DC92 Posted November 1, 2020 Share Posted November 1, 2020 Zaliukas made his debut in a pre-season friendly against Osasuna in 2006, coming on as a substitute. Despite being one of many Lithuanians arriving at the time, I distinctly remember he made such an impression at defensive midfield that some people concluded that "the number 26" was the worst Hearts player they'd seen. I don't think his early league appearances did much to change people's minds either. It's fair to say there wasn't a lot of goodwill from the fans towards the Lithuanian players at the time, but to go from being singled out as the worst of the "faceless cast of thousands" to become the player he did and to captain the club on its greatest ever day is testament to his character. What a man. This is absolutely gutting news. RIP you big, mad b*****d. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gav-ffc Posted November 1, 2020 Share Posted November 1, 2020 My memory of him was he and Carl Finnigan having a running battle in the 2009 last 16 at Tynecastle ending with him lamping Finnigan and being sent off. The type of captain every club wants, Rest In Peace big fella. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmericanFan Posted November 3, 2020 Share Posted November 3, 2020 Sorry to hear. Awful news, especially for 36. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheScarf Posted November 3, 2020 Share Posted November 3, 2020 That photo of him in the kids car toy is tremendous. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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