Alberts Vaters

Alberts Vaters (190? - November 3, 1928) was a Latvian football forward and midfield who played 5 international matches for the Latvia national football team in 1928, shortly before his death.

Biography

Vaters was known as a sportsman in Latvia since 1921, however his career in football really took off in 1925 when he played with JKS Riga which in that year finished second in the top Riga football league (Vaters was more of a reserves player then though). The following season was less successful for JKS and at the end of it Vaters moved to a stronger side - LSB Riga. In 1926 he also played in several matches for the Riga garrison selected team alongside more famous footballers like Arvīds Jurgens, Pēteris Lauks, Arvīds Bārda and Arkādijs Pavlovs [ [http://www.periodika.lv/Repository/getFiles.asp?Style=OliveXLib:LowLevelEntityToSaveGifMSIE_LATVIAARCHL&Type=text/html&Locale=latvian-skin-custom&Path=LAK/1926/05/12&ChunkNum=-1&ID=Ar00402&PageLabel=4 Garrison - RFK 3:3] ] .

In 1927 Vaters was called up to the national team for a friendly match against Sweden [ [http://www.periodika.lv/Repository/getFiles.asp?Style=OliveXLib:LowLevelEntityToSaveGifMSIE_LATVIAARCHL&Type=text/html&Locale=latvian-skin-custom&Path=LAK/1927/05/26&ChunkNum=-1&ID=Ar00403&PageLabel=4 To Sweden] ] , however he wasn't chosen to play in the match. Still Vaters played for the Riga selected team in several matches [ [http://www.periodika.lv/Repository/getFiles.asp?Style=OliveXLib:LowLevelEntityToSaveGifMSIE_LATVIAARCHL&Type=text/html&Locale=latvian-skin-custom&Path=LAK/1927/07/29&ChunkNum=-1&ID=Ar00404&PageLabel=4 Riga beats Kaunas in football 5:1] ] [ [http://www.periodika.lv/Repository/getFiles.asp?Style=OliveXLib:LowLevelEntityToSaveGifMSIE_LATVIAARCHL&Type=text/html&Locale=latvian-skin-custom&Path=LAK/1927/09/27&ChunkNum=-1&ID=Ar00401&PageLabel=4 Latvia beats Estonia, Tallinn - Riga] ] .

In 1928 Vaters was chosen to play in the national team in the Baltic Cup and in the first game of the tournament against Lithuania he scored two goals [ [http://www.periodika.lv/Repository/getFiles.asp?Style=OliveXLib:LowLevelEntityToSaveGifMSIE_LATVIAARCHL&Type=text/html&Locale=latvian-skin-custom&Path=LAK/1928/07/27&ChunkNum=-1&ID=Ar00411&PageLabel=4 About the Latvian win] ] , thus making one of the brightest débuts in the history of the national team. After coming out victorious from the Baltic Cup Vaters also capped in the next 3 international friendlies for Latvia in 1928.

In the autumn of 1928 Vaters left LSB Riga and joined Vanderer Riga, but he didn't appear in any matches for the side as he was giving away to a cocaine addiction and he died of an overdose on November 3, 1928 [ [http://www.periodika.lv/Repository/getFiles.asp?Style=OliveXLib:LowLevelEntityToSaveGifMSIE_LATVIAARCHL&Type=text/html&Locale=latvian-skin-custom&Path=LAK/1928/11/07&ChunkNum=-1&ID=Ar00308&PageLabel=3 Sportsman becomes a cocaine victim] ] .

References