Ianis Zicu
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Ianis Alin Zicu (born 23 October 1983) is a Romanian professional
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
manager Management (or managing) is the administration of organizations, whether businesses, nonprofit organizations, or a government bodies through business administration, nonprofit management, or the political science sub-field of public administra ...
and former player who played as a
midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...
, currently in charge of
Liga I Liga I (; ''First League''), also spelled as Liga 1 and officially known as SuperLiga for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Romania and the highest level of the Romanian football league system. Contested by 1 ...
club Farul Constanța.


Club career


Early career, Dinamo București and loans

Ianis Zicu was born on 23 October 1983 in
Constanța Constanța (, , ) is a city in the Dobruja Historical regions of Romania, historical region of Romania. A port city, it is the capital of Constanța County and the country's Cities in Romania, fourth largest city and principal port on the Black ...
, Romania, starting to play football at the youth center of local club Farul, under the guidance of coach
Iosif Bükössy Iosif Bükössy (12 August 1936 – 30 October 2006) was a Romanian footballer who played as a Forward (association football), forward. Playing career Iosif Bükössy was born on 12 August 1936 in Mediaș, Romania and he started to play footb ...
. In 2000, Zicu went to play for
Dinamo București 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 Yekaterin ...
, making his
Divizia A Liga I (; ''First League''), also spelled as Liga 1 and officially known as SuperLiga for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Romania and the highest level of the Romanian football league system. Contested by 1 ...
debut under coach
Cornel Dinu Cornel Dinu (born 2 August 1948) is a Romanian retired professional footballer and manager who played as a sweeper or a defensive midfielder. He started out his playing career at hometown club Metalul Târgoviște in 1965, and went on to spen ...
on 14 April 2001, at the age of 17 in a 4–2 win over
Gaz Metan Mediaș Gaz may refer to: Geography *Gaz, Kyrgyzstan Iran * Gaz, Darmian, village in South Khorasan province * Gaz, Golestan, a village in Bandar-e Gaz County * Gaz, Hormozgan, a village in Minab County * Gaz, Kerman, a village * Gaz, North Khorasan, a ...
, scoring his first goal in a 4–3 loss to Astra Ploiești in the same season, at the end of which he won the first trophy of his career, being sent by Dinu in the 90th minute in order to replace Marius Niculae in the 4–2 victory against Rocar București from the 2001 Cupa României final. In the following season, Zicu helped the team win the title by scoring two goals in the 16 appearances given to him by coaches Dinu and
Marin Ion Marin Ion (born 25 March 1955) is a Romanian professional football coach and a former player, currently the head coach of the Romania national under-19 team. Playing career Marin started his football career as a defender with the youth team ...
, while also playing a few games in
Divizia B The Liga 2, most commonly 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 football season. It is currently sponsored by Casa Pariu ...
for the club's then satellite team,
Poiana Câmpina Poiana Câmpina is a communes of Romania, commune in Prahova County, Muntenia, Romania. It is composed of four villages: Bobolia, Pietrișu, Poiana Câmpina, and Răgman. The commune is located in the western part of the county, northwest of the ...
and he made his debut in European competitions when he replaced
Claudiu Niculescu Claudiu Iulian Niculescu (born 23 June 1976) is a Romanian football coach and former striker, currently in charge of Liga II club CSM Slatina. Club career Early career Claudiu Niculescu was born in Slatina and started playing football at th ...
in the 63rd minute of a 3–1 home loss in front of
Grasshopper Zürich Grasshopper Club Zurich (GCZ), commonly referred to as Grasshopper Club or simply just GC, is a professional multisports club based in Zurich, Switzerland. They are nicknamed the ''Grasshoppers'' or sometimes just ''Hoppers''. The oldest and b ...
from the first round of the
2001–02 UEFA Cup The 2001–02 UEFA Cup was won by Feyenoord at their home ground in the final against Borussia Dortmund. It was the second time they won the competition. Liverpool could not defend their title as they automatically qualified for the 2001–02 ...
. He returned at Farul to play in the
2002–03 Divizia A The 2002–03 Divizia A was the eighty-fifth season of Liga I, Divizia A, the top-level association football, football league of Romania. Season began in August 2002 and ended in May 2003. FC Rapid București, Rapid București became champions o ...
season, being loaned by Dinamo so he would have the chance to play more and gain experience. He returned to '' The Red Dogs'' for the first half of the 2003–04 season, having a good performance by scoring 6 goals in the 13 league matches coach
Ioan Andone Ioan Andone (; born 15 March 1960) is a Romanian professional football coach and former player. Club career Corvinul Hunedoara Ioan Andone, nicknamed "Fălcosul" was born on 15 March 1960 in Șpălnaca , and when he was 14 years old, he playe ...
used him, also helping the team eliminate Liepājas Metalurgs and
Shakhtar Donetsk Football Club Shakhtar Donetsk () is a Ukrainian professional Association football, football club that was based in the city of Donetsk until 2014 when, due to the War in Donbas (2014–2022), War in Donbas, the club was forced to move to Lvi ...
in the
UEFA Cup The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , , "little star", is a Typography, typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a star (heraldry), heraldic star. Computer scientists and Mathematici ...
by scoring his first two goals in European competitions against each of them, then transferring in the middle of the season at
Inter Milan Football Club Internazionale Milano, commonly referred to as Internazionale () or simply Inter, and colloquially known as Inter Milan in English-speaking countries, is an Italian professional Association football, football List of football ...
, but Dinamo still managed to win the
Double Double, The Double or Dubble may refer to: Mathematics and computing * Multiplication by 2 * Double precision, a floating-point representation of numbers that is typically 64 bits in length * A double number of the form x+yj, where j^2=+1 * A ...
at the end of the season without him.


