Cosmin Contra

Cosmin Contra

Contra as manager of Romania in 2018
Personal information
Full name	Cosmin Marius Contra [1]
Date of birth	(1975-12-15) 15 December 1975 (age 47) [1]
Place of birth	Timișoara, Romania [1]
Height	1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) [1]
Position(s)	Right-back, midfielder
Team information
Current team	Damac (manager)
Youth career
1988–1993	Politehnica Timișoara
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1993–1995	Politehnica Timișoara	51	(1)
1996–1999	Dinamo București	101	(8)
1999–2001	Alavés	66	(5)
2001–2002	Milan	29	(3)
2002–2006	Atlético Madrid	34	(0)
2004–2005	→ West Bromwich Albion (loan)	5	(0)
2005	→ Politehnica Timișoara (loan)	14	(0)
2005–2006	→ Getafe (loan)	24	(0)
2006–2010	Getafe	60	(3)
2010	→ Politehnica Timișoara (loan)	13	(3)
2010–2011	Politehnica Timișoara	9	(1)
Total		406	(24)
International career
1996–2010	Romania	73	(7)
Managerial career
2010	Politehnica Timișoara
2012	Fuenlabrada
2012–2014	Petrolul Ploiești
2014–2015	Getafe
2015	Guangzhou R&F
2016	Alcorcón
2017	Dinamo București
2017–2019	Romania
2020	Dinamo București
2021–2022	Al-Ittihad
2023–	Damac
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Cosmin Marius Contra (Romanian pronunciation:  [kosˈmin ˈmari.us ˈkontra] ; born 15 December 1975) is a Romanian football manager and former player. He is the current manager of Saudi Arabian club Damac.

Primarily an attacking-minded right-back, he was also deployed as a midfielder. He played professionally in three countries his own notwithstanding, mainly Spain where he appeared for Alavés, Atlético Madrid and Getafe, amassing La Liga totals of 188 games and eight goals. A Romania international for nearly 15 years, he represented the nation in two European Championships.

As a coach, Contra won the Cupa României with Petrolul Ploiești in 2013 and the Cupa Ligii with Dinamo București four years later. In September 2017, he was appointed at the helm of the Romania national team.

Playing career

Club

Politehnica and Dinamo

Born in Timișoara, Cosmin Contra started his professional career at local club Politehnica Timișoara, making his Divizia A debut under coach Costică Ștefănescu on 27 February 1994 at age 18 in a 1–0 victory in the West derby against UTA Arad. ^{[2] [3] [4]} At the end of his first season they were relegated to Divizia B, but he stayed with the side, promoting back after one year. Midway through 1995–96, he signed for Dinamo București at the request of coach Cornel Dinu. ^{[2] [3] [4]} During his period with the Red Dogs he failed to win any trophy, the team's best performance during his stay being a runner-up finish in 1998–99; he also made his debut in European competitions, appearing in four matches in the 1996 UEFA Intertoto Cup and two in the 1997–98 UEFA Cup. ^[2]

Alavés

After three and a half campaigns with Dinamo, Contra was transferred for $800,000 to Deportivo Alavés in the Spanish La Liga. ^[5] He was an important part in the Basques' runner-up run in the UEFA Cup, ^[6] his performances earning him in a place in the UEFA Team of the Year. ^[7]

Contra scored eight goals in all competitions during his spell at the Mendizorrotza Stadium. In December 2021, as the club celebrated its 100th birthday, he was voted its best-ever right-back by newspaper Noticias de Álava. ^[8]

Milan and Atlético

In the summer of 2001, Contra moved to Italian club A.C. Milan, but his spell there lasted only one season. In September 2002 he returned to Spain and joined Atlético Madrid, ^[9] appearing very rarely in the 2003–04 campaign due to a serious ankle condition; ^[10] while still with Milan, he was suspended after a scuffle with Juventus's Edgar Davids. ^[11]

Contra signed for West Bromwich Albion on loan in August 2004, ^[12] making his debut in a 2–1 defeat at Colchester United in the second round of the Football League Cup on 21 September. ^[13] His maiden Premier League appearance occurred almost two months later, when they lost 2–1 at home against Middlesbrough. ^[14]

Overall, the loan was not particularly successful, with Contra playing just six games and receiving a red card in his last match, a 0–5 home loss to Liverpool. ^[15] He then returned to his country and Liga I, at the club which brought him up as a player, Politehnica Timișoara, where he managed to be recalled to the national side due to his good performances. ^[5]

