Voldemārs Plade

Who is Voldemārs Plade?

Voldemārs Plade was a Latvian football forward and manager, the most notable of four Plade brothers who played for Latvia national football team.

Voldemārs Plade was one of five football playing brothers. In his youth he played with Union Riga and Āgenskalns sports club; but he became widely known in 1921 when playing for Ķeizarmežs. Alongside his brothers Kurts Plade, Teodors Plade and Alfrēds Plade, who all also played with Ķeizarmežs, Plade won Latvian league titles in 1922 and 1923. Unlike his brothers, Plade proved to be a long-lasting force in Latvian football and he was a national team regular from 1923 to 1929, capping 16 international appearances and scoring 9 goals. In a match against Lithuania at the 1929 Baltic Cup Plade scored three goals for Latvia from passes from the rising star Ēriks Pētersons. Plade represented Latvia at the 1924 Summer Olympics.

After the dissolution of Ķeizarmežs in 1925, Plade joined RFK with which he played for two years. After two years with RFK Plade joined the newly founded Riga Vanderer with which he occasionally played until 1935. Plade was known for his brilliant technique and goal scoring.