Vitālijs Astafjevs

Vitālijs Astafjevs
Astafjevs in training with Latvia in 2009
Personal information
Date of birth (1971-04-03) 3 April 1971
Place of birth Riga, Latvian SSR, Soviet Union
Height 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Position(s) Midfielder
Team information
Current team
Aris Limassol (assistant manager)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1990–1992 Daugava Rīga 26 (11)
1992–1996 Skonto 99 (43)
1996–1997 Austria Vienna 26 (1)
1997–1999 Skonto 55 (17)
1999–2003 Bristol Rovers 108 (16)
2003–2004 Admira Wacker 28 (2)
2004–2005 Rubin Kazan 30 (10)
2006–2008 Skonto 26 (6)
2009 RFS/Olimps 14 (1)
2009 Ventspils 5 (0)
2010 Skonto 14 (2)
Total 431 (109)
International career
1992–2010 Latvia 167 (16)
Managerial career
2010–2014 Skonto Riga (assistant manager)
2012 Skonto-2
2013 Latvia U-21 (assistant manager)
2013–2018 Latvia (assistant manager)
2014–2016 FK Jelgava
2020 Riga FC II
2021– Aris Limassol (assistant manager)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Vitālijs Astafjevs (born 3 April 1971) is a Latvian professional football coach and former player who played as a midfielder. He is an assistant manager of Cypriot club Aris Limassol having previously held the role for the Latvia national team.

Astafjevs won nine Latvian championships with Skonto Riga. He also played abroad for clubs in Austria, England and Russia. At international level, Astaefjevs captained Latvia at UEFA Euro 2004. With 167 caps for his country Astafjevs held the European record for the most international matches played, until being overtaken by Gianluigi Buffon in 2017. He is currently the joint sixteenth-most capped male footballer in history, alongside Iker Casillas.