Getafe

Contra with Getafe in 2009

Contra returned to Spain in August 2005, agreeing to a season-long loan with Getafe ^[16] which was subsequently made permanent (he was supposed to have arrived at the Coliseum Alfonso Pérez before, but the move was blocked because the squad had too many non-EU players, and his compatriot Gheorghe Craioveanu only ceased to be considered a foreigner the same year). ^[17] He was used regularly by the Madrid outskirts side, battling for a first-team slot with David Cortés. ^[5]

In the 2007–08 UEFA Cup, Contra netted in both legs of the quarter-final tie against Bayern Munich, which ended in a 4–4 aggregate elimination after extra time. ^[18] Earlier in the competition, he scored a penalty kick against AEK Athens, ^[19] appearing in that match even though his father had died just hours before. ^[20]

Later career

In late January 2010, after being ousted from the starting XI by manager Míchel, Contra left Getafe and returned to his country, rejoining hometown's Politehnica Timișoara initially until June. ^{[21] [5]} On 26 February he made his debut in his second spell for the club, scoring from a 30-yard free kick in the last minute of the 2–1 victory over Politehnica Iași. ^[22] Two months later, at Steaua București, he again found the net from two set pieces, one from a penalty (3–3 draw); ^[23] during his second stint, he played mainly as a central midfielder.

On 29 August 2010, Contra scored again from a free kick and again against Steaua, in a late 1–1 equaliser. ^[24] His contract expired the following day, and on 9 September he agreed to a new deal, ^[25] being announced as new player-coach six days later. ^[26] His last game as a player took place on 13 November 2010, in a 1–1 home draw with Unirea Urziceni. ^{[2] [4]}

International

Contra earned 73 caps for Romania and scored seven goals, making his debut on 24 April 1996 at the age of 20 when coach Anghel Iordănescu sent him on the field in the 65th minute in order to replace captain Gheorghe Hagi in a friendly against Georgia which ended with a 5–0 victory. ^{[4] [27] [28] [29]} He played three games in the Euro 2000 qualifiers, being selected by Emerich Jenei to be part of the final tournament squad, where he was used as a starter the first three matches, helping the team pass the group stage, but did not play in the 2–0 loss to Italy in the quarter-finals, being suspended after receiving two yellow cards in the previous fixtures. ^{[4] [27]} He made nine appearances and netted twice in the 2002 FIFA World Cup qualifying phase, one in a 2–0 away victory over Georgia and one in the second leg of the play-off against Slovenia which was lost 3–2 on aggregate. ^{[4] [27]}

Contra made six appearances in the Euro 2004 qualifiers, scoring a hat-trick in the 7–0 away rout of Luxembourg, playing six times in the 2006 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign. ^{[27] [30]} He contributed six matches and two goals, one in a 3–0 victory against Luxembourg and one in the 2–0 defeat of Slovenia in qualification for Euro 2008, being used in the final tournament by manager Victor Pițurcă in all the minutes as his side failed to progress from their group. ^[27]

Contra played four games in the 2010 World Cup qualifiers and, on 1 April 2009, after a match with Austria, he announced his retirement from international football; however, on 30 August 2010, the 34-year-old was recalled by manager Răzvan Lucescu for the Euro 2012 qualifiers, making his last appearance in a 1–1 against Albania. ^{[27] [31]}

Coaching career

Early career

Contra made his Timișoara debut as a manager in September 2010, with a win against Sportul Studențesc București. ^[32] Even though the team never lost a game under his guidance, he was sacked after 11 matches – six wins, five draws – because of a conflict with the club's owner. ^[33]

Contra returned to Spain in July 2012, being appointed at Segunda División B side Fuenlabrada. ^[34] He started the campaign well and, after ten rounds, the team found themselves in a play-off position; however, after an offer from FC Petrolul Ploiești in his homeland arrived, he asked to be released from his contract. ^[35]

Petrolul

Contra took over at Petrolul in October 2012, replacing Mircea Rednic. In his first season he reached the final of the Romanian Cup, defeating CFR Cluj 1–0; ^[36] additionally, the club finished third in the domestic league, thus securing qualification to the Europa League after an 18-year-absence.