Inter Milan and loans

In January 2004 Zicu joined
Inter Milan Football Club Internazionale Milano, commonly referred to as Internazionale () or simply Inter, and colloquially known as Inter Milan in English-speaking countries, is an Italian professional Association football, football List of football ...
from Dinamo for €2.5 million, but the club immediately loaned him to
Parma Parma (; ) is a city in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna known for its architecture, Giuseppe Verdi, music, art, prosciutto (ham), Parmesan, cheese and surrounding countryside. With a population of 198,986 inhabitants as of 2025, ...
, as part of the
Adriano Leite Ribeiro Adriano Leite Ribeiro (born 17 February 1982) is a Brazilian former professional footballer. Adriano had four prolific seasons in Italy with Italian clubs Parma and Inter Milan, being considered one of the best strikers in the world during thi ...
deal. He made his
Serie A The Serie A (), officially known as Serie A Enilive in Italy and Serie A Made in Italy abroad for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Italy and the highest tier of the Italian football league system. Establish ...
debut for '' The Crusaders'' under coach
Cesare Prandelli Claudio Cesare Prandelli (; born 19 August 1957) is an Italian former football coach and former player. Playing career Prandelli was a midfielder who moved from Atalanta to Juventus in 1979. His first game for Juventus was in the 1979–80 Eur ...
on 21 February 2004 in a 2–1 win against
Sampdoria Unione Calcio Sampdoria, commonly referred to as Sampdoria (), is an Italian professional football club based in Genoa, Liguria. Sampdoria was formed in 1946 from the merger of two existing sports clubs whose roots can be traced back to the ...
, making a total of seven appearances in the competition by the end of the season. In the next season, as Prandelli left the club, Zicu was used rarely, but one of his appearances was in the group stage of the
2004–05 UEFA Cup The 2004–05 UEFA Cup was the 34th edition of the UEFA Cup. The format of the competition had changed from previous seasons, replacing that from the previous one after the abolition of the Cup Winners' Cup in 1999; an extra qualifying round was ...
in a 1–0 victory against Steaua București, then leaving in the middle of the season to go on loan at Dinamo for one year and a half. Upon his return, Zicu helped '' The Red Dogs'' win the
2004–05 Cupa României The 2004–05 Cupa României was the 67th season of the annual Romanian football knockout tournament. The winners of the competition qualified for the second qualifying round of the 2005–06 UEFA Cup. First round proper , colspan=3 style="bac ...
, being sent on the field by
Ioan Andone Ioan Andone (; born 15 March 1960) is a Romanian professional football coach and former player. Club career Corvinul Hunedoara Ioan Andone, nicknamed "Fălcosul" was born on 15 March 1960 in Șpălnaca , and when he was 14 years old, he playe ...
in the 56th minute to replace
Ovidiu Burcă Ovidiu Nicușor Burcă (born 16 March 1980) is a Romanian professional football manager and former player. Club career Early career Burcă was born on 16 March 1980 in Slatina, Romania. His talent was noticed by coach Nicolae Zamfir who brough ...
in the 1–0 victory against Farul from the
final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final examination or finals, a test given at the end of a course of study or training *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which d ...
. He started the following season by coming as a substitute to replace
Vlad Munteanu Vlad Ioan Munteanu (born 16 January 1981) is a Romanian former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. Club career Munteanu was born on 16 January 1981 in Bacău, Romania and started to play football at local club, FCM for which he ...
