The match between Žalgiris and Hajduk will start on August 6th at 8 PM Lithuanian time.
21-year-old R. Pukštas, born and raised in the United States (USA), has been developing in Split since 2022 and is considered one of the brightest young footballers of Hajduk.
In Dalmatia, the value of R. Pukštas, who holds dual citizenship, has been steadily rising, and currently, according to Transfermarkt, he is valued at around 6 million euros.
- Both of Roko’s parents are Lithuanians, well-known athletes in the country who emigrated to the USA. His father Mindaugas, a former marathon runner, represented Lithuania at the 2004 Athens Olympics (finished 74th), and his mother Živilė is a multiple Lithuanian triple jump champion.
However, it is not money that plays on the field, but heart and players, character and passion – this was emphasized by R. Pukštas at the press conference. The midfielder answered journalists’ questions somewhat shyly and briefly.
After greeting quietly in Lithuanian and then more confidently in English, he said it was nice to return to where his family comes from. R. Pukštas is a first-generation American citizen of the Pukštas family.
“I am glad to be returning to Lithuania. I spent several years here as a child. I am looking forward to tomorrow’s match. As the coach mentioned, there will be energy and emotions in the game. My grandparents and cousins will be at tomorrow’s match,” the young man said about the emotions before tomorrow and emphasized the importance of victory.
“We must show a lot of energy and show who we are. We have to have a killer mentality.”
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Although he has not played in Lithuania and it is quite difficult to follow Lithuanian football from across the Atlantic, R. Pukštas said he constantly received news. According to him, his father is a Žalgiris fan, and his childhood was spent watching the Vilnius club’s matches.
“My dad grew up near the stadium, so he always followed the club and went to matches,” R. Pukštas said about the passion.
Speaking about his homeland, he mentioned a funny story. Upon arriving in Lithuania, he called his parents and said it was quite amusing that he was in Vilnius while his parents were far across the Atlantic.
“It’s funny how the world works,” Rokas smiled.
However, although his words about Lithuania are beautiful, on July 11 last year, he told Croatian television that if he received an invitation to represent the USA national team instead of Lithuania.
Not having received an invitation from Mauricio Pochettino to the World Cup, the midfielder has not yet debuted with the men’s national team. However, he dismissed talks about attention from his parents’ country.
“Right now, I am only thinking about tomorrow’s match, I can’t say anything about the national team,” R. Pukštas said.
Lithuanian fans’ eyes will closely watch the young man, but he will not be playing for them.
