Roberts Heiblihs

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Roberts Heiblihs (1918-1960) was a Latvian footballer, one of the most notable footballers in Liepāja of the 1940s.

[edit] Biography

Heiblihs was born in Liepāja in 1918. In 1936 he joined Olimpija Liepāja, the city's top football club which had lost six of its main players. In his first three matches with Olimpija in 1937 Heiblihs scored six goals, including one against the main Olimpija rivals - Rīgas FK. Heiblihs played in the position of left wing forward. His play was more based in power and the feeling of goal instead of technique and tactics. In his second season with Olimpija Heiblihs was the second best goalscorer of the club, and could have been the first, had he not been disqualified for 6 months because of disciplinary problems.

After World War II Heiblihs continued playing in Liepāja - first with Daugava Liepāja, then as it got renamed - with Sarkanais Metalurgs. He also scored the first goal of Sarkanais Metalurgs in an official match. In the Latvian Cup final against Spartaks Rīga in 1949 Heiblihs scored 3 goals. Heiblihs was the record holder with SM as in a match against Daugava Cēsis he scored 6 goals, but against Dinamo Ventspils - three goals in four minutes. With FK Dinamo Rīga Heiblihs played in the Soviet football league. With Liepāja clubs Heiblihs won the Latvian league 5 times, in addition he was a 3 time winner of the Latvian Cup.

In addition to football Heiblihs also played ice hockey, the was the captain of Liepāja selection team. His wife Stella Heibliha was a famous Latvian basketball player.

At the age of 42 Heiblihs died in a tragic accident during a motoball competition^[1].