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Valentin Costache
	Costache with Rapid București in 2022
Personal information
Full name	Valentin Ionuț Costache
Date of birth	2 August 1998 (age 26)
Place of birth	Videle, Romania
Height	1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Position(s)	Winger, attacking midfielder
Team information
Current team	UTA Arad
Number	19
Youth career
0000–2014	CSȘ Videle
2014–2015	Dinamo București
Senior career*
Years	Team
2015–2017	Dinamo București
2016–2017	→ Afumați (loan)
2018–2022	CFR Cluj
2022–2023	Rapid București
2023–2024	Apollon Limassol
2024–	UTA Arad
International career
2014–2015	Romania U17
2017–2021	Romania U21
2021	Romania Olympic
	*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 14 December 2024

Valentin Ionuț Costache (Romanian pronunciation: [valenˈtin joˈnut͡s kosˈtake]; born 2 August 1998) is a Romanian professional footballer who plays as a winger or as an attacking midfielder for Liga I club UTA Arad.

Club career

Dinamo București

Costache joined the youth setup of Dinamo București from hometown club CSȘ Videle in 2014.^[1] On 20 December the following year, he made his senior debut by coming on as a 62nd-minute substitute for Bogdan Gavrilă in a 1–1 Liga I draw against CFR Cluj.^[2] On 14 February 2016, he netted the only goal of a match against Botoșani in the same competition.^[3]

Costache was loaned out to second division side Afumați for the 2016–17 campaign, where he managed to score six goals from 23 games all competitions comprised. On 30 July 2017, he scored his first Dinamo goal upon his return to Bucharest in a 1–0 away victory over Liga I defending champions Viitorul Constanța.^[4]

CFR Cluj

During early November 2017, it was reported that Costache would be joining CFR