Claudiu Niculescu

Claudiu Niculescu

Personal information
Full name	Claudiu Iulian Niculescu
Date of birth	(1976-06-23) 23 June 1976 (age 48)
Place of birth	Slatina, Romania
Height	1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)
Position(s)	Striker
Team information
Current team	CSM Slatina (head coach)
Youth career
1982–1994	CSȘ Slatina
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1994–1995	Jiul IELIF Craiova	29	(5)
1995–1996	Drobeta-Turnu Severin	20	(15)
1996–1997	Electroputere Craiova	48	(31)
1998–2001	Universitatea Craiova	93	(41)
2001–2002	Dinamo București	30	(20)
2002–2003	Genoa	13	(3)
2003–2007	Dinamo București	123	(69)
2008	MSV Duisburg	17	(4)
2008	Omonia	8	(1)
2009–2010	Dinamo București	38	(8)
2010–2012	Universitatea Cluj	42	(18)
Total		461	(215)
International career
2000–2007	Romania	8	(0)
Managerial career
2010	Universitatea Cluj (caretaker)
2012	Universitatea Cluj (player/coach)
2012	Bihor Oradea
2013	Damila Măciuca
2013–2014	CSM Râmnicu Vâlcea
2014–2015	Mioveni
2017–2018	Voluntari
2018	Dinamo București
2019	Al-Tai
2020	Mioveni
2021–2022	Concordia Chiajna
2022	Politehnica Iași
2022–2024	1599 Șelimbăr
2024–	Voluntari
2024–	CSM Slatina
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Claudiu Iulian Niculescu (born 23 June 1976) is a Romanian football coach and former striker, currently in charge of Liga II club CSM Slatina. ^[1]

Club career

"Claudiu is one of the strikers with the highest qualities I have ever met."

–José Ramón Alexanko, former Universitatea Craiova manager ^[1]

Early career

Claudiu Niculescu was born in Slatina and started playing football at the youth club CSȘ Slatina, alongside Ionel Dănciulescu, Ionuț Luțu and Augustin Chiriță, being coached by Ion Pârvulescu. ^{[2] [3] [4]} He started his senior career playing at Jiul IELIF Craiova in Divizia B, after which he played for one season at Drobeta-Turnu Severin in Divizia C, returning for the following one season and a half to play in Divizia B at Electroputere Craiova. ^{[1] [2] [5]}

Universitatea Craiova

Niculescu made his Divizia A debut on 1 March 1998, playing for Universitatea Craiova under Spanish coach José Ramón Alexanko in a 2–1 victory against Petrolul Ploiești in which he scored one goal. ^{[1] [2] [6] [7] [8]} He spent three years and a half with The Blue Lions , scoring 41 goals in 93 Divizia A matches, appearing in two games without scoring from the 2000–01 UEFA Cup, also reaching two Cupa României finals. ^{[2] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10]}

Dinamo București and Genoa

In 2001 he went to play for Dinamo București where in his first season he won the Divizia A title, being the second top-goalscorer of the league with 15 goals, as coaches Cornel Dinu and Marin Ion gave him 28 appearances. ^{[2] [11] [12]} In 2002, shortly after scoring a spectacular goal from about 30 meters against goalkeeper Iker Casillas in a friendly which ended with a 5–2 loss against Real Madrid, Niculescu was transferred to Genoa in Serie B for a fee estimated by the Romanian press between €700.000 and €1 million. ^{[2] [5] [13]} He spent only one year with The Griffin , being teammate with compatriots Adrian Mihalcea and Paul Codrea, making only 13 appearances in which he scored three goals as his stay there was affected by injuries, returning to Dinamo who agreed to pay the Genovese team €800.000 to get him back. ^{[2] [14]}

