Lucian Iulian Cristea (Romanian pronunciation: [lutʃiˈan juliˈan ˈkriste̯a]; born 17 July 1994) is a Romanian professional footballer who plays as a centre-back or a defensive midfielder for Liga I club Universitatea Cluj.
.jpg) Cristea with FCSB in 2022 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Lucian Iulian Cristea | ||
| Date of birth | 17 July 1994 | ||
| Place of birth | Mediaș, Romania | ||
| Height | 1.84 m (6 ft 0 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Centre-back, defensive midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Universitatea Cluj | ||
| Number | 6 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2007–2013 | Gaz Metan Mediaș | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2014–2019 | Gaz Metan Mediaș | 109 | (6) |
| 2014 | → Metalurgistul Cugir (loan) | ||
| 2019–2023 | FCSB | 120 | (8) |
| 2023–2024 | Rapid București | 14 | (0) |
| 2024– | Universitatea Cluj | 18 | (1) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2014–2016 | Romania U21 | 6 | (0) |
| 2019– | Romania | 4 | (0) |
|
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 14 December 2024 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 4 June 2022 | |||
Club career
editAfter playing over 110 matches in all competitions for his hometown club Gaz Metan Mediaș, Cristea moved to fellow Liga I team FCSB on 26 February 2019.[1] He signed a five-year contract for a €150,000 transfer fee.[2]
On 13 June 2023, after being released by FCSB, Cristea moved to cross-town rivals Rapid București on a two-year deal.[3] He terminated his agreement with Rapid București on 31 May 2024,[4] and on 5 June Universitatea Cluj announced the signing of Cristea as a free agent.[5]
International career
editOn 10 June 2019, Cristea made his debut for the Romania national team in a 4–0 win against Malta counting for the UEFA Euro 2020 qualifiers.[6]
Style of play
editCristea has been described as versatile, due to his ability to play equally well as either a centre-back or a defensive midfielder, and has been noted for his aerial prowess.[7]
Career statistics
editClub
edit- As of match played 14 December 2024[8]
| Club | Season | League | National Cup | League Cup | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Gaz Metan Mediaș | 2014–15 | Liga I | 15 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 16 | 0 | ||
| 2015–16 | Liga II | 22 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 22 | 1 | ||||
| 2016–17 | Liga I | 28 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 29 | 1 | |||
| 2017–18 | Liga I | 21 | 1 | 5 | 0 | — | — | — | 26 | 1 | ||||
| 2018–19 | Liga I | 23 | 3 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 24 | 3 | ||||
| Total | 109 | 6 | 8 | 0 | — | — | — | 117 | 6 | |||||
| FCSB | 2018–19 | Liga I | 10 | 1 | — | — | — | — | 10 | 1 | ||||
| 2019–20 | Liga I | 28 | 1 | 3 | 0 | — | 7 | 1 | — | 38 | 2 | |||
| 2020–21 | Liga I | 35 | 4 | 0 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 36 | 4 | ||
| 2021–22 | Liga I | 33 | 2 | 1 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | — | 35 | 2 | |||
| 2022–23 | Liga I | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 14 | 0 | |||
| Total | 120 | 8 | 4 | 0 | — | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 133 | 9 | |||
| Rapid București | 2023–24 | Liga I | 14 | 0 | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | 16 | 1 | |||
| Universitatea Cluj | 2024–25 | Liga I | 18 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 18 | 1 | |||
| Career total | 261 | 15 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 284 | 17 | ||
International
edit- As of match played 4 June 2022[9]
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Romania | |||
| 2019 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2020 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2022 | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 4 | 0 | |
Honours
editGaz Metan Mediaș[8]
FCSB[8]
- Cupa României: 2019–20
- Supercupa României runner-up: 2020
Individual
References
edit- ^ "Bine ai venit, Iulian Cristea!" [Welcome, Iulian Cristea!] (in Romanian). FCSB. 26 February 2019. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
- ^ "Iulian Cristea a semnat în această seară cu FCSB! » Gigi Becali, pentru GSP.ro: "Băiatul vine de mâine la antrenament"" [Iulian Cristea signed with FCSB this evening! » Gigi Becali, for GSP.ro: "The boy is coming to training tomorrow"]. Gazeta Sporturilor (in Romanian). 25 February 2019.
- ^ "IULIAN CRISTEA ESTE NOUL FUNDAȘ AL RAPIDULUI" [IULIAN CRISTEA IS RAPID'S NEW DEFENDER] (in Romanian). FC Rapid București. 13 June 2023. Retrieved 13 June 2023.
- ^ "Rapid s-a despărțit de Iulian Cristea" (in Romanian). FC Rapid București. 31 May 2024. Retrieved 6 June 2024.
- ^ "Bun venit, Iulian Cristea!" (in Romanian). FC Universitatea Cluj. 5 June 2024. Retrieved 6 June 2024.
- ^ "Misiune îndeplinită pentru tricolori în Malta: victorie cu 4-0!" [Mission accomplished for "the Tricolours" in Malta: a 4–0 victory!] (in Romanian). Romanian Football Federation. 10 June 2019. Retrieved 11 June 2019.
- ^ "EXCLUSIV Echipa din străinătate care l-a dorit pe Iulian Cristea, înainte să semneze cu Rapid" [EXCLUSIVE The foreign team that wanted Iulian Cristea, before he signed for Rapid] (in Romanian). Digi Sport. 13 June 2023. Retrieved 13 June 2023.
- ^ a b c Iulian Cristea at Soccerway. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
- ^ "Iulian Cristea". European Football. Retrieved 27 May 2023.
- ^ "LPF a anunțat echipa ideală a sezonului de Liga 1 » FCSB și CFR Cluj, reprezentate de câte 3 jucători" [LPF has chosen the "ideal team" of the Liga 1 season! Which team offers the most players] (in Romanian). Gazeta Sporturilor. 3 June 2022. Retrieved 6 June 2022.
- ^ "Liga 1 Betano: echipa ideală a play-off-ului" [Liga 1 Betano: team of the championship play-offs] (in Romanian). LPF.ro. 27 May 2019. Retrieved 27 May 2019.
External links
edit- Iulian Cristea at RomanianSoccer.ro (in Romanian)
- Iulian Cristea at National-Football-Teams.com