Meet Lewis Budinauckas, a Scottish-born goalkeeper currently dodging balls at Partick Thistle. Born on the rainy day of 19th June 2002, he's currently one part wisdom and three parts youthful energy at the ripe old age of 23. As a matter of interest, his stout frame reaches 1.87m (6ft 1in) into the cloud-laden Scottish sky and tips the scales at 76kg (11st 13lb). And for those who enjoy a scavenger hunt during a football match, you can spot him bouncing around in the number one jersey.
Budinauckas' stint at Partick Thistle is set to become a short-lived affair, for his contract languishes in the 'about-to-expire' bin, waiting to meet its end on 31 May 2025.
Young Lewis, like a wayward leaf carried by the wind, started his career at Rangers in July 2017 before being tossed around various clubs in Scotland. In March 2022, he found himself on loan at Raith Rovers, only to be yanked back to Rangers in June 2022. Not one to be deterred by constant change, in September 2023, he marked his loan debut at Stranraer, only to return, like a boomerang, to Rangers by June 2024.
Then followed another loan spell at Greenock Morton in October 2024, where he graced the pitch a grand total of four times in first team league matches for the 2024 - 2025 season. Just when you thought young Lewis was ready to settle, he was ferried, on loan yet again, to Partick Thistle in February 2025.
In a twist of events inspired by a poorly written soap opera, Budinauckas switched from Rangers to Partick Thistle in July 2025, not on loan but on a proper transfer, where he has since huffed and puffed his way through eight first team appearances in the 2024 - 2025 season and the princely sum of one appearance in the current 2025 - 2026 season.
Perhaps the highlight of his career thus far might be participating in the 2025 - 2026 League Cup for Partick Thistle with five starts. At least someone is keeping count.
That, folks, in a nutshell, is the blustery career trajectory of our dear Lewis Budinauckas. But who knows where the winds of the Scottish football terrains will take him next. One can only hope they consider the lad's frequent flyer miles.