in the 69th minute of the 3–2 victory against
rivals A rivalry is the state of two people or Social group, groups engaging in a lasting competitive relationship. Rivalry is the "against each other" spirit between two competing sides. The relationship itself may also be called "a rivalry", and each ...
Steaua which helped the team earn for the first time in its history the
Supercupa României The Supercupa României () is a Romanian football (soccer), football championship contested by the winners of the Liga I and the Cupa României. It is usually played at the Arena Națională in Bucharest. The competition started off in 1994 Supe ...
, also Andone used him in the
2005–06 UEFA Cup The 2005–06 UEFA Cup, the 35th edition of the UEFA Cup, was won by Sevilla, beating Middlesbrough in the final. It was the first victory for Sevilla in a European competition, and the first appearance by Middlesbrough in a European final. The ...
campaign when team reached the group stage after eliminating
Omonia Nicosia Athletic Club Omonia Nicosia (; ''Athlitikós Sýllogos Omónoia Lefkosías''), commonly known as Omonia Nicosia, or simply Omonia (also transliterated as Omonoia), is a Cypriot professional multi-sport club, established on 4 June 1948 in Nico ...
against whom he scored a brace in the first leg and Everton against whom he scored a goal in a historical 5–2 on aggregate, after which the British newspaper ''
Daily Mirror The ''Daily Mirror'' is a British national daily Tabloid journalism, tabloid newspaper. Founded in 1903, it is part of Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN), which is owned by parent company Reach plc. From 1985 to 1987, and from 1997 to 2002, the tit ...
'' wrote about Zicu:"There is no doubt. The Romanian has class". In August 2005, Zicu gained negative attention upon himself when during a 1–0 loss in front of Farul, in the 22nd minute of the game, after he got pass the goalkeeper and was alone in central position, without any opponents, he missed, kicking the ball beyond the goalpost, saying after the game:"I lost the match. It's my fault and I take full responsibility. I don't know if I'll have nightmares, but I'll definitely think a lot about this miss". For the 2006–07 season he remained in his country, Inter loaning him this time to
Rapid București Rapid(s) or RAPID may refer to: Hydrological features * Rapids, sections of a river with turbulent water flow * Rapid Creek (Iowa River tributary), Iowa, United States * Rapid Creek (South Dakota), United States, namesake of Rapid City Sport ...
. He had a remarkable spell with '' The Railwaymen'', as under the guidance of coach
Răzvan Lucescu Răzvan Lucescu (; born 17 February 1969) is a Romanian professional Association football, football Manager (association football), manager and former player, who is currently managing Super League Greece, Greek Super League club PAOK FC, PAOK. ...
he scored 12 league goals, helped the club reach the
UEFA Cup The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , , "little star", is a Typography, typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a star (heraldry), heraldic star. Computer scientists and Mathematici ...
group stage and win the
Cupa României The Cupa României () is a Association football, football cup competition for List of football clubs in Romania, Romanian teams which has been held annually since 1933–34 Cupa României, 1933–34, except during World War II. It is the Romania ...
, scoring the second goal of the 2–0 victory against Politehnica Timișoara from the
final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final examination or finals, a test given at the end of a course of study or training *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which d ...
when he was also named "The man of the match".


