Early years and Brugge Born in
Vilnius,
Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic,
Soviet Union, Jankauskas moved to local
FK Žalgiris' youth ranks at 16, from neighbouring FK Panerys. In 1996 he joined
CSKA Moscow, and later spent a further year in the
Russian capital with
Torpedo Moscow. Jankauskas signed with
Club Brugge in 1997, and helped the club win the
Belgian Pro League in
his first season. However, in January 2000, he became the most expensive Lithuanian player of all time when
Real Sociedad paid €2.4 million for his services. In
2000–01, Jankauskas initially struggled for goals, and was told by manager
John Toshack that "a striker without goals is like a bar without beer". He broke a seven-game scoreless run with two goals in a 3–0 home win over
Real Oviedo on the 29th matchday, taking
La Real out of their long spell in relegation zone; they remained out of danger and he concluded the season with eleven goals. In the penultimate fixture, he opened a 3–1 win at rivals
Athletic Bilbao in the
Basque derby.
Portugal After another half-season in
San Sebastián, Jankauskas was loaned to
Benfica for the remainder of the
2001–02 season, though the
Lisbon side initially wanted his strike partner
Darko Kovačević. He scored eight times in his spell, including on his debut in a 3–2 win over
Varzim and twice in the next game for a 4–1 win at
Salgueiros. Benfica did not take up their option to sign Jankauskas for €4.3 million during his loan, and instead he joined
rivals Porto on a five-year deal for €2.3 million in June 2002. He caused controversy by declaring to
El Diario Vasco that Benfica was like a religion before signing for Porto; he clarified that he was talking about their level of support and not his intention to stay at the
Estádio da Luz. Jankauskas made his debut on 25 August as the season began at home to
Belenenses, coming on at
half time and scoring in the seventh minute of added time for a 2–2 draw. Under manager
José Mourinho, though not always a regular starter, he made an important contribution to a side which conquered all in Portugal, winning the
Primeira Liga and
Taça de Portugal double in
2002–03 and the national championship in
the following campaign. Jankauskas also helped Porto to achieve
European success and, while he missed selection for the
2003 UEFA Cup final-winning squad, he was a
substitute when the Dragons
won the
UEFA Champions League against
Monaco in the following year.
Hearts and later career After the departure of Mourinho, Jankauskas fell out of favour in Porto and joined
Nice on loan, but he failed to settle in
France, and eventually signed for
Scottish Premier League club
Heart of Midlothian – via
FBK Kaunas – in 2005. In a complex deal, he was loaned to Hearts at the behest of
Vladimir Romanov, who controlled both clubs, and spent the next two seasons in
Edinburgh. In
2005–06, Jankauskas' experience and goals helped Hearts to
win the
Scottish Cup and achieve
Champions league qualification by finishing second in the league.
The following campaign was less successful for him, as injuries and indifferent form limited his appearances; after his Kaunas and Hearts contracts expired in June 2007, he signed with
Cyprus's
AEK Larnaca. On 30 January 2008, Jankauskas joined Portuguese League team Belenenses. He terminated his contract after only a few months, moving to
Latvia's
Skonto Riga in the summer after claiming he wanted to play closer to his homeland. At the start of 2009, Jankauskas was working on obtaining his coaching badges, and pondering his retirement. In June, however, it was revealed that he would be heading to the
United States for a trial with
Major League Soccer club
New England Revolution. On 28 June 2009, pending the arrival of his P1 Visa and ITC documents, a deal was arranged for the 34-year-old; his week 26 goal against the
Kansas City Wizards was nominated for the
MLS Goal of the Year Award. On 30 September 2010, Jankauskas was released by the Revolution. He moved to
Fakel Voronezh in the
Russian second level shortly after, retiring after only a few months. In July 2012, Jankauskas returned to Hearts as an assistant manager, leaving his post at the end of
the season. ==International career==