Andrejs Butriks

{{Infobox football biography

| name = Andrejs Butriks

| image = Andrejs Butriks.jpg

| caption = Butriks playing for FK Ventspils

| fullname = Andrejs Butriks

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1982|12|20|df=y}}

| birth_place = Riga, Latvia, USSR
(now Republic of Latvia)

| height = {{height|m=1.77}}

| position = Forward

| currentclub = FK Ventspils (sporting director)

| youthyears1 =

| youthclubs1 = FK Avots

| years1 = 2001–2011

| clubs1 = FK Ventspils

| caps1 = 212

| goals1 = 56

| years2 = 2010

| clubs2 = → FC Ceahlăul (loan)

| caps2 = 0

| goals2 = 0

| years3 = 2011

| clubs3 = FK Jūrmala-VV

| caps3 = 9

| goals3 = 2

| years4 = 2011–2012

| clubs4 = Anagennisi Epanomi

| caps4 = 1

| goals4 = 0

| nationalyears1 = 2007–2012

| nationalteam1 = Latvia

| nationalcaps1 = 4

| nationalgoals1 = 0

| ntupdate = 28 June 2012

| pcupdate = 28 June 2012 (UTC)

}}

Andrejs Butriks (born 20 December 1982 in Riga) is a former Latvian football forward, currently the sporting director of FK Ventspils in the Latvian Higher League.{{Cite web|url=http://sportacentrs.com/futbols/lmt_virsliga/22062012-butriks_klust_par_ventspils_sporta_direkt|title = Lapa īslaicīgi nav pieejama}}

Club career

Butriks played for FK Avots at youth level before signing for FK Ventspils in 2001. In 2002, he scored 14 goals in 24 games for the club, becoming a vital first eleven player in the next few years.{{cite web |url=http://www.national-football-teams.com/player/23517.html |title=Butriks. Andrejs |website=National-Football-Teams.com |access-date=2008-01-09 }} Butriks played for FK Ventspils, until 2011, scoring more than 50 goals in 212 matches. While playing for Ventspils, in January 2008 Butriks had a trial period with Football League Championship club Blackpool in England, but didn't stay with the club.{{cite news | title = Grayson casts net worldwide for signings | work = Blackpool Gazette | date = 8 January 2008 | url = http://www.blackpoolgazette.co.uk/sports-news/Grayson-casts-net-for-worldwide-for.3648509.jp | accessdate = 2008-01-09 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090720083746/http://www.blackpoolgazette.co.uk/sports-news/Grayson-casts-net-for-worldwide-for.3648509.jp | archive-date = 20 July 2009 | url-status = dead }} Seeking for a new club abroad after UEFA Europa League matches he joined FC Ceahlăul Piatra Neamţ in Romania on loan from FK Ventspils in February 2010. As this was a very unsuccessful period, Butriks didn't play even a match for the club and returned to Ventspils in June 2010. This being away period in Romania had left Butriks out of the team's starting eleven and he found it difficult to fit into the squad, mostly being a late game substitute. Unhappy with that time situation Andrejs left the club in April 2011, signing a contract with another Virsliga club FK Jūrmala-VV. Due to the club's unstable financial situation and poor results Butriks played only 9 league matches and managed to score twice. In July 2011 he left the team, signing a contract abroad in August 2011. This time a one-year contract in Greece with the newly promoted Anagennisi Epanomi, playing in the Greek Second League.{{Cite web|url=http://sportacentrs.com/futbols/legionari/29082011-butriks_speles_griekija_par_klavas_un_kar|title = Butriks spēlēs Grieķijā, par Kļavas un Karašauska nākotni neziņa|date = 29 August 2011}} Andrejs got himself injured against PAOK, playing just one league game and being released after the season. Following his release Butriks decided to retire from football.

In June 2012 he accepted an offer to become the sporting director of his former club FK Ventspils.

International career

In October 2007 Butriks was called up to the Latvia squad for their UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying Group F match against Iceland on 13 October, but he did not play in the match.{{cite news|last=Sekundo |first=Eugene |title=Latvia try out uncapped pair |publisher=UEFA |date=5 October 2007 |url=http://www.uefa.com/competitions/euro/news/kind=1/newsid=599246.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071012004356/http://www.uefa.com/competitions/euro/news/kind%3D1/newsid%3D599246.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=12 October 2007 |accessdate=2008-01-09 }} He made his debut for Latvia on 17 October in their Euro 2008 qualifying match against Denmark, when he came on as a substitute in the 63rd minute.{{cite news|title=Denmark 3 Latvia 1 minute-by-minute |publisher=UEFA |date=17 October 2007 |url=http://www.uefa.com/competitions/euro/fixturesresults/round=2241/match=83742/report=mbm.html |access-date=2008-01-09 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071230144120/http://www.uefa.com/competitions/euro/fixturesresults/round%3D2241/match%3D83742/report%3Dmbm.html |archive-date=30 December 2007 |url-status=dead }} All in all, he collected 4 international appearances for Latvia.