Third spell at Dinamo București

Freed from his contract with
Inter Milan Football Club Internazionale Milano, commonly referred to as Internazionale () or simply Inter, and colloquially known as Inter Milan in English-speaking countries, is an Italian professional Association football, football List of football ...
, Zicu returned to
Dinamo București 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 Yekaterin ...
, signing a four-year contract with the champions of the last season, being wanted by coach
Mircea Rednic Mircea Rednic (born 9 April 1962) is a Romanian professional football coach and former player who played as a defender, who is currently the head coach of Belgian Pro League club Standard Liège. Playing career Corvinul Hunedoara Rednic, ni ...
, with the objective of reaching the Champions League group stage, but in the 6th minute of the first leg from the third qualifying round against Lazio Roma, he left the field after getting his right knee injured by Guglielmo Stendardo, also the team did not qualify, losing with 4–2 on aggregate. The injury kept him off the field for six months, returning to the field in February 2009 but in April the same year he got injured again in a 4–4 with Universitatea Craiova, this time spending 11 months off the field. During the period in between the two injuries he also played for the team's satellite, Dinamo II in the second league, scoring a spectacular goal by kicking the ball with the heel over the goalkeeper after receiving a 60 meters pass in a 5–2 loss against
FC Botoșani Asociația Fotbal Club Botoșani (), commonly known as FC Botoșani or simply Botoșani, is a Romanian professional football club based in the city of Botoșani, Botoșani County, that competes in the Liga I. In 2013, twelve years after being ...
, which gained attention including from the Italian press, '' Corriere dello Sport'' writing:"What a great goal the former Inter player scored". In his last season spent at the club he helped them fulfill "The wonder from
Liberec Liberec (; ) is a city in the Czech Republic. It has about 108,000 inhabitants, making it the fifth largest city in the country. It lies on the Lusatian Neisse River, in a basin surrounded by mountains. The city centre is well preserved and is pr ...
" after winning with 3–0 the away game against Slovan Liberec, as the first leg was lost with the same score, qualifying after the penalty shoot-out to the group stage of the 2009–10 Europa League.


Politehnica Timișoara

On 21 July 2010, Zicu signed a five-year contract with Politehnica Timișoara who paid 300.000€ to Dinamo for his transfer. He made his debut for the team in the second leg from the third qualifying round of the 2010–11 Europa League against MyPa, scoring his side's second goal in the 80th minute as MyPa were leading 3–0 at half time, completing an amazing comeback in the second half after Marián Čišovský equalized in the 90+2 minute and as in the first leg Politehnica won with 2–1, they qualified to the competition's play-offs where they were eliminated by
Manchester City Manchester City Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in Manchester, England, that competes in the Premier League, the English football league system, top flight of Football in England, English footbal ...
. Zicu had the most prolific season of his career, being the top-goalscorer of the season as he scored a personal record of 18 goals in the league, including three braces in three victories against
Rapid București Rapid(s) or RAPID may refer to: Hydrological features * Rapids, sections of a river with turbulent water flow * Rapid Creek (Iowa River tributary), Iowa, United States * Rapid Creek (South Dakota), United States, namesake of Rapid City Sport ...
,
FCM Târgu Mureș The word FCM may refer to: Science and technology * FCM (chemotherapy), a chemotherapy regimen * Flow cytometry * Food contact materials * Fuel-containing material * Flight control module, a computer that assists in the control of an aircraft C ...
and
Gaz Metan Mediaș Gaz may refer to: Geography *Gaz, Kyrgyzstan Iran * Gaz, Darmian, village in South Khorasan province * Gaz, Golestan, a village in Bandar-e Gaz County * Gaz, Hormozgan, a village in Minab County * Gaz, Kerman, a village * Gaz, North Khorasan, a ...
, also the team finished the season on the second position.


CSKA Sofia

On 16 June 2011, Zicu moved abroad to sign with Bulgarian club
CSKA Sofia CSKA Sofia () is a Bulgarian professional association football club based in Sofia and currently competing in the country's premier football competition, the First League. ''CSKA'' is an abbreviation for ''Central Sports Club of the Army'' ...
for 3 years. On 30 July he made his competitive debut for CSKA under coach Milen Radukanov in the
Bulgarian Supercup The Bulgarian Supercup () is the trophy won in a football match held between the football club that has won the Bulgarian first football division in the season that ended in the year of the match and the holder of the Bulgarian Cup at that time. ...
against
Litex Lovech FC Lovech (; formerly Litex Lovech) is a Bulgarian professional association football, football club based in Lovech, that competes in the Second Professional Football League (Bulgaria), Second League. The club was founded in 1921 as Hisarya Spor ...
, scoring from a penalty to make the result 2–1 for CSKA, the match ending with a 3–1 victory, thus winning the trophy. In August he played in both legs of the
Europa League The UEFA Europa League (UEL), usually known simply as the Europa League, is an annual association football, football club competition organised since 1971 by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European footb ...
play-off for the group stage against Steaua București, losing with 3–1 on aggregate. On 28 October, Zicu scored the only goal in the Eternal derby of Bulgaria to help CSKA earn a 1–0 home win over
Levski Sofia PFC Levski Sofia () is a Bulgarian professional association football club based in Sofia, which competes in the First League, the top division of the Bulgarian football league system. The club was founded on 24 May 1914 by a group of high sc ...
, then he scored a
hat-trick A hat-trick or hat trick is the achievement of a generally positive feat three times in a match, or another achievement based on the number three. Origin The term first appeared in 1858 in cricket, to describe H. H. Stephenson taking three Wick ...
on 12 November in a 3–1 home win over
Minyor Pernik FC Minyor () is a football club in Pernik, Bulgaria, currently competing in the Second League, the second tier of Bulgarian football. Founded in 1919 as SC Krakra, the club's home ground since 1954 has been Stadion Minyor. The club's name comes ...
, finishing the first half of the 2011–12 A PFG season as the top scorer of the league, having netted 13 times in total, forming a couple in the team's offence with Júnior Moraes.


