Marius Žaliūkas (10 November 1983 – 31 October 2020) was a Lithuanian expert footballer. He played fundamentally as a middle back, yet in addition played as a guarded midfielder. Žaliūkas played for Inkaras Kaunas, FBK Kaunas, FK Šilutė, Hearts, Leeds United, Rangers and Žalgiris all through his vocation, just as the Lithuania public side. 

Club vocation 

Early vocation 

He began his vocation with Inkaras Kaunas prior to joining city rivals FBK Kaunas. He went through a season with FK Šilutė prior to getting back to Kaunas to guarantee an ordinary first group position. 

Heart of Midlothian 

Žaliūkas was credited to Hearts from FBK Kaunas in August 2006. He made his serious introduction for Hearts on 26 August 2006 of every a 4–1 triumph over Inverness Caledonian Thistle, and scored his first objective for the Tynecastle club in a 2–2 draw against St Mirren in December 2006.

He acquired legend status among Hearts fans on 1 April 2007 by scoring a late victor against Edinburgh derby rivals Hibernian at Easter Road. 

He has made a beneficial outcome in the focal point of protection, supplanting previous commander Steven Pressley.

Further to his noteworthy beginning to the 2008–09 season, it was accounted for by BBC Sport that significant clubs in Moscow were eager to sign the protector. Žaliūkas was shipped off multiple times during the 2008–09 season, albeit one red card has been revoked.

The third of these excusals arrived in a Scottish Cup tie against Falkirk, when he punched Falkirk's Carl Finnigan twice in the face. Chief Csaba László responded indignantly to Žaliūkas, and revealed to him that he needs to change his mentality.

Two of the red cards came at Pittodrie against Aberdeen in independent matches. He finished theory about his future by marking another agreement with Hearts, which ran until December 2010. 

In July 2009, following the flights of chief Robbie Neilson and bad habit commander Christos Karipidis to Leicester City and AC Omonia individually, László named Žaliūkas as one of the possibility to take the club captaincy, alongside midfielders Michael Stewart and Laryea Kingston.

László expressed that regardless of Žaliūkas' poor disciplinary record, he would confide in the safeguard with the obligation of being a pioneer.

On 13 August 2009, Stewart was named club skipper with Žaliūkas as bad habit commander, despite the fact that László focused on that they would share a significant number of the duties that accompany the captaincy and said "I truly have two chiefs". 

After Stewart left the club to join Gençlerbirliği, Žaliūkas was selected club chief by new administrator Jim Jefferies.[7] Soon subsequently, notwithstanding, Žaliūkas' future at Hearts was placed in question due to bombed contract arrangements, which brought about him being forgone from the team.

However, he later marked a perpetual agreement, finishing his past credit understanding from Kaunas, with which he established his place as skipper of Hearts.

Towards the finish of the 2010–11 season he was indeed forgone from the group on the sets of club proprietor Vladimir Romanov. On 19 May 2012, Zaliukas lifted the Scottish Cup with Hearts after a noteworthy 5–1 win over Edinburgh rivals Hibernian. 

Žaliukas was delivered by Hearts during the 2013 summer move window, after the club had entered organization. Subsequent to leaving Hearts, Zaliukas joined Rangers being investigated.

Officers offered Zaliukus an agreement, yet he dismissed the agreement offer from Rangers to seek after different choices.

In the wake of turning down an arrangement at Rangers Žaliūkas joined Queens Park Rangers (QPR) being investigated in the expectation of acquiring a perpetual agreement, subsequent to intriguing being investigated Harry Redknapp affirmed that Žaliūkas would be a choice to sign forever, anyway with QPR actually settling on a choice on an agreement offer, Žaliūkas joined Leeds United being investigated and QPR rather marked Oguchi Onyewu in the wake of missing out on Žaliūkas. 

Leeds United 

In October 2013, Žaliūkas started preparing with Leeds United for a preliminary spell, the club picking him for an improvement crew coordinate, in the midst of gossipy tidbits that they would offer an agreement.

On 26 October it was declared by the club that the safeguard had marked a perpetual agreement until the finish of the period. Žaliūkas made his Leeds debut against Yeovil Town on 1 November 2013, Žaliūkas saved a point for Leeds in a 3–3 draw against Watford on 7 December by obstructing an objective bound exertion in the last moment of the game.

Žaliūkas' amazing exhibitions during the nonappearance of harmed safeguard Scott Wootton implied Žaliūkas got one of the principal names on the teamsheet under Leeds administrator Brian McDermott as a feature of three focus backs with Tom Lees and Jason Pearce in Leeds' 3–5–2 development. 

In December 2013, Žaliūkas was survivor of straight red card difficulties in progressive games, first Marcus Tudgay was shipped off for Barnsley on 21 December for a test on Žaliūkas, and afterward Kirk Broadfoot for Blackpool on 26 December was likewise shipped off for a terrible test on Žaliūkas.

31 December 2013, Žaliūkas' amazing structure was remunerated when he marked an all-encompassing and improved agreement at Leeds until the finish of the 2014–15 season.

Be that as it may, after a progression of individual errors in the 6–0 annihilation against Sheffield Wednesday, Žaliūkas lost his spot in the Leeds United group.

On 30 June 2014, Žaliūkas was forgone from Leeds' fourteen day pre-season instructional course to Santa Cristina in Italy. His agreement was ended by common assent a day later. 

Officers 

On 3 July 2014, in the wake of leaving Leeds United, Žaliūkas joined Rangers being investigated. He later marked a two-year contract with Rangers that month.

In the wake of showing up for the Scottish club, alongside scoring two objectives, Žaliūkas left Rangers by shared assent on 27 August 2015. He played his last match with Rangers in a pre-season well disposed against Burnley. 

Worldwide vocation 

In the wake of coming through Lithuania under-21 group. Žaliūkas made his Lithuania debut in 2005. He scored his first worldwide objective against Slovakia on 7 September 2012 out of a 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifier. 

Demise 

On 31 October 2020, the Lithuanian Football Federation affirmed that Žaliūkas had passed on at 36 years old, after complexities with Amyotrophic horizontal sclerosis.