Adrian Cristea

Adrian Cristea

Cristea playing for Romania
Personal information
Date of birth	(1983-11-30) 30 November 1983 (age 41)
Place of birth	Iași, Romania
Height	1.79 m (5 ft 10 in)
Position(s)	Winger
Youth career
0000–2000	Politehnica Iași
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2000–2004	Politehnica Iași	93	(18)
2005–2010	Dinamo București	161	(27)
2011–2012	Universitatea Cluj	42	(11)
2012–2013	Petrolul Ploiești	15	(1)
2013	→ Standard Liège (loan)	8	(0)
2013–2014	Steaua București	9	(1)
2014–2016	Concordia Chiajna	23	(1)
Total		351	(59)
International career
2003–2006	Romania U21	7	(0)
2007–2011	Romania	9	(0)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals

Adrian Cristea (born 30 November 1983) is a former Romanian professional footballer who played as a winger.

Club career

Politehnica Iași

Cristea, nicknamed "Prințul" (The Prince), was born on 30 November 1983 in Iași, Romania. ^{[1] [2] [3]} He began playing football for his hometown club, Politehnica, in the Romanian lower leagues. ^{[1] [2]} After helping Politehnica get promoted from Divizia B, Cristea made his Divizia A debut under coach Vasile Simionaș on 30 July 2004 in a 2–1 loss to Rapid București. ^{[1] [2] [4] [5]} One week later he netted his first goal when he opened the score in the 2–1 loss to Apulum Alba Iulia. ^[4]

Dinamo București

After scoring two 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. ^{[1] [2] [6]} By the end of the season, he won the Cupa României but Andone did not use him in the final against Farul Constanța. ^{[1] [7]} Cristea started the following season by winning the Supercupa României but again without Andone playing him in the victory against Steaua București. ^{[1] [8]} The team also reached the 2005–06 UEFA Cup group stage where he played in three games, including a 1–0 victory against title holders CSKA Moscow. ^{[1] [9]}

He helped The Red Dogs win the 2006–07 title, scoring three goals in 28 matches under the guidance of coach Mircea Rednic. ^{[1] [2] [10]} In the same season, Dinamo reached the UEFA Cup round of 32 where they were eliminated with 3–1 on aggregate by Benfica, Cristea scoring three goals in the campaign, including one in a 2–1 win over Beşiktaş in the group stage. ^{[1] [2] [11]}

He contributed to another European performance, helping the club fulfill "The wonder from Liberec" by 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. ^{[1] [2] [12]} On 17 October 2010 he scored one goal from a penalty in a 2–1 victory against rivals Steaua. ^[13]

Universitatea Cluj

In December 2010, Cristea was transferred from Dinamo to Universitatea Cluj, for a total fee estimated by the Romanian press between €1.5 – 2 million. ^{[1] [2] [14]} On 1 October 2011, he scored the first hat-trick of his career in Universitatea's 5–2 victory against Gaz Metan Mediaș. ^[15] During one and a half years he netted 11 goals in 42 first-league matches for The Red Caps . ^{[1] [2]}

Petrolul Ploiești and Standard Liège

In the summer of 2012, he was transferred to Petrolul Ploiești, along with 11 other players from "U" Cluj, a move that occurred when the owner of the Cluj team left the club to take control of Petrolul. ^{[1] [2] [16] [17]} In November 2012, he scored his only goal for Petrolul in a 2–0 win against his former team, Universitatea Cluj. ^{[1] [18]}

His only experience abroad came in 2013, when he went to play in Belgium alongside fellow Romanian George Țucudean, being loaned by Petrolul to Standard Liège. ^[19] He made his Belgian Pro League debut on 10 February 2013, as coach Mircea Rednic used him the entire match in Standard's 1–0 home loss to Mons. ^[20]

Steaua București

On 30 July 2013, after terminating his contract with Petrolul Ploiești, Cristea signed a two-year contract with Steaua București. ^{[21] [22] [23]} However, Cristea failed to win a place in the first team, being used by coach Laurențiu Reghecampf in only nine league matches in which he scored one goal as The Military Men won the title. ^{[1] [2] [10]} He also played in both legs of the 2013–14 Champions League play-off where the team eliminated Legia Warsaw, reaching the group stage. ^{[1] [2] [24]} There he made one appearance when he was sent on the field in the 73rd minute to replace Leandro Tatu in a 3–0 away loss against Schalke 04. ^{[1] [2] [25]} He ended his contract with Steaua in April 2014. ^[26]