Petrolul managed to knock out Víkingur Gøta in the Europa League second qualifying round and Vitesse Arnhem in the third, but were eliminated in the play-offs by Swansea City after being bested 5–1 in Wales and winning 2–1 at home. ^[37]

Getafe

On 10 March 2014, Contra returned to Getafe and the Spanish top flight after four years, replacing Luis García who was fired after a long run of bad results which led the team to only a point above the relegation zone, and without a league win since November. ^{[38] [39]} His first match in charge came four days later, a 3–3 home draw against Granada. ^[40] They finally won a game on the penultimate day of the month, emerging victorious at Valencia 3–1. ^[41]

On 19 May 2014, Contra confirmed survival for the side after a 2–1 win away win over Rayo Vallecano. ^[42]

Guangzhou R&F

On 18 December 2014, Contra was named as the new manager of Guangzhou R&F, replacing Sven-Göran Eriksson. ^[43] He began working officially for the club on 4 January of the following year. ^[44]

Alcorcón and Dinamo Bucharest

On 15 June 2016, Contra was appointed at Alcorcón. ^[45] He was relieved of his duties on 12 October. ^[46]

In February 2017, Contra became Dinamo Bucharest's new coach. ^[47] He led the team to their first trophy in five years by winning the Cupa Ligii ^[48] but, after advances from the Romanian Football Federation, he resigned from his post on 16 September. ^[49]

Romania national team

On 17 September 2017, following Christoph Daum's dismissal, Contra was revealed as the new manager of Romania with the objective of qualifying for Euro 2020. ^[50] His first game in charge was on 5 October, a 3–1 win in Ploiești against Kazakhstan in the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers. ^[51]

In November 2019, after the team could only finish in fourth place in the Euro 2020 qualifying phase behind Spain, Sweden and Norway, the Romanian Football Federation announced Contra would no longer continue on the bench. ^{[52] [53]}

Return to Dinamo

Contra returned to Dinamo Bucharest in August 2020, signing a two-year contract. ^[54] He left on 3 December due to the club's financial problems. ^[55]

Al-Ittihad

On 29 August 2021, Contra was appointed as manager of Al-Ittihad in the Saudi Professional League. ^[56] His team led the league by 16 points over Al Hilal in February but ended the season two points behind that team, who he lost to twice. ^[57]

Contra was dismissed by the Jeddah-based club in early July 2022, and replaced by Nuno Espírito Santo. ^[58]

Damac

On 6 March 2023, Contra joined Damac of the same country and league. ^[59]

Career statistics

International

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

List of international goals scored by Cosmin Contra ^[27]

No.	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	28 March 2001	Boris Paichadze, Tbilisi, Georgia	Georgia	2–0	2–0	2002 World Cup qualification
2	14 November 2001	Ghencea, Bucharest, Romania	Slovenia	1–1	1–1	2002 World Cup qualification – Playoffs
3	16 October 2002	Josy Barthel, Luxembourg, Luxembourg	Luxembourg	4–0	7–0	Euro 2004 qualifying
4				5–0
5				7–0
6	28 March 2007	Stadionul Ceahlăul, Piatra Neamț, Romania	Luxembourg	2–0	3–0	Euro 2008 qualifying
7	6 June 2007	Dan Păltinișanu, Timișoara, Romania	Slovenia	2–0	2–0	Euro 2008 qualifying

Managerial statistics

As of 27 May 2023 ^{[60] [61] [62] [63]}

Managerial record by team and tenure

Team	Nat	From	To	Record
				G	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Win %
Politehnica Timișoara		15 September 2010	5 December 2010	14	7	6	1	22	14	+8	050.00
Fuenlabrada		21 July 2012	29 October 2012	11	5	3	3	18	16	+2	045.45
Petrolul Ploiești		29 October 2012	10 March 2014	58	33	20	5	99	48	+51	056.90
Getafe		10 March 2014	4 January 2015	30	10	8	12	30	35	−5	033.33
Guangzhou R&F		4 January 2015	22 July 2015	30	9	7	14	37	45	−8	030.00
Alcorcón		15 June 2016	12 October 2016	11	4	3	4	6	9	−3	036.36
Dinamo București		16 February 2017	18 September 2017	28	15	7	6	41	24	+17	053.57
Romania		22 September 2017	18 November 2019	24	13	6	5	39	26	+13	054.17
Dinamo București		26 August 2020	3 December 2020	11	3	2	6	14	13	+1	027.27
Al-Ittihad		29 August 2021	4 July 2022	30	20	5	5	62	31	+31	066.67
Damac		6 March 2023	Present	13	6	2	5	14	19	−5	046.15
Total				260	125	69	66	382	280	+102	048.08