In the first season, following his return to The Red Dogs , he helped them win The Double, contributing with 16 goals scored in the 28 league matches in which he was used by coach Ioan Andone, also scoring the second goal of the 2–0 victory in front of Oțelul Galați from the Cupa României final and giving his contribution to the elimination of Shakhtar Donetsk by scoring a goal in each leg of the 5–2 victory on aggregate from the UEFA Cup. ^{[2] [11] [15]} On 21 November 2004, Niculescu was in the center of a controversy when during an away game with his former team, Universitatea Craiova, a fan entered the field and threw a "U" Craiova scarf in his face, after which he screamed:"You are a stinking traitor!", shortly after, his teammate Adrian Mihalcea tackled the fan to the ground. ^[16] In the 2004–05 season he scored 21 goals, including all the goals in a 4–0 with CFR Cluj, sharing with Gheorghe Bucur the top-goalscorer of Divizia A title, forming a couple in Dinamo's offence with Ionel Dănciulescu, the Romanian press calling them the "N&D couple", a nickname inspired from the first letters of their family name and the Romanian pop band "N&D". ^{[2] [12] [6] [7] [8] [17]} Niculescu started the following season by scoring the final goal of the 3–2 victory against rivals Steaua București which helped the team earn for the first time in its history the Supercupa României, also Andone used him in the 2005–06 UEFA Cup campaign when they eliminated Omonia Nicosia against whom he scored a goal, then they got pass Everton against whom he also scored a goal in a historical 5–2 on aggregate, reaching the group stage where he defeated goalkeeper Fabien Barthez by scoring a goal from a 20 meters free kick in a 2–1 away loss in front of Olympique Marseille. ^{[2] [18]}

In the 2006–07 season under the guidance of coach Mircea Rednic, Niculescu won another championship title with Dinamo and became the top-goalscorer of the league with 18 goals, four of these were scored in a 4–1 against rivals Rapid București and two in a 4–2 victory in a derby with Steaua București. ^{[2] [12] [6] [19]} With eight goals scored in the 2006–07 UEFA Cup, of which four were in the group stage against Beşiktaş, Club Brugge and a double in the 2–1 victory in front of Bayer Leverkusen for which he received a 10 in the Gazeta Sporturilor newspaper, Niculescu was the second best goal-scorer of the competition, having three less than Espanyol's Walter Pandiani, helping The Red Dogs reach the sixteenths-finals where they were eliminated by Benfica. ^[20] In the following season, Dinamo had the objective of reaching the Champions League group stage, Niculescu playing in both legs of the third qualifying round against Lazio Roma, which however was lost with 4–2 on aggregate. ^{[2] [21]}

MSV Duisburg and Omonia

In January 2008, Niculescu was transferred by Dinamo at MSV Duisburg for 700.000€, where he was wanted by coach Rudi Bommer, being teammate with fellow Romanians Mihai Tararache and Iulian Filipescu, playing 15 Bundesliga matches in which he scored four goals against VfL Wolfsburg, VfB Stuttgart, VfL Bochum and Eintracht Frankfurt but at the end of the season he was transferred in Cyprus at Omonia for 200.000€. ^{[2] [5] [22]}

Dinamo and Universitatea Cluj

In 2009 he returned for a third spell at Dinamo which lasted one year and a half, a period in which he helped the club fulfill "The wonder from Liberec" 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. ^{[2] [23]} In the summer of 2010 he went to play for Universitatea Cluj, the highlights of this period being a brace in a 4–3 victory over his former team, Dinamo, then another goal against them in a 2–1 win, also he scored a goal directly from a corner kick in a 1–1 with Astra Ploiești. ^{[2] [6] [7] [8] [24]} He made his last Liga I appearance on 12 March 2012, playing for "U" Cluj in a 1–0 home loss in front of Steaua. ^{[2] [6] [7] [8]} Claudiu Niculescu was a striker skilled in free kicks, being nicknamed "Lunetistul" (The Sniper) by the Romanian press and he is 11th in an all-time ranking for the goalscorers in Liga I with 156 goals scored in 326 matches played, also with 43 games and 18 goals scored for Dinamo in European matches, he is the player with the most appearances and top scorer in European competitions for the club. ^{[2] [6] [7] [8]}

