Only a select few can say they have captained West Ham United’s development team at just 17 years old, but young centre-back Airidas Golambeckis joins our UEFA Europa Conference League-winning captain Declan Rice on the list of those who have.
Born and raised literally over the road from Upton Park, it’s always been West Ham United for Golambeckis. From international debuts to cup wins and first-team experience, there are almost too many memories to pick from Golambeckis’ ten-year West Ham United journey, despite him only turning 18 on 4 November.
Having celebrated his birthday by extending his contract with the Club he has supported his whole life until 2029, there are plenty more memories to be made in Claret and Blue.
This is his West Ham story so far…
Scoring a five-minute hat-trick for East Ham Rovers - 8 years old
“I was playing for East Ham Rovers, my Sunday League team, who are probably one of the best Sunday League teams around.
“Believe it or not, I scored a hat-trick in this game in five minutes, like [Robert] Lewandowski! I was playing as a striker in these times. The celebration was top as well. I saw the camera on me, so I had to get the picture after the game.
“I actually got four goals in that game, but I scored three in five minutes. I was top goalscorer in this season, so I was on it!
“I eventually moved to centre-back later on in my journey. I just tried it one day at training, and I was like, ‘you know what, I'm actually not bad’. I used to always goal hang as a striker, but then I found out about the offside rule, so I thought defending is just more me!”
Signing for West Ham - 8 years old
“This picture was at Upton Park, with my No9 shirt. I was with the [West Ham United] Foundation in the U6s and U7s at Beckton, training every Friday after school. You then get moved up to the Academy at U9s, and we did a signing day at Upton Park.
“I’ve got [Dimitri] Payet’s shirt in the background. He was an amazing player for West Ham, so this picture holds a lot of memories.
“I went with my mum, dad, brother and grandad as well, who all helped me out in my journey.
“I was born and raised in East Ham, and supported West Ham all my life. My grandad's house was a one-minute walk from Upton Park, so we tried to go to as many games as possible.
“It was a very good environment, a good place to live in, so that's why I think everyone in our family supports West Ham.”
Fracturing my ankle on tour in Denmark - 15 years old
“This one is on tour in Denmark at U15s.
“I was captain for this tournament. I remember we won every game in the group stage. We were already qualified, but we didn’t take anything lightly because we wanted to win.
“So, in the final group game, I remember the ball coming over the top, I intercepted it and my foot just stuck in the ground and that's where I fractured my ankle.
“In my opinion, that’s where my whole footballing journey started in terms of getting me to where I am now.
“I got back home, had a scan, and got told I had to have surgery. Obviously, it's not good news to hear, but I thought I'd just look at it on the bright side.
“I was out for nine months and came back even stronger. I grew a lot of friendships outside of just teammates, with a lot of staff as well, who helped me out throughout the journey - the physios, psychologists, any staff that you see at Chadwell Heath.
“I wouldn't say I'm happy it happened, but there were so many positives that came out of it.
“There are a lot of faces who are still here! There’s me and Andre [Dike] holding the cup. You’ve got Lewis [Beckford], Lanre [Awesu], Fin [Hooper], Aaron [Kamara] and Joe [Scanlon].
“And last but not least, Zav [Hines]! I think he’s one of my favourite coaches. When I heard he was coming up with us to the U21s I got a very warm feeling in my heart. He understands us a lot as players. I’m very close with him and he’s very honest with us.”
Making my England U18s debut - 16 years old
“This picture doesn't show how nervous I am!
“This was my first England game, against Switzerland [in September 2024], in which I think I played very well. My brother was in the stands, so it meant a lot to me as well that he came all the way from England to watch me in France.
“It was the start for me switching from Lithuania to England. I was getting a lot of standbys. I was expecting to get another one. I was just laying down on my bed, and I heard a scream from my mum. I heard her coming upstairs, saying that I got it.
“I thought she was talking about something else, to be honest. I didn't really expect that she was talking about England. It was a very proud day for me and my family to find out I finally got picked for England.”
Travelling with the first team in pre-season - 17 years old
“This is me and Preston [Fearon] in America during the summer.
“We're looking away from the camera, but we knew it was on us!
“I was very proud [to see Preston make his debut against Manchester United]. I remember I was sitting next to him on the bench, and I think I was the one that told him ‘I heard the assistant manager say you’re going to come on’.
“He was shaking on the bench, but he played very well and made an impact. Seeing how hard he worked for it and all the setbacks he had before, I was very proud of him.”
Captaining the U21s – 17 years old
“This picture is from our first game of this season, at Woking. It was my first game as captain for the U21s.
“I didn't expect it at all if I'm being honest. Just in a meeting that we had before the game, I saw ‘C’ next to my name. I thought maybe they spelt my surname wrong!
“I think I should shout out the staff who support me and believe that at such a young age I can captain such a talented U21s team. It was a very proud moment.”
