Internationally, you have been capped 104 times for Latvia, scoring 29 goals which makes you Latvia’s all-time best scorer. How does it feel to have accomplished such an amazing achievement?

It’s an individual honour, of course, it’s very good, but the most important thing is the overall success of the team. We achieved something big when we qualified for Euro 2004, and that is the thing I am most proud of.

Speaking of achievements, the Verpakovskis are the only father-son pair to both play for the Latvian national team. Can you tell me a little bit about how your father influenced your journey into football?

It is an interesting fact. His influence was really big, he was my idol growing up and I always went with him to his training sessions and games, sometimes even travelling with him to away games. I always wanted to be like him and play professional football. I can’t imagine being anything other than a footballer.

You were still playing professionally when you were approached with the idea of becoming the President of FK Liepāja. Can you tell me a little bit more about that?

I still had a playing contract in Greece when the main sponsor of FK Liepāja collapsed and they became bankrupt. The mayor of the city called me to ask if I could join the team and help to keep it running.

I was already thinking about what I would do after football because I knew I didn’t want to be a coach, but I wanted to stay in football. That is why I decided to stop my career slightly earlier. I thought that this was the time I needed to stop and come back to Liepāja to help build a new team, and to help find myself outside of the pitch.

In 2018 you were hired as General Director of Football at FK RFS. Can you take me through a typical day in that role?

My main role is communication between our FA and UEFA. I work very closely with other members of the administration, as our team is very small.

Also, if there is a good offer for one of our players, I will be involved in the negotiations with the other clubs to sell the player. I find the sponsors for the team and am mainly responsible for media relations and press communications for RFS.

It is quite a lot to do! For Europe, we are quite a small team within the club, so we do quite a lot within our jobs.

RFS has been making headlines recently for their current success on the pitch. Why do you think the club has been so successful recently?

I think everyone involved in the club, from our president all the way down, does an amazing job in their role. We are lucky with our head coach, Viktors Morozs, who we chose five years ago. He has done an incredible job with the team and we are growing every year and it has been amazing to see.

I think our success in the Europa League is an amazing result for us. The team functioned exceptionally well. The team turned into a family, the atmosphere and work ethic were very good, and it kept building and building.

You were already on the administrative side of football before completing your MIP course. Why did you decide to do it and what did you learn that you didn’t know already?

My MIP course was an amazing experience. When I started my course, I had just started in my role at FK Liepāja, and I was sure that I knew everything about how the club works, and what you need to run a club. When I began to learn on my MIP course, that’s when I realised I didn’t know anything! It’s one thing to play football on the pitch, but it’s another to run and be responsible for a club.

During my MIP course, I learnt so much – it was really helpful for me. Every session was something new which I loved, and the things I learnt I have copied and used in my club today.

Another thing that was helpful was the networking. I met a lot of people who I still continue to communicate with and if I need some help, I can ask those from the course for advice.

Would you recommend the MIP course to others?

Of course! It was a really good experience. I remember when people were just starting the course, a lot were fresh out of playing football, and like me, knew they wanted to stay in the industry but didn’t know what role to pursue.

Over the two years, we tried a lot of positions within football and gradually understood which works best for us as individuals. As we were finishing the course, five or six of the members were already working in clubs as directors and in other administrative roles.

I think that the MIP course was the thing that helped them understand what roles they want to do, and how to succeed in them.

You seem like an incredibly busy man. How do you juggle your personal life and your career?

Now it’s actually much easier! When I was playing professional football, I was barely at home and now I am really happy because not only do I do what I love, but I also get to come home at the end of every day and see my family and friends. This is what I really missed when I was a professional football player because I was travelling much more and spent a lot of time away from home. It’s really important and I am enjoying this time in my life.

What advice would you give to someone playing professional football who is ten years younger than you?

You need to start thinking about life after football.

I was lucky, I went immediately from the pitch to FK Liepāja and I had this amazing experience.

The guys who are playing football professionally need to prepare for what they are doing after football. You will not be playing until you are forty or fifty years old — it will end much younger.

Sometimes it can happen earlier than expected — due to injury or not securing a new contract — so it’s important to be ready and prepare for real life after football.