Pohang Steelers

In late December 2011, it was revealed that Zicu had been transferred to
South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...
n club
Pohang Steelers The Pohang Steelers (Hangul: 포항 스틸러스) are a South Korean professional Association football, football club based in Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province that compete in the K League 1, the top flight of Football in South Korea, South Ko ...
, signing a two-year deal with an option for a fourth year (a two-year extension) for an undisclosed fee, though media reports estimated it to be €2.3 million. He made his official debut as a starter on 18 February 2012 in the 2–0 win over Thai club
Chonburi Chonburi (, , IAST: , ) is the capital of Chonburi Province and, as part of the district Mueang Chonburi District, Mueang Chonburi, the List of municipalities in Thailand, seventh-largest city in Thailand. It is about 100 km southeast of Ba ...
in an
AFC Champions League The AFC Champions League Elite (abbreviated as the ACL Elite) is an annual continental club association football, football competition organised by the Asian Football Confederation, and contested by Asia's List of top-division football clubs i ...
play-off match which helped them advance to the group stage where he made three more appearances without scoring. Zicu scored his first goal for the team on 11 March 2012, in the 1–1 away draw with
Gwangju Gwangju (; ), formerly romanized as Kwangju, is South Korea's list of cities in South Korea, sixth-largest metropolis. It is a designated Special cities of South Korea, metropolitan city under the direct control of the central government's Home ...
in a
K-League K League () is South Korea's professional football league. It includes the first division K League 1 and the second division K League 2. Clubs competing in the K League have won a record total of twelve AFC Champions League titles, the top conti ...
game, then one week later he scored a brace in a 2–2 in front of
Busan IPark Busan IPark FC () is a South Korean professional football club based in Busan that competes in K League 2, the second tier of the South Korean football pyramid. They play their home games at the Busan Gudeok Stadium. Busan IPark was founded as ...
, gaining a total of 6 goals in 15 league appearances for Pohang, also winning the 2012 Korean FA Cup with them.


Gangwon

On 24 July 2012, he agreed to join the
K League K League () is South Korea's professional football league. It includes the first division K League 1 and the second division K League 2. Clubs competing in the K League have won a record total of twelve AFC Champions League Elite, AFC Champions ...
side Gangwon on a six-month loan deal until the end of the 2012 season, a period in which he scored nine goals in 17
K-League K League () is South Korea's professional football league. It includes the first division K League 1 and the second division K League 2. Clubs competing in the K League have won a record total of twelve AFC Champions League titles, the top conti ...
appearances, including a
hat-trick A hat-trick or hat trick is the achievement of a generally positive feat three times in a match, or another achievement based on the number three. Origin The term first appeared in 1858 in cricket, to describe H. H. Stephenson taking three Wick ...
in a 5–3 away loss in front of
Daejeon Citizen Daejeon Hana Citizen FC () is a South Korean professional football team based in Daejeon, competing in K League 1, the top tier of South Korean football. At the time of its foundation in 1997, Daejeon was the first community-owned club in South K ...
. In January 2013, Zicu was transferred definitely to Gangwon, scoring six goals in 27 matches for the team in the 2013 K League season.


Petrolul Ploiești

In January 2014, Zicu signed a contract for one year and a half with Petrolul Ploiești, after
Adrian Mutu Adrian Mutu (; born 8 January 1979) is a Romanian professional football manager and former player. During his playing career, he was deployed as a forward or an attacking midfielder. Mutu started his career playing two years for Argeș Pite ...
signed one day before with the club, being wanted there by coach
Cosmin Contra Cosmin Marius Contra (; born 15 December 1975) is a Romanian football manager and former player. Primarily an attacking-minded right-back, he was also deployed as a midfielder. He played professionally in three countries his own notwithstanding ...
whom he previously had as teammate and coach at Politehnica Timișoara. After only half of year in which he did not succeed to score or provide assists, he and the club mutually agreed to terminate his contract.