International career

Claudiu Niculescu played 8 games at international level for Romania, making his debut when coach László Bölöni sent him on the field in order to replace Marius Niculae in the 81st minute of a friendly which ended with a 2–1 victory against FR Yugoslavia. ^{[25] [26]} He also played two games at the 2006 World Cup qualifiers and one at the Euro 2008 qualifiers. ^[25] Niculescu's last appearance for the national team took place on 22 August 2007 in a 2–0 home win in a friendly with Turkey. ^[25]

Career statistics

International

Romania
Year	Apps	Goals
2000	1	0
2002	2	0
2005	2	0
2006	2	0
2007	1	0
Total	8	0

Coaching career

His first experience as a coach was in November 2010 for two matches at Universitatea Cluj, where he was at the same time an active player. ^[27] His second experience as a coach started in March 2012 which was also at "U" Cluj and also being in the same time an active player. ^[28] In 15 games under his command, the club won four games, draw in six and lost five. Niculescu resigned after the first game of the 2012–13 season, a loss 6–2 at Pandurii Târgu Jiu. ^[29]

On 25 September 2012, Niculescu was installed as the head coach of Liga II team Bihor Oradea with an objective to help the team promote to the first division. ^[30] In December, Niculescu ended his contract, after only eight games (two wins, three draws and three losses). ^[31]

In January 2013, Niculescu took over Damila Măciuca, in Liga II. ^[32]

September 2018, Niculescu was appointed coach of Dinamo București, following the dismissal of Florin Bratu. He signed a contract until 2020. ^[33]

On 7 January 2021, Niculescu signed a contract with Liga II side Concordia Chiajna. ^[34]

Managerial statistics

Updated as of 16 December 2024 ^[35]

Team	From	To	Record
			G	W	D	L	GF	GA	Win %
Universitatea Cluj (caretaker)	9 November 2010	18 November 2010	2	0	1	1	1	4	000.00
Universitatea Cluj	5 March 2012	27 July 2012	15	4	6	5	23	23	026.67
Bihor Oradea	11 September 2012	13 December 2012	11	3	4	4	18	20	027.27
Damila Măciuca	10 January 2013	29 June 2013	12	8	2	2	22	7	066.67
CSM Râmnicu Vâlcea	5 August 2013	27 April 2014	25	10	7	8	29	23	040.00
Mioveni	7 July 2014	19 October 2015	45	22	11	12	64	40	048.89
Voluntari	3 April 2017	14 April 2018	47	16	13	18	48	57	034.04
Dinamo Bucuresti	24 September 2018	13 October 2018	3	1	1	1	3	3	033.33
Al-Tai	15 June 2019	30 October 2019	11	5	1	5	13	11	045.45
Mioveni	2 March 2020	27 October 2020	17	5	7	5	11	10	029.41
Concordia Chiajna	8 January 2021	1 March 2022	31	16	9	6	35	22	051.61
Politehnica Iași	7 June 2022	10 October 2022	10	6	2	2	14	8	060.00
1599 Șelimbăr	7 November 2022	12 May 2024	43	20	13	10	52	41	046.51
Voluntari	6 June 2024	22 November 2024	14	6	4	4	17	11	042.86
CSM Slatina	2 December 2024	present	2	2	0	0	2	0	100.00
Total			288	124	81	83	348	280	043.06

Personal life

Claudiu Niculescu's brothers Mihai and Dragoș and his cousin Ovidiu were footballers in the Romanian lower leagues. ^{[3] [36]} His father Marin was a football coach in the Romanian lower leagues. ^{[3] [36]} In 1998 he married Lidia and they had together two kids, Alexandru and Rebecca. ^{[37] [38]} They divorced in 2006. ^{[37] [39]} In June 2007, he married Diana Munteanu who was a TV host, their wedding was considered the wedding of the year by the Romanian press. ^[40] Together they had a son named David Cristian. ^{[40] [41]} Claudiu and Diana divorced in 2014. ^[42]

Honours

Player

Universitatea Craiova

• Cupa României runner-up: 1997–98, 1999–2000 ^{[9] [10]}

Dinamo București

• Divizia A: 2001–02, 2003–04, 2006–07 ^[2]
• Cupa României: 2002–03, 2003–04, 2004–05 ^[2]
• Supercupa României: 2005 ^[2]

