaunieks scored 11 goals in 20 matches in the 2012First League season, contributing to Liepājas Metalurgs II winning the championship.[citation needed]
Having been promoted to the first team in 2013, Ikaunieks debuted on 7 April in theHigher League in a 2–1 defeat againstFK Daugava. During his professional debut season, he played 19 league matches and scored three goals. The club was dissolved at the end of the season due to financial difficulties, and Ikaunieks and other players transferred to its successor, the newly establishedFK Liepāja.[1]
Starting the season as a nominal substitute, Ikaunieks was promoted to the first team and named the Higher League player of the month in May.[2] On 11 June 2014, Ikaunieks scored four goals in a 7–0 victory overFC Jūrmala.[3] Overall, he scored 23 goals in 32 league matches and became the second highest scorer of the league behindVladislavs Gutkovskis fromSkonto. In August 2014, Ikaunieks went on trial with the CroatianPrva HNL championsDinamo Zagreb.[4] In September, he was named player of the month for the second time in the season.[5] One month later in October, explicit interest in the player was reported fromAjax,Metz,VfB Stuttgart andUdinese Calcio.[6] On 5 December 2014, Ikaunieks was named the best midfielder of the season and was simultaneously voted as the best player of the2014 Higher League.[7]
On 23 December 2014,Metz chairman Bernard Serin confirmed that Ikaunieks would join theLigue 1 team on a four-year contract.[8] The transfer for an undisclosed fee was officially affirmed on 7 January 2015.[citation needed] Ikaunieks debuted for Metz' first team on 20 January 2015, coming on as a substitute in theCoupe de France 1/16 finals match victory overUS Avranches.[9] He made his Ligue 1 debut in a goalless draw againstNice on 31 January.[citation needed]
In December 2016, Ikaunieks joined GreekSuperleague teamAEL on a six-month loan. He debuted in a 2–1 victory overVeria on 14 January 2017. On 18 January, against Veria once again, he scored his only goal for AEL in a match that ended 1–1. Reportedly, there was no buy option in the loan agreement and thus he returned to Metz at the end of the season.[10]
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On 15 June 2017, it was announced that Ikaunieks had returned toFK Liepāja while on loan from Metz.[11] He made his first match on 18 June, in a 1–0 victory overVentspils. He only managed to make a total of seven matches, six in the league and in the cup final in which Liepāja lifted the trophy againstRiga FC, due to being out for two months after suffering from a metatarsal fracture. After the conclusion of his loan deal, Ikaunieks joined Liepāja on a permanent basis.
Ikaunieks instantly became an important asset in the2018 Higher League season, scoring nine goals in 17 matches as well as being involved in the assistance of three goals. Once again being unlucky with injuries, he suffered from a shoulder injury at the end of August and was out for about three months.
Upon returning for the2019 Higher League season, Ikaunieks scored seven goals in 24 matches, as well as scoring one goal in aEuropa League qualifying match againstDinamo Minsk.
On 11 February 2020, Ikaunieks signed for NorwegianEliteserien teamStrømsgodset.[12] He debuted on 17 June againstIK Start in a 2–2 draw. On 1 August, having spent only a few months with the team and having only played six matches, Ikaunieks andStrømsgodset agreed on mutual termination of the contract.[13]
On 6 August 2020, Ikaunieks returned to Latvia and signed forHigher League clubRīgas FS.[14] He made his debut on 8 August against his old clubLiepāja in a 3–0 victory. On 12 August, Ikaunieks scored his first goal in a 4–0 victory overJelgava.[citation needed]
On 22 February 2021, Ikaunieks signed a two-year contract with FinnishVeikkausliiga teamKuPS.[15]
Ikaunieks was a member of Latvian youth national football teams that ranged fromU18,U19, untilU21.[citation needed]
He debuted for theLatvian senior squad on 13 October 2014, playing the entire 90 minutes in a 1–1UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying draw againstTurkey.[16]
It was later calculated that Ikaunieks had repeated the record ofMāris Verpakovskis who debuted in 1999, being exactly 19 years, 7 months and 25 days old.[17] On 29 March 2016, Ikaunieks scored his first two goals for his country in a 5–0 friendly victory overGibraltar.[18]
His elder brotherDāvis is also a professional footballer who plays for the same team.[19]
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | League cup[b] | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Liepājas Metalurgs II | 2012 | Latvian First League | 20 | 11 | – | — | — | — | 20 | 11 | ||||
| 2013 | Latvian First League | 1 | 0 | – | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | |||||
| Total | 21 | 11 | – | – | – | – | 21 | 11 | ||||||
| Liepājas Metalurgs | 2013 | Virslīga | 19 | 3 | 3 | 0 | – | 1[c] | 0 | — | 23 | 3 | ||
| FK Liepāja | 2014 | Virslīga | 32 | 23 | 3 | 1 | – | — | — | 35 | 24 | |||
| Metz II | 2014–15 | CFA | 6 | 2 | – | — | — | — | 6 | 2 | ||||
| 2015–16 | CFA | 3 | 2 | – | — | — | — | 3 | 2 | |||||
| 2016–17 | CFA | 5 | 0 | – | — | — | — | 5 | 0 | |||||
| Total | 14 | 4 | – | – | – | – | 14 | 4 | ||||||
| Metz | 2014–15 | Ligue 1 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 6 | 0 | ||
| 2015–16 | Ligue 2 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 9 | 0 | |||
| 2016–17 | Ligue 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | |||
| Total | 12 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | — | 15 | 0 | ||||
| AEL | 2016–17 | Super League Greece | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | – | — | — | 10 | 1 | |||
| FK Liepāja | 2017 | Virslīga | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | — | 7 | 0 | ||
| 2018 | Virslīga | 17 | 9 | 1 | 0 | – | 1[c] | 0 | — | 19 | 9 | |||
| 2019 | Virslīga | 24 | 7 | 1 | 0 | – | 1[c] | 1 | — | 26 | 8 | |||
| Total | 47 | 16 | 3 | 0 | – | 2 | 1 | — | 52 | 17 | ||||
| Strømsgodset | 2020 | Eliteserien | 6 | 0 | – | — | — | — | 6 | 0 | ||||
| FK RFS | 2020 | Virslīga | 14 | 7 | 3 | 1 | – | 1[c] | 0 | — | 18 | 8 | ||
| KuPS | 2021 | Veikkausliiga | 8 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6[d] | 1 | – | 16 | 5 | |
| 2022 | Veikkausliiga | 23 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 5[d] | 2 | – | 34 | 16 | ||
| Total | 31 | 11 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 11 | 3 | – | 50 | 21 | |||
| FK RFS | 2023 | Virslīga | 22 | 15 | 3 | 2 | – | 4[d] | 1 | – | 29 | 18 | ||
| 2024 | Virslīga | 24 | 16 | 3 | 1 | – | 14[e] | 9 | 1[f] | 0 | 42 | 26 | ||
| Total | 46 | 31 | 6 | 3 | – | 18 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 71 | 44 | |||
| Career total | 246 | 107 | 26 | 7 | 3 | 5 | 33 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 309 | 133 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Latvia | 2014 | 3 | 0 |
| 2015 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2016 | 7 | 2 | |
| 2017 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2018 | 3 | 1 | |
| 2019 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2020 | 7 | 3 | |
| 2021 | 6 | 1 | |
| 2022 | 9 | 4 | |
| 2023 | 2 | 0 | |
| Total | 50 | 11 | |
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 29 March 2016 | Victoria Stadium, Gibraltar |  Gibraltar | 1–0 | 5–0 | Friendly |
| 2 | 5–0 | |||||
| 3 | 2 June 2018 | Daugava Stadium,Riga, Latvia |  Estonia | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2018 Baltic Cup |
| 4 | 10 October 2020 | Tórsvøllur,Tórshavn, Faroe Islands |  Faroe Islands | 1–0 | 1–1 | 2020–21 UEFA Nations League D |
| 5 | 17 November 2020 | Estadi Nacional,Andorra la Vella, Andorra |  Andorra | 2–0 | 5–0 | |
| 6 | 3–0 | |||||
| 7 | 24 March 2021 | Skonto Stadium, Riga, Latvia |  Montenegro | 1–0 | 1–2 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 8 | 3 June 2022 | Daugava Stadium, Riga, Latvia | Andorra | 3–0 | 3–0 | 2022–23 UEFA Nations League D |
| 9 | 10 June 2022 | Zimbru Stadium,Chișinău, Moldova |  Moldova | 2–1 | 4–2 | |
| 10 | 4–2 | |||||
| 11 | 22 September 2022 | Daugava Stadium, Riga, Latvia | 1–2 | 1–2 | ||
| 12 | 12 October 2023 | Skonto Stadium, Riga, Latvia |  Armenia | 1–0 | 2–0 | UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying |
Liepājas Metalurgs II
FK Liepāja
Latvia
Individual
Tikmēr arvien biežāk Latvijas izlases uzbrukuma smailē bija redzams talantīgais debitants Jānis Ikaunieks, kurš 24.minūtē kritienā izdarīja neprecīzu sitienu uz Turcijas vārtiem.[Meanwhile, the talented debutant Jānis Ikaunieks was seen more and more often at the forefront of the attack of the Latvian national team, who in the 24th minute made an inaccurate shot at the Turkish goal.]
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