Honours

Player

Politehnica Timișoara

• Divizia B: 1994–95 ^{[64] [2]}

Alavés

• UEFA Cup runner-up: 2000–01 ^[6]

Getafe

• Copa del Rey runner-up: 2006–07, 2007–08 ^[21]

Individual

• Romanian Footballer of the Year (Gazeta Sporturilor): 2001 ^[65]
• UEFA Team of the Year: 2001 ^[66]

Manager

Petrolul Ploiești

• Cupa României: 2012–13 ^[36]

Dinamo București

• Cupa Ligii: 2016–17 ^[48]

Individual

• Saudi Professional League Manager of the Month: February 2022 ^[67]

References

1. "Cosmin Marius CONTRA". El Mundo (in Spanish). Retrieved 15 October 2019.
2. Cosmin Contra at RomanianSoccer.ro (in Romanian)
3. "Cosmin Contra a debutat la seniori în primul Poli – UTA de după revoluție" [Cosmin Contra made his senior debut in first Poli – UTA after the revolution] (in Romanian). Druckeria. Retrieved 20 September 2022.
4. "20 de fotografii cu Contra în prim-plan: comentariu cu comentariu, ce spune selecționerul despre ultimii 20 ani ai naționalei!" [20 photos with Contra in the foreground: comment by comment, what is the coach saying about the last 20 years of the national team!]. Gazeta Sporturilor (in Romanian). 7 October 2017. Retrieved 20 September 2022.
5. Pascual González, Álvaro (4 July 2013). "Yo jugué en el Getafe: Cosmin Contra" [I played for Getafe: Cosmin Contra] (in Spanish). Vavel . Retrieved 18 October 2019.
6. "Liverpool win nine-goal epic with golden goal". UEFA. 1 September 2014. Retrieved 28 June 2016.
7. "Contra voted Romania's finest". UEFA. 18 December 2001. Retrieved 6 July 2010.
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9. "Contra deal goes through". BBC Sport. 2 September 2002. Retrieved 14 March 2008.
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11. "Contra and Davids suspended after scuffle". UEFA. 12 August 2002. Retrieved 6 July 2010.
12. "Baggies snap up Contra". BBC Sport. 31 August 2004. Retrieved 14 March 2008.
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31. "Imediat după anunțul că se lasă de fotbal, Contra a fost convocat la "națională"!" [Immediately after retiring from football, Contra is called to the national team!]. Gazeta Sporturilor (in Romanian). 30 August 2010. Retrieved 30 August 2010.
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35. Aizcorbe, R. (29 October 2012). "Contra deja Fuenlabrada por el Ploiesti rumano" [Contra leaves Fuenlabrada for Romania's Ploiești]. Marca (in Spanish). Retrieved 29 October 2012.
36. "Petrolul edge past Cluj to win Romanian Cup". Chicago Tribune . 1 June 2013. Retrieved 5 June 2013.
37. Williams, Aled (29 August 2013). "Petrolul Ploiesti 2–1 Swansea (agg 3–6)". BBC Sport. Retrieved 30 August 2013.
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41. Conn, Tom (30 March 2014). "Valencia 1–3 Getafe: Getafe sucker punch Valencia to escape the relegation zone". Inside Spanish Football. Archived from the original on 31 March 2014. Retrieved 31 March 2014.
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43. "Guangzhou R&F names Getafe's Cosmin Contra coach". The New Zealand Herald . 19 December 2014. Retrieved 4 January 2015.
44. 富力宣布孔特拉下周一正式接手 刘殿座确定加盟 (in Chinese). Sports 163. 2 January 2015. Retrieved 4 January 2015.
45. "Cosmin Contra, nuevo entrenador de la A.D. Alcorcón" [Cosmin Contra, new manager of A.D. Alcorcón] (in Spanish). AD Alcorcón. 15 June 2016. Retrieved 18 June 2016.
46. "Comunicado oficial" [Official announcement] (in Spanish). AD Alcorcón. 12 October 2016. Retrieved 12 October 2016.