Concordia Chiajna

In September 2014, Cristea reached an agreement with Concordia Chiajna. ^{[1] [2] [27]} At Chiajna he made his last Liga I appearances, having a total of 266 games with 40 goals scored in the competition, and also totaling 34 matches with four goals in European competitions. ^{[1] [2] [28]}

International career

Cristea played nine games for Romania, making his debut on 7 February 2007 when coach Victor Pițurcă introduced him at halftime to replace Ovidiu Petre in a friendly that ended in a 2–0 victory against Moldova. ^{[29] [30]} He appeared in two victories against Luxembourg in the successful Euro 2008 qualifiers. ^[29] Cristea was called by Pițurcă in the squad for the Euro 2008 final tournament, but did not get an opportunity to play. ^[2] He played in a 1–1 draw against Austria and a 5–0 loss to Serbia in the 2010 World Cup qualifiers. ^[29] Cristea's last appearance for the national team was in a 2–2 draw against Belarus in the Euro 2012 qualifiers. ^[29]

On 25 March 2008, Cristea was decorated by the president of Romania, Traian Băsescu, for his performance in the Euro 2008 qualifiers, where Romania managed to qualify to the final tournament. He received Medalia "Meritul Sportiv" – ("The Sportive Merit" Medal) class III. ^{[31] [32]}

After retirement

After he ended his football career, Cristea worked as a fashion designer, opening a luxury clothing workshop in Bucharest. ^[2]

Career statistics

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition ^{[1] [2] [33]}

Club	Season	League		Cup		Europe		Other		Total
		Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Politehnica Iași	2001–02	28	5	1	0	—		—		29	5
	2002–03	27	5	4	0	—		—		31	5
	2003–04	23	6	2	0	—		—		25	2
	2004–05	15	2	0	0	—		—		15	2
	Total	93	18	7	0	—		—		100	18
Dinamo București	2004–05	10	1	2	0	0	0	—		12	1
	2005–06	15	0	2	0	3	0	—		20	0
	2006–07	28	3	2	0	10	3	1	0	41	6
	2007–08	32	8	1	0	4	0	—		37	8
	2008–09	31	5	3	1	2	0	—		36	6
	2009–10	28	3	4	0	8	0	—		40	3
	2010–11	17	7	1	0	4	1	—		22	8
	Total	161	27	15	1	31	4	1	0	208	32
Universitatea Cluj	2010–11	13	3	0	0	—		—		13	3
	2011–12	29	8	0	0	—		—		29	8
	Total	42	11	0	0	—		—		42	11
Petrolul Ploiești	2012–13	15	1	3	2	0	0	1	0	19	3
Standard Liège (loan)	2012–13	8	0	0	0	0	0	—		8	0
Steaua București	2013–14	9	1	0	0	3	0	—		12	1
Concordia Chiajna	2014–15	13	1	1	0	—		—		14	1
	2015–16	5	0	1	0	—		—		6	0
	2016–17	5	0	1	0	—		1	0	7	0
	Total	23	1	3	0	—		1	0	27	1
Career total		351	59	28	3	34	4	3	0	416	66

International

Appearances and goals by national team and year ^[29]

National team	Year	Apps	Goals
Romania	2007	5	0
	2008	1	0
	2009	2	0
	2010	0	0
	2011	1	0
Total		9	0

Honours

Politehnica Iași

• Divizia B: 2003–04 ^[1]
• Divizia C: 2001–02 ^[2]

Dinamo București

• Liga I: 2006–07 ^[1]
• Cupa României: 2004–05 ^[1]
• Supercupa Romaniei: 2005 ^[1]

Petrolul Ploiești

• Supercupa României runner-up: 2013 ^[1]

Steaua București

• Liga I: 2013–14 ^[1]

