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10 Most Famous Football (Soccer) Players from Romania

Romania is one of only four national teams from Europe that took part in the inaugural FIFA World Cup in 1930. It has a long football history and has qualified for seven World Cup editions.

Over the years Romania has produced world-class professional football players, who have gone on to play for elite football clubs in Europe.

From Strikers and defenders to midfielders and Goalkeepers, Romanian football players have immensely contributed to the growth of the game in Europe and around the world.

In a country where football is a deep-looted culture, players are regarded highly and form a big part of the country’s greatest heroes.

Here are the 10 most famous football players from Romania.

1. Gheorghe Hagi

Known for his technical ability, Gheorghe Hagi is regarded by many as the greatest Romanian footballer of all time. He was named Romanian Footballer of the Year a record seven times and was nominated six times for the Ballon d’Or. 

Gheorghe Hagi was born on 5 February 1965 and started his career playing for the youth teams of FC Constanța in the 1970s. He made his professional debut in 1982 and went on to play for other six major European clubs in a career that spanned over 20 years.

Hagi made his debut for Romania’s national team on 10 August 1983 at the age of 18, making 124 appearances and scoring 35 goals for his country before finally retiring in 2001, at the age of 36.

He is the second-most capped Romanian player of all time, and also the joint all-time leading goalscorer of the Romanian national side. In 1999, Hagi was ranked number 25 in World Soccer Magazine’s list of the 100 greatest players of the 20th century.

2. Cristian Chivu

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Touted as a reliable fullback and a free-kick specialist, Cristian Chivu is one of the best professional football players Romania has ever produced.

Cristian was born on 26 October 1980 and began his career with hometown club CSM ReÈ™iÈ›a before moving to FC Universitatea Craiova in 1998. He joined Ajax Amsterdam in 1999 and later moved to Italian Seria A where he spent the rest of his career before retiring in 2014.

In his international career, Chivu earned 75 international caps for Romania between 1999 and 2010, building his reputation as a formidable defender in the national side back line.  

Throughout his career, Chivu made 486 club appearances and scored 27 goals in the process. He also won 1 Eredivisie title, 3 Seria A titles, 3 Copa Italia cups, and the UEFA champion league title with Inter Milan in 2010.

3. Mircea Lucescu

Mircea Lucescu is one of the most famous and successful players ever in the Romanian First League. He won a record 7 league titles and 1 Romanian cup with Dinamo București, in 12 seasons he appeared for the club.

Lucescu was born on 29 July 1945 in Bucharest, Romania, and started playing football as a junior at Școala Sportivă 2 BucureÈ™ti. He made his senior debut on 21 June 1964, making 401 league appearances and scoring 90 career goals before retiring from professional football in 1990.

In his international career, Lucescu made a total of 64 appearances and scored 9 goals for Romania’s national team. He also represented his country at the 1970 World Cup and was decorated with the Romanian sport highest medal in 2008.

4. Adrian Mutu

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A highly skillful and creative player with an eye for goal, Adrian Mutu is a former Romanian attacking midfielder football player. A controversial figure off the field, he received widespread attention following a positive test for cocaine while playing for Chelsea in 2005.

Mutu was born on 8 January 1979, and started his career at Dinamo București, before joining Inter Milan in 1999. He went on to play for 7 different clubs in 4 other leagues before retiring from professional football in 2015.

He made his international debut in 2000 and appeared 77 times for the Romanian national team scoring 35 goals for his country, a joint record alongside Gheorghe Hagi.

Although plagued by controversies in his time as a player, he remains one of the best Romanian players. He won the Romanian Footballer of the Year award on 4 separate occasions and was also nominated for the Ballon d’Or in 2003.

5. Gheorghe Popescu 

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Known for his ability to read the game, Gheorghe Popescu is a former Romanian professional football player who played as a defender. His tactical knowledge in the game made him very popular and a valuable team member in all clubs he played for.

Gheorghe Popescu was born on 9 October 1967 and started his career with Universitatea Craiova in 1984. He later moved abroad where he played for PSV, Barcelona, Galatasaray, and Tottenham among others.

At the international level, Popescu is Romania’s all-time third most capped player with 115, in which he scored 16 goals. He also played for his country in 1990, 1994, and 1998 World Cups. 

6. Daniel Petrescu 

Daniel Petrescu is a Romanian football manager and former player, who is currently the manager of Liga I club CFR Cluj. As a player, he was deployed as a full-back or a winger and won several major honors in his career including three domestic titles and UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup title.

Petrescu was born on 22 December 1967 and made his professional debut in 1986. He went on to play for 9 different teams across Europe making 541 appearances and scoring 73 goals.

At the international level, he made his debut in 1989 and registered 95 caps for the senior Romania national team.  He played for his country at four major tournaments, including the 1994 World Cup and the 1998 World Cup.

7. Miodrag Belodedici

Nicknamed the deer due to his elegant tackles, Belodedici is one of the greatest eastern-European defenders ever and amongst the best defenders of his generation.

Belodedici was the key player in the Steaua generation that won European Championship. he won the championship again with the Red Star Club in 1991  and became the first player to win the European Cup with two different clubs.

He was also part of Romania’s golden generation that reached the best results in its history, most notably in the World Cup quarter-finals in 1994.

8. Nicolae Dobrin

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Renowned for his dribbling ability, Nicolae Dobrin is arguably the most talented Romanian player of all time. He is one of the very best dribblers in football history.

Nicolae Dobrin was born on 26 August 1947 and started playing football as a child with his friends on a field close to the Argeș river. He made his debut for Argeș Pitești at the age of 14 and played for the team throughout his career.

He made his debut for the National team on 1 June 1966, and played 47 games and scored 6 goals for his country. Dobrin received the Romanian Footballer of the Year award on three occasions and has a stadium named after him.

9. Costel Pantilimon 

Costel Pantilimon is a Romanian professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper and is currently a free agent. He has won two premier league titles and a community shield title with Manchester City.

Born on 1 February 1987 in Bacău, Pantilimon started his career at Aerostar Bacău and got his share of the limelight at the Romania national under-19 team before transferring to Politehnica TimiÈ™oara on his 19th birthday.

He made his debut for the senior Romania national team on 19 November 2008 and was part of the Romanian 23-man squad for UEFA Euro 2016. Pantilimon has made 280 appearances in his club career and has 27 caps with the national team.

10. Bogdan LobonÈ›

Popularly known as “The Tomcat” due to his quick reflexes and relatively small body frame for a goalkeeper, Bogdan LobonÈ› is arguably the most famous goalkeeper in Romania.

Bogdan Lobonț was born on18 January 1978 and started his career with his hometown club Corvinul Hunedoara. He joined Ajax Amsterdam in 2000 and later Fiorentina before moving back to Dinamo București in January 2007 and helping the club win the Liga I.

LobonÈ› was part of the Romania national team’s UEFA Euro 2000 and 2008 squads and played in the final two matches of the World Cup 2018 qualification stage. He retired from professional football on 5 June 2018, earning his final cap for Romania in a 2–0 friendly win against Finland.