Individual

• Liga I top scorer: 2004–05 (joint with Gigel Bucur), 2006–07 ^{[2] [12]}

Coach

Voluntari

• Cupa României: 2016–17 ^{[7] [35]}
• Supercupa României: 2017 ^{[7] [35]}

References

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2. Claudiu Niculescu at RomanianSoccer.ro (in Romanian)
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16. "Poștașul – gest de răzbunare" [The postman – gesture of revenge] (in Romanian). Prosport.ro. 31 March 2009. Retrieved 6 December 2023.
    "Scena fularului aruncat de "Poștașul" către Claudiu Niculescu s-a repetat după 15 ani! Fiii celor doi, implicați de data asta" [The scene of the scarf thrown by the "Postman" to Claudiu Niculescu was repeated after 15 years! The sons of the two, involved this time] (in Romanian). Gsp.ro. 30 November 2019. Retrieved 6 December 2023.
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    "EXCLUSIV VIDEO Dezvăluiri la GSP Live. Care a fost secretul faimosului cuplu N&D: "Ne simțeam, nu trebuia să vorbim, nu trebuia să ridicăm privirea"" [VIDEO EXCLUSIVE GSP Live Disclosures. What was the secret of the famous N&D couple: "We felt each other, we didn't have to talk, we didn't have to look up at each other"] (in Romanian). Gsp.ro. 29 April 2020. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
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32. "Claudiu Niculescu, antrenor principal" (in Romanian). fcdamila.ro. 3 January 2013. Archived from the original on 16 April 2013.
33. Apostol, Eduard; Gafiuc, Justin; Vrînceanu, Victor (23 September 2018). "GALERIE FOTO OFICIAL Niculescu a semnat cu Dinamo! Staff-ul noului antrenor, detaliile contractului, imagini de la RIN". Gazeta Sporturilor (in Romanian). Retrieved 1 October 2018.
34. "Bun venit, Claudiu Niculescu". csconcordia.ro (in Romanian). 8 January 2021.^{[ permanent dead link ‍]}
35. Claudiu Niculescu at Soccerway
36. "Fraţii lui Niculescu din Liga a III-a: "Claudiu, hai acasă!"" [Niculescu's brothers from the Third League: "Claudiu, come home!"] (in Romanian). Click.ro. 2 October 2009. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
37. "Iată ce frumoasă s-a făcut Lidia, fosta soţie a lui Claudiu Niculescu!" [Look how beautiful is Lidia, Claudiu Niculescu's ex-wife!] (in Romanian). Libertatea.ro. 26 December 2010. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
38. "Claudiu Niculescu, parasit de sotie" [Claudiu Niculescu, left by his wife] (in Romanian). Jurnalul.antena3.ro. 12 February 2004. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
39. "EXCLUSIV Fosta soție a lui Claudiu Niculescu face eforturi uriașe ca să-şi poată creşte copiii" [EXCLUSIVE The former wife of Claudiu Niculescu makes huge efforts to raise her children] (in Romanian). Click.ro. 23 January 2015. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
40. "Totul despre relaţia şi căsnicia dintre Claudiu şi Diana Niculescu" [Everything about the relationship and marriage between Claudiu and Diana Niculescu] (in Romanian). Click.ro. 16 September 2014. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
41. "S-au înţeles în privinţa copilului, nu şi la bani. Diana Munteanu și Claudiu Niculescu au probleme în a împărți averea EXCLUSIV" [They agreed upon the child, but upon not the money. Diana Munteanu and Claudiu Niculescu have trouble splitting their wealth EXCLUSIVELY] (in Romanian). Click.ro. 5 July 2015. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
42. "Claudiu Niculescu, despre despărţirea de Diana Munteanu: "Am divorţat pentru că..."" [Claudiu Niculescu, about the separation from Diana Munteanu: "We divorced because ..."] (in Romanian). Apropotv.ro. 12 February 2018. Retrieved 1 July 2019.

External links

• Claudiu Niculescu at National-Football-Teams.com
• Claudiu Niculescu at WorldFootball.net
• Claudiu Niculescu at Soccerway