ASA Târgu Mureș

In July 2014, Zicu moved to the newly promoted ASA Târgu Mureș, where he signed a contract for one season. The team was close to winning the league, Zicu being one of its best players, one of the most important moments being when he scored the only goal of a 1–0 away victory against Steaua București which helped ASA reach the first position with five rounds before the end of the season. Eventually they finished on the second place, losing the title in favor of Steaua in the last round when they were defeated 2–1 by Oțelul Galați.


Poli Timișoara

For the
2015–16 Liga I The 2015–16 Liga I (also known as Liga 1 Orange for sponsorship reasons) was the 98th season of the Liga I, the top professional league for Romanian association football clubs. The season began 10 July 2015 and ended on 29 May 2016, being the f ...
season, Zicu played again for a newly promoted team, returning to
Timișoara Timișoara (, , ; , also or ; ; ; see #Etymology, other names) is the capital city of Timiș County, Banat, and the main economic, social and cultural center in Western Romania. Located on the Bega (Tisza), Bega River, Timișoara is consider ...
at ACS Poli, but the one-year spell was rather unsuccessful as the team mathematically relegated, however managed to keep its position in the league because
Rapid București Rapid(s) or RAPID may refer to: Hydrological features * Rapids, sections of a river with turbulent water flow * Rapid Creek (Iowa River tributary), Iowa, United States * Rapid Creek (South Dakota), United States, namesake of Rapid City Sport ...
went bankrupt.


Second spell at ASA Târgu Mureș

Zicu returned to ASA Târgu Mureș in July 2016 where he would spend the last season of his career, leaving in January 2017 as the team had financial problems and did not pay him for several months, also relegating by the end of the season. The highlight of this period was a brace scored in a 2–1 win over his former club,
Dinamo București 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 Yekaterin ...
, making his last
Liga I Liga I (; ''First League''), also spelled as Liga 1 and officially known as SuperLiga for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Romania and the highest level of the Romanian football league system. Contested by 1 ...
appearance on 10 December 2016 against the same team, this time losing with 1–0, having a total of 278 games with 77 goals scored in the competition.


International career

Ianis Zicu was an under-21 international before he made his debut for the senior side in 2003, being banned together with teammate Lucian Goian from representing his country at any level for two years in 2004, because the
Romanian Football Federation The Romanian Football Federation (; FRF) is the governing body of football in Romania. They are headquartered in the capital city of Bucharest and affiliated with FIFA and UEFA since 1923 and 1955 respectively. The Federation organizes the men's ...
considered they had a "defiant attitude" during a 4–1 loss in front of Czech Republic U21. Zicu played 12 games and scored one goal for Romania's senior team, making his debut on 11 October 2003 when coach
Anghel Iordănescu Anghel Iordănescu (; born 4 May 1950), is a Romanian former footballer and former manager, who played as a forward. In 2007, Iordănescu retired from football, and the following February, after his predecessor resigned, he became a member ...
sent him on the field in the 82nd minute to replace Daniel Pancu in a friendly which ended 1–1 against
Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
. He made three appearances in three victories at the successful Euro 2008 qualifiers, coach
Victor Pițurcă Victor Pițurcă (; born 8 May 1956) is a Romanian professional football manager and former player. Club career Victor Pițurcă was born on 8 May 1956 in Orodel, Dolj County, Romania, starting to play football in 1964 at the youth center of U ...
considering to take him in the squad that would participate at the
final tournament Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final examination or finals, a test given at the end of a course of study or training *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which d ...
, but couldn't as Zicu was injured. He also played three games at the Euro 2012 qualifiers, scoring the last goal in a 3–1 win over
Luxembourg Luxembourg, officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, is a landlocked country in Western Europe. It is bordered by Belgium to the west and north, Germany to the east, and France on the south. Its capital and most populous city, Luxembour ...
. He made his last appearance for the national team on 11 June 2011 in a friendly which ended with a 2–0 loss in front of
Paraguay Paraguay, officially the Republic of Paraguay, is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the Argentina–Paraguay border, south and southwest, Brazil to the Brazil–Paraguay border, east and northeast, and Boli ...
, played on
Estadio Defensores del Chaco Defensores del Chaco Stadium (, ; , named after the Paraguayan Chaco soldiers in the Chaco War) is a multi-purpose stadium in Asunción, Paraguay. Located in the Sajonia neighbourhood, it is the owned by the Paraguayan Football Association. It ...
from
Asunción Asunción (, ) is the capital and the largest city of Paraguay. The city stands on the eastern bank of the Paraguay River, almost at the confluence of this river with the Pilcomayo River. The Paraguay River and the Bay of Asunción in the north ...
.