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48. "VIDEO+FOTO – Dinamo a câștigat Cupa Ligii fără emoții! Al 34-lea trofeu din vitrina 'câinilor'" [VIDEO+PHOTO " Dinamo won unexciting League Cup! 34th trophy in the 'dogs' cabinet]. Gazeta Sporturilor (in Romanian). 20 May 2017. Retrieved 20 September 2017.
49. "Cosmin Contra și-a oficializat plecarea de la Dinamo: "Știu că nu sunt iubit de toată lumea și că n-am experiență, dar era visul meu să preiau naționala"" [Cosmin Contra made his departure from Dinamo official: "I know that I am not loved by everybody and that I have no experience, but it was my dream to take over the national team"]. Gazeta Sporturilor (in Romanian). 19 September 2017. Retrieved 20 September 2017.
50. "Înțelegere de principiu cu Cosmin Contra pentru conducerea Naționalei României" [Agreement in principle with Cosmin Contra to lead the Romania national team] (in Romanian). Romanian Football Federation. 17 September 2017. Retrieved 17 April 2020.
51. "România-Kazahstan 3–1 | O 'guriță' de speranță cu Budescu în formă maximă" [Romania-Kazakhstan 3–1 | A 'mouthful' (reference to Contra's nickname) of hope with Budescu in top form] (in Romanian). Telekom TV. 5 October 2017. Retrieved 17 April 2020.
52. "Cosmin Contra nu va mai antrena echipa nationala. Anuntul a fost facut de FRF" [Cosmin Contra will no longer coach the national team. RFF made the announcement] (in Romanian). Digi FM. 21 November 2019. Retrieved 22 November 2019.
53. Pop, Alexandru (6 December 2019). "Fostul selecționer Cosmin Contra își cere scuze pentru că a ratat calificarea la Euro 2020" [Former coach Cosmin Contra apologises for missing qualification for Euro 2020] (in Romanian). Newsweek. Retrieved 17 April 2020.
54. "Cosmin Contra la Dinamo București" [Cosmin Contra at Dinamo Bucharest] (in Romanian). Dinamo București. 26 August 2020. Retrieved 26 August 2020.
55. "Cosmin Contra, mesaj pentru suporteri după ce a plecat de la Dinamo: "Vă rog să îmi iertați naivitatea. Nu mi-am imaginat niciodată asta"" [Cosmin Contra, message for the supporters after he left Dinamo: "Forgive me for my naivety. I never imagined that"]. Gazeta Sporturilor (in Romanian). 4 December 2020. Retrieved 29 August 2021.
56. "الروماني كوزمين كونترا يتولى تدريب اتحاد جدة" [Romanian Cosmin Contra takes charge of Al-Ittihad Jeddah]. Al Arabiya (in Arabic). 29 August 2021. Retrieved 29 August 2021.
57. "Cosmin Contra apologizes to Al-Ittihad fans for SPL title race collapse, promises strong comeback next season". Arab News . 1 July 2022. Retrieved 28 October 2022.
58. Duerden, John (5 July 2022). "Al-Ittihad name Nuno Espirito Santo as head coach". Arab News. Retrieved 28 October 2022.
59. "ضمك يعلن التعاقد مع كونترا وينهي علاقته بالكرواتي ريزيتش" [Damac announce contract with Contra and end relationship with Croatia's Režić]. Al Riyadh (in Arabic). 6 March 2023. Retrieved 7 March 2023.
60. "Cosmin Contra" (in Romanian). Labtof. Retrieved 10 March 2014.
61. Cosmin Contra manager profile at BDFutbol
62. Cosmin Contra coach profile at Soccerway
63. "Cosmin Contra". Soccerbase. Retrieved 4 January 2015.
64. Ionescu, Romeo. "Romania – List of Second Division Final Tables". RSSSF. Retrieved 23 October 2022.
65. Toma, Razvan. "Romania – Player of the Year Awards". RSSSF. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
66. "Team of the Year 2001". UEFA. 3 January 2011. Retrieved 8 January 2016.
67. "مدرب الاتحاد وحمدلله .. وحارس الفيصلي والبريكان نجوم شهر فبراير." (in Arabic). Saudi Professional League. 1 March 2022. Retrieved 28 February 2023.

External links

• Cosmin Contra at RomanianSoccer.ro (in Romanian)
• Cosmin Contra at BDFutbol
• Cosmin Contra manager profile at BDFutbol
• Cosmin Contra at Soccerbase
• Cosmin Contra at National-Football-Teams.com