Concordia Chiajna

• Cupa Ligii runner-up: 2015–16

References

1. Adrian Cristea at RomanianSoccer.ro (in Romanian)
2. "Adrian Cristea, un fotbalist cu stofă. "Am făcut din talent totul, am dus o viață haotică". Statuia lui Giovani, cum primea banii de la Borcea, cât a câștigat de la FCSB, cea mai frumoasă femeie, atelierul de haine și o declarație: "De cine n-am putut să trec prin dribling!? Nu… nu există!"" [Adrian Cristea, a football player with cloth. "I made everything out of talent, I led a chaotic life." Giovani's statue, how he received the money from Borcea, how much he earned from FCSB, the most beautiful woman, the clothes workshop and a statement: "Who couldn't I dribble through ?? No… doesn't exist!"] (in Romanian). Prosport.ro. 10 May 2017. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
3. "Te-ai intrebat vreodata de ce lui Adrian Cristea i se spune "Printul"? Evident ca i se trage de la o femeie pe care a iubit-o!" [Have you ever wondered why Adrian Cristea is called "The Prince"? Obviously it's from a woman he loved!] (in Romanian). Wowbiz.ro. 12 January 2014. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
4. "Adrian Cristea. Liga I 2004/2005". WorldFootball. Retrieved 31 July 2025.
5. "Politehnica Iasi - Rapid Bucureşti 1:2". WorldFootball. Retrieved 31 July 2025.
6. "Adrian Cristea: "O să-mi fie dor de colegi, nu şi de fani"" [Adrian Cristea: "I will miss my colleagues, but not the fans"] (in Romanian). Adevarul.ro. 10 September 2009. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
7. "Romanian Cup – Season 2004–2005". RomanianSoccer. Retrieved 15 November 2022.
8. "Dinamo invinge Steaua si castiga Supercupa Romaniei" [Dinamo defeats Steaua and wins the Romanian Supercup] (in Romanian). Hotnews.ro. 2 August 2005. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
   "Romanian Super Cup – Season 2005". RomanianSoccer. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
9. "Bucharest shuts down CSKA Moscow" (in Romanian). Taipeitimes.com. 3 December 2005. Retrieved 8 September 2024.
   "Adrian Cristea. UEFA Cup 2005/2006". WorldFootball. Retrieved 31 July 2025.
10. "Romania National Champions". RomanianSoccer. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
11. "Dinamo - Besiktas 2 - 1 / 86 de minute de transpiratie" [Dinamo - Besiktas 2 - 1/86 minutes of sweat] (in Romanian). Jurnalul.ro. 3 November 2006. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
    "Dinamo - Benfica 1-2" (in Romanian). Hotnews.ro. 22 February 2007. Retrieved 14 September 2022.
12. "Nouă ani de la "Minunea de la Liberec"! Povestea unei performanțe istorice și cum a reușit Florin Matache să intre în istorie" [Nine years since the "Miracle from Liberec"! The story of a historic performance and how Florin Matache managed to make history] (in Romanian). Prosport.ro. 27 August 2018. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
13. "Dinamo învinge Steaua din două penalty-uri, în Eternul Derby" [Dinamo defeats Steaua from two penalties, in the Eternal Derby]. Realitatea.net. 17 October 2010. Archived from the original on 16 March 2013.
14. "S-a decis: Adrian Cristea pleacă la "U" Cluj! Mijlocașul va avea un salariu de 3 ori mai mare decât lua la Dinamo" [It was decided: Adrian Cristea goes to "U" Cluj! The midfielder will have a salary 3 times higher than he had at Dinamo] (in Romanian). Prosport.ro. 18 December 2010. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
    "E oficial! Adrian Cristea a semnat un contract cu U Cluj, valabil 3 ani jumătate" [It's official! Adrian Cristea signed a contract with U Cluj, valid for 3 and a half years] (in Romanian). Gsp.ro. 20 December 2010. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
    "BOMBA ZILEI! Dinamo l-a vandut pe Adrian Cristea la U Cluj pe 2 milioane de euro!" [BOMB OF THE DAY! Dinamo sold Adrian Cristea to U Cluj for 2 million euros!] (in Romanian). Sport.ro. 17 December 2010. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
15. "Liga 1: Medias - "U" Cluj 2-5. Hattrick Adrian Cristea" (in Romanian). Golazo.ro. 1 October 2011. Retrieved 31 July 2025.
    "Adrian Cristea după hattrick-ul cu Gaz Metan: "Golurile îmi dau putere!"" [Adrian Cristea after his hattrick with Gaz Metan: "Goals give me strength!"] (in Romanian). Gsp.ro. 3 October 2011. Retrieved 31 July 2025.
16. "Ingineriile lui Walter: Cristea a plecat gratis de la U Cluj la Petrolul Ploiesti" [Walter's engineering: Cristea left for free from U Cluj to Petrolul Ploiesti] (in Romanian). Bzi.ro. 16 November 2012. Archived from the original on 23 November 2021. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
