Adrian Cristea (born 30 November 1983) is a Romanian retired professional
footballer
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...
who played as a
winger.
Club career
Adrian Cristea, nicknamed "Prințul" ''(The Prince)'', started his career in his hometown,
Iași, playing in
Divizia B
The Liga 2, most often spelled as Liga II, is the second level of the Romanian football league system. The league changed its name from Divizia B just before the start of the 2006–07. It is currently sponsored by Casa Pariurilor, a betting ...
for
Politehnica Iași.
After
Politehnica Politehnica may refer to:
* Politehnica University of Bucharest
* Politehnica University of Timișoara
* Politehnica metro station in Bucharest
*FC Politehnica Timișoara
Fotbal Club Politehnica Timișoara (), commonly known as Politehnica Timi� ...
won its promotion from
Divizia B
The Liga 2, most often spelled as Liga II, is the second level of the Romanian football league system. The league changed its name from Divizia B just before the start of the 2006–07. It is currently sponsored by Casa Pariurilor, a betting ...
, Cristea made his
Divizia A
The Liga I (; ''First League''), also spelled as Liga 1, is a Romanian professional league for men's association football clubs. Currently sponsored by betting company Superbet, it is officially known as the SuperLiga. It is the country's top ...
debut on 30 July 2004 in a 2–1 loss against
Rapid București
Rapids are sections of a river where the river bed has a relatively steep gradient, causing an increase in water velocity and turbulence.
Rapids are hydrological features between a ''run'' (a smoothly flowing part of a stream) and a ''cascad ...
.
[ After scoring 2 goals in 15 matches in the first half of the 2004–05 season, he was transferred to Dinamo București where he was wanted by coach ]Ioan Andone
Ioan Andone (; born 15 March 1960) is a Romanian football coach and former player.
Club career
Ioan Andone, nicknamed "Fălcosul" was born on 15 March 1960 in Șpălnaca and when he was 14 years old he played basketball and football simultan ...
.[ He spent 7 seasons at ]Dinamo A dynamo is a magnetic device originally used as an electric generator.
Dynamo or Dinamo may also refer to:
Places
* Dinamo (Moscow Metro), a station of the Moscow Metro, Moscow, Russia
* Dinamo (Yekaterinburg Metro), a station of the Yekaterinbu ...
, appearing in 161 Liga I
The Liga I (; ''First League''), also spelled as Liga 1, is a Romanian professional league for men's association football clubs. Currently sponsored by betting company Superbet, it is officially known as the SuperLiga. It is the country's top ...
matches in which he scored 27 goals, winning a cup, a supercup and the Liga I 2006–07
Liga or LIGA may refer to:
People
* Līga (name), a Latvian female given name
* Luciano Ligabue, more commonly known as Ligabue or ''Liga'', Italian rock singer-songwriter
Sports
* Liga ACB, men's professional basketball league in Spain
* Lig ...
title, also playing 31 matches in which he scored 4 goals in European competitions, helping the team reach the sixteenths-finals in the 2006–07 UEFA Cup
The 2006–07 UEFA Cup was the 36th UEFA Cup, Europe's second-tier club football tournament. On 16 May 2007, at Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland, Sevilla won their second consecutive UEFA Cup, defeating Espanyol 3–1 on penalties after the matc ...
where they were eliminated with 3–1 on aggregate by Benfica.[ In December 2010, Cristea was sold to ]Universitatea Cluj
Fotbal Club Universitatea Cluj (), commonly known as Universitatea Cluj or simply as U Cluj, is a Romanian professional football club based in the city of Cluj-Napoca, Cluj County, that competes in the Liga I, the first tier of the Romanian ...
, for a total fee estimated by the Romanian press between €1.5 million and €2 million. After one year and a half in which he scored 11 goals in 42 Liga I
The Liga I (; ''First League''), also spelled as Liga 1, is a Romanian professional league for men's association football clubs. Currently sponsored by betting company Superbet, it is officially known as the SuperLiga. It is the country's top ...
matches, in the summer of 2012, he was transferred to Petrolul Ploiești, with 11 other players from Universitatea Cluj
Fotbal Club Universitatea Cluj (), commonly known as Universitatea Cluj or simply as U Cluj, is a Romanian professional football club based in the city of Cluj-Napoca, Cluj County, that competes in the Liga I, the first tier of the Romanian ...
, when the owner of the Cluj team, left the club in order to take control of Petrolul.[ His first experience abroad came in 2013, when he went to play alongside fellow Romanian George Țucudean, being loaned to ]Standard Liège
Royal Standard de Liège, commonly referred to as Standard Liège (; nl, Standard Luik ; german: Standard Lüttich ) or simply Standard in Belgium, is a Belgian professional football club based in the city of Liège.
They are one of the mo ...
, where he was wanted by Mircea Rednic
Mircea Rednic (born 9 April 1962) is a Romanian football coach and former player who played as a defender.
Club career
Mircea Rednic, nicknamed "Puriul" was born on 9 April 1962 in Hunedoara and until he was 14 years old he played table ten ...
, a coach that worked with him at Petrolul and Dinamo A dynamo is a magnetic device originally used as an electric generator.
Dynamo or Dinamo may also refer to:
Places
* Dinamo (Moscow Metro), a station of the Moscow Metro, Moscow, Russia
* Dinamo (Yekaterinburg Metro), a station of the Yekaterinbu ...
. On 30 July 2013, after terminating his contract with Petrolul Ploiești, Cristea signed a two-year contract with fellow Romanian Liga I
The Liga I (; ''First League''), also spelled as Liga 1, is a Romanian professional league for men's association football clubs. Currently sponsored by betting company Superbet, it is officially known as the SuperLiga. It is the country's top ...
club Steaua București
Steaua or Steaua București may refer to:
* CSA Steaua București, a Romanian multi-sports club
* CSA Steaua București (football), the football team of the multi-sports club
* Fotbal Club FCSB, a football team that used this name between 2003 ...
. However, Cristea failed to win a place in the first team, playing only 9 Liga I
The Liga I (; ''First League''), also spelled as Liga 1, is a Romanian professional league for men's association football clubs. Currently sponsored by betting company Superbet, it is officially known as the SuperLiga. It is the country's top ...
matches, scoring one goal and making 3 appearances in the 2013–14 Champions League, ending his contract with Steaua in April 2014.[ In September 2014, Cristea reached an agreement with Liga I team ]Concordia Chiajna
Clubul Sportiv Concordia Chiajna, commonly known as Concordia Chiajna, is a Romanian professional football club based in Chiajna, Ilfov County, which competes in the Liga II.
Founded in 1957, the team's best period was between 2011 and 2019, whe ...
, where he ended his career.[
]
International career
Adrian Cristea played 9 games for Romania
Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Moldova to the east, a ...
, making his debut on 7 February 2007 when coach Victor Pițurcă introduced him at halftime to replace Ovidiu Petre in a friendly which ended with a 2–0 victory against Moldova
Moldova ( , ; ), officially the Republic of Moldova ( ro, Republica Moldova), is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Romania to the west and Ukraine to the north, east, and south. The unrecognised state of Transnist ...
. His following game was a 3–0 victory against Luxembourg
Luxembourg ( ; lb, Lëtzebuerg ; french: link=no, Luxembourg; german: link=no, Luxemburg), officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, ; french: link=no, Grand-Duché de Luxembourg ; german: link=no, Großherzogtum Luxemburg is a small land ...
at the successful Euro 2008 qualifiers, also appearing in the second leg against Luxembourg
Luxembourg ( ; lb, Lëtzebuerg ; french: link=no, Luxembourg; german: link=no, Luxemburg), officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, ; french: link=no, Grand-Duché de Luxembourg ; german: link=no, Großherzogtum Luxemburg is a small land ...
, which ended with a 2–0 victory.[ In 2008, he was called by Victor Pițurcă in the squad for the 2008 European Championship, but didn't receive a chance to play.][ He played in a 1–1 against ]Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
and a 5–0 loss against Serbia
Serbia (, ; Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin and the Balkans. It shares land borders with Hung ...
at the 2010 World Cup qualifiers, making his last appearance for the national team in a 2–2 against Belarus
Belarus,, , ; alternatively and formerly known as Byelorussia (from Russian ). officially the Republic of Belarus,; rus, Республика Беларусь, Respublika Belarus. is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by ...
at the Euro 2012 qualifiers.[
On 25 March 2008, he was decorated by the president of ]Romania
Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Moldova to the east, a ...
, Traian Băsescu
Traian Băsescu (; born 4 November 1951) is a conservative Romanian politician who served as President of Romania from 2004 to 2014. Prior to his presidency, Băsescu served as Romanian Minister of Transport on multiple occasions between 1991 a ...
, for his performance in the UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying Group G
Union of European Football Associations (UEFA ; french: Union des associations européennes de football; german: Union der europäischen Fußballverbände) is one of six continental bodies of governance in association football. It governs fo ...
, where Romania managed to qualify to UEFA Euro 2008 Group C
Group C of UEFA Euro 2008 was played from 9 to 17 June 2008. All six group matches were played at venues in Switzerland, in Zürich and Berne. The group was composed of 2006 FIFA World Cup finalists Italy and France, as well as the Netherlands a ...
. He received Medalia "Meritul Sportiv" – ("The Sportive Merit" Medal) class III.
After retirement
After he ended his football career, Adrian Cristea worked as a fashion designer, opening a luxury clothing workshop in Bucharest
Bucharest ( , ; ro, București ) is the capital and largest city of Romania, as well as its cultural, industrial, and financial centre. It is located in the southeast of the country, on the banks of the Dâmbovița River, less than north ...
.[
]
Career statistics
Honours
Politehnica Iași
*Divizia B
The Liga 2, most often spelled as Liga II, is the second level of the Romanian football league system. The league changed its name from Divizia B just before the start of the 2006–07. It is currently sponsored by Casa Pariurilor, a betting ...
: 2003–04[
* Divizia C: 2001–02][
Dinamo București
*]Liga I
The Liga I (; ''First League''), also spelled as Liga 1, is a Romanian professional league for men's association football clubs. Currently sponsored by betting company Superbet, it is officially known as the SuperLiga. It is the country's top ...
: 2006–07[
* Cupa României: 2004–05][
* Supercupa Romaniei: ]2005
File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris (dwarf planet), Er ...
[
Steaua București
*]Liga I
The Liga I (; ''First League''), also spelled as Liga 1, is a Romanian professional league for men's association football clubs. Currently sponsored by betting company Superbet, it is officially known as the SuperLiga. It is the country's top ...
: 2013–14[
]
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cristea, Adrian
1983 births
Living people
Sportspeople from Iași
Association football midfielders
Romanian footballers
FC Politehnica Iași (1945) players
FC Dinamo București players
FC Universitatea Cluj players
FC Petrolul Ploiești players
Standard Liège players
FC Steaua București players
CS Concordia Chiajna players
Liga I players
Liga II players
Belgian Pro League players
Romania international footballers
UEFA Euro 2008 players
Romanian expatriate footballers
Expatriate footballers in Belgium
Romanian expatriate sportspeople in Belgium