Personal life

Ianis Zicu is an ethnic Aromanian.


Career statistics


Club


International

:''Scores and results list Romania's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Zicu goal.''


Honours


Club

Dinamo București *
Divizia A Liga I (; ''First League''), also spelled as Liga 1 and officially known as SuperLiga for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Romania and the highest level of the Romanian football league system. Contested by 1 ...
: 2001–02, 2003–04 *
Cupa României The Cupa României () is a Association football, football cup competition for List of football clubs in Romania, Romanian teams which has been held annually since 1933–34 Cupa României, 1933–34, except during World War II. It is the Romania ...
: 2000–01, 2003–04, 2004–05 *
Supercupa României The Supercupa României () is a Romanian football (soccer), football championship contested by the winners of the Liga I and the Cupa României. It is usually played at the Arena Națională in Bucharest. The competition started off in 1994 Supe ...
:
2005 2005 was designated as the International Year for Sport and Physical Education and the International Year of Microcredit. The beginning of 2005 also marked the end of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Internationa ...
Rapid București *
Cupa României The Cupa României () is a Association football, football cup competition for List of football clubs in Romania, Romanian teams which has been held annually since 1933–34 Cupa României, 1933–34, except during World War II. It is the Romania ...
: 2006–07 *
Supercupa României The Supercupa României () is a Romanian football (soccer), football championship contested by the winners of the Liga I and the Cupa României. It is usually played at the Arena Națională in Bucharest. The competition started off in 1994 Supe ...
runner-up:
2006 2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Events January * January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute. * January 12 – A stampede during t ...
CSKA Sofia *
Bulgarian Supercup The Bulgarian Supercup () is the trophy won in a football match held between the football club that has won the Bulgarian first football division in the season that ended in the year of the match and the holder of the Bulgarian Cup at that time. ...
:
2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...
Pohang Steelers *
Korean FA Cup The Korea Cup (), formerly the Korean FA Cup, is a national Association football, football cup knockout competition of South Korea, held annually by the Korea Football Association (KFA). Before the competition was established in 1996, two simil ...
:
2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...


Individual

*
Liga I Liga I (; ''First League''), also spelled as Liga 1 and officially known as SuperLiga for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Romania and the highest level of the Romanian football league system. Contested by 1 ...
top scorer:
2010–11 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...
(18 goals) *
Liga I Liga I (; ''First League''), also spelled as Liga 1 and officially known as SuperLiga for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Romania and the highest level of the Romanian football league system. Contested by 1 ...
Player of the Month: April 2015


References


External links

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Zicu, Ianis 1983 births Living people Footballers from Constanța Romanian people of Aromanian descent Aromanian sportspeople Romanian men's footballers Romania men's international footballers Romania men's under-21 international footballers Romania men's youth international footballers Romanian expatriate men's footballers FC Dinamo București players FC Dinamo București II players FCV Farul Constanța players Inter Milan players Parma Calcio 1913 players FC Rapid București players FC Politehnica Timișoara players FCM Câmpina players PFC CSKA Sofia players Pohang Steelers players Gangwon FC players FC Petrolul Ploiești players ASA 2013 Târgu Mureș players ACS Poli Timișoara players Liga I players Liga II players Serie A players First Professional Football League (Bulgaria) players K League 1 players Expatriate men's footballers in Italy Expatriate men's footballers in Bulgaria Expatriate men's footballers in South Korea Romanian expatriate sportspeople in South Korea Romanian expatriate sportspeople in Bulgaria Romanian expatriate sportspeople in Italy Men's association football midfielders Romanian football managers FCV Farul Constanța managers FC Unirea Constanța managers CS Concordia Chiajna managers FC Metaloglobus București managers Liga I managers Liga II managers 21st-century Romanian sportsmen