Linas Pilibaitis

Linas Pilibaitis
Personal information
Date of birth	5 April 1985 (age 39)
Place of birth	Kretinga, Lithuanian SSR, Soviet Union
Height	1.81 m (5 ft 11 in)
Position(s)	Attacking midfielder
Team information
Current team	FK TransINVEST
Number	77
Senior career*
Years	Team
2002–2008	Kaunas
2004	→ Atlantas (loan)
2007	→ Hearts (loan)
2009–2014	Győr
2013–2014	→ Mezőkövesd (loan)
2014–2016	FK Žalgiris
2017	FK Atlantas
2017	Sepsi OSK
2018–2022	FK Kauno Žalgiris
2023–	FK TransINVEST
International career‡
2006–2015	Lithuania
	*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 11 November 2024; ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 2015

Linas Pilibaitis (born 5 April 1985) is a Lithuanian professional footballer who plays as a attacking midfielder for FK TransINVEST.

Club career

Pilibaitis was born in Kretinga. He joined Kaunas aged 17 in 2002, gradually working his way into the first team as he developed in the following years. This process was aided by a loan spell at Klaipėda side FK Atlantas in 2004, where he scored his first senior goal. Having played a prominent role in Kaunas's 2006 A Lyga victory, he was loaned to Hearts in January 2007.^[1] He made his debut for the Jambos in a 2–0 victory at Motherwell on 5 March 2007 but returned to Kaunas in August of that year, having made only five appearances for the Hearts first team.

Pilibaitis scored the winning goal for Kaunas which knocked out Rangers of the second qualifying tie of the UEFA Champions League on 6 August 2008.^[2] He joined than in January 2009 to Győri ETO FC.

In July 2012 he started a trial with Israeli club Maccabi Haifa.

On 26 February 2017, it was announced that Pilibaitis would return to A Lyga contenders Atlantas.^[3]

International career

Usually played as an attacking midfielder or support striker, Pilibaitis earned his first international cap for Lithuania in 2006.

Career statistics

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club	Season	League			Cup		Continental		Total
Club	Season	Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Kaunas	2002	A Lyga	3	0	0	0	0	0	3	0
	2003		0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
	2004		4	0	0	0	0	0	4	0
	2005		15	4	0	0	0	0	15	4
	2006		31	3	0	0	0	0	31	3
	2008		24	4	0	0	0	0	24	4
	Total		77	11	0	0	0	0	77	11
Atlantas (loan)	2004	A Lyga	8	2	0	0	0	0	8	2
Heart of Midlothian (loan)	2006–07	Scottish Premiership	6	0	0	0	0	0	6	0
Győr	2008–09	National Championship	6	0	4	0	6	5	16	5
	2009–10		27	1	5	1	0	0	32	2
	2010–11		25	3	3	1	8	1	36	5
	2011–12		27	2	5	0	0	0	32	2
	2012–13		14	1	3	0	0	0	17	1
	Total		99	7	20	2	14	6	133	15
Mezőkövesd	2013–14	National Championship	11	1	7	0	0	0	18	1
FK Žalgiris	2013–14	A Lyga	33	17	6	4	2	0	41	21
	2014–15		29	16	4	2	2	0	35	18
	2015–16		25	8	5	4	1	0	31	12
	Total		87	41	15	10	5	0	107	51
Career total			288	62	42	12	19	6	349	80