17. "Inca un scandal in Liga 1 - Perchezitii la U Cluj si Petrolul in legatura cu transferurile de jucatori efecuate de Florian Walter" [Another scandal in League 1 - Searches at U Cluj and Petrolul in connection with the transfers of the players made by Florian Walter] (in Romanian). Sport.hotnews.ro. 14 November 2012. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
18. "Adrian Cristea. Liga I 2012/2013". WorldFootball. Retrieved 31 July 2025.
19. "Adrian Cristea rouche". standard.be. Standard Liège. 28 January 2013. Archived from the original on 11 February 2013. Retrieved 28 January 2013.
    "VIDEO EXCLUSIV Primul interviu cu Adrian Cristea, după transferul la Standard" [EXCLUSIVE VIDEO The first interview with Adrian Cristea, after the transfer to Standard] (in Romanian). Digisport.ro. 25 January 2013. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
    "VIDEO Adrian Cristea și Țucudean trag tare să-l impresioneze pe Rednic" [VIDEO Adrian Cristea and Țucudean work hard to impress Rednic] (in Romanian). Digisport.ro. 8 February 2013. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
20. "Cu Ţucudean şi Cristea pe teren, Standardul lui Rednic a pierdut acasă cu Mons, 0-1" [With Ţucudean and Cristea on the field, Rednic's Standard lost at home to Mons, 0-1] (in Romanian). Gsp.ro. 10 February 2013. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
    "Adrian Cristea. Pro League 2012/2013". WorldFootball. Retrieved 31 July 2025.
21. "EXCLUSIV – Cristea, într-un moment de cumpănă al carierei: "Sunt timid, nu neînțeles". 'Prințul', cu lumini și umbre" [EXCLUSIVE - Cristea, at a turning point in her career: "I'm shy, I'm not misunderstood". The 'prince', with lights and shadows] (in Romanian). Prosport.ro. 19 July 2013. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
22. "EXCLUSIV Transfer bombă la Steaua! Adrian Cristea a semnat cu roş-albaştrii! Ce i-a transmis Becali jucătorului" [EXCLUSIVE Bomb transfer to Steaua! Adrian Cristea signed with the red-blues! What message Becali sent to the player] (in Romanian). Gsp.ro. 30 July 2013. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
23. "VIDEO EXCLUSIV Adrian Cristea: "Transferul la Steaua m-a luat prin surprindere chiar și pe mine!"" [EXCLUSIVE VIDEO Adrian Cristea: "The transfer to Steaua took me by surprise!"] (in Romanian). Digisport.ro. 31 July 2013. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
24. "Nu mai joacă, dar vrea bani! Adrian Cristea a dat Steaua în judecată pentru prima de UEFA Champions League" [He doesn't play anymore, but he wants money! Adrian Cristea sued Steaua for the UEFA Champions League qualification bonus] (in Romanian). Digisport.ro. 14 December 2013. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
25. "Schalke - Steaua 3-0. Roş-albaştrii au pierdut categoric primul meci din grupele CL" [Schalke - Steaua 3-0. The red-blues categorically lost the first match in the CL groups] (in Romanian). Gsp.ro. 18 September 2013. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
26. "Adrian Cristea nu mai e jucătorul Stelei. Fotbalistul se va alege cu despăgubiri după rezilierea contractului". Andrei Militaru. Adevărul. 11 April 2014. Retrieved 10 September 2014.
27. "OFICIAL: Adrian Cristea va juca la Chiajna. A semnat până la finalul sezonului" [OFFICIAL: Adrian Cristea will play in Chiajna. He signed until the end of the season] (in Romanian). Digisport.ro. 9 September 2014. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
28. "OFICIAL: Adrian Cristea va juca la Chiajna. A semnat până la finalul sezonului" [OFFICIAL: Adrian Cristea will play in Chiajna. He signed until the end of the season] (in Romanian). Digisport.ro. 9 September 2014. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
29. "Adrian Cristea". European Football. Retrieved 22 February 2024.
30. "Romania 2-0 Moldova". European Football. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
31. "DECRET privind conferirea Ordinului și Medaliei Meritul Sportiv" (PDF). Monitorul Oficial al României Nr. 241. 28 March 2008. p. 3. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
32. "Decorarea unor personalități ale fotbalului românesc". Administrația Prezidențială. 25 March 2008. Archived from the original on 12 September 2020. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
33. "Adrian Cristea". Soccerway.com. Retrieved 17 July 2017.
    "Adrian Cristea". WorldFootball.net. Retrieved 1 August 2025.

External links

• Adrian Cristea at National-Football-Teams.com
• Adrian Cristea at WorldFootball.net