Marjus Žaliūks, a long-term defender of the Lithuanian national team, died on Saturday at the age of 36, informs the Lithuanian Football Federation (LFF).
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According to the portal “Delfi.lt”, Žaliūks passed away after several years of fighting the disease.
“Marjus inspired many young footballers and his contribution to Lithuanian football will never be forgotten,” the LFF said in a statement.
Žaliūks went to the field in the Lithuanian national team from 2006 to 2016 in 29 games, in which he scored one goal.
He represented “Kaunas”, Kaunas “Inkaro”, “Šilute” and Vilnius “Žalgiris” in the career of the club in his homeland, the last of which ended his career in 2016. From 2006 to 2015, he played abroad, fighting for the Edinburgh Hearts, Leeds United and Glasgow Rangers.
Hearts on Saturday honored the memory of the Lithuanian footballer and beat Edinburgh’s Hibernian 2: 1 in the Scottish Cup semi-final. It was Žaliūks who was the captain of the Hearts in 2012, when the team won the Scottish Cup, defeating the Hibernian in the final with 5: 1.
“He played a major role in our club. His 5: 1 victory in the Scottish Cup final has already become folklore. We are all shocked,” Heard head coach and former teammate Robbie Nielson said on Saturday.
The farewell of the footballer will take place on Wednesday, but he will be laid on his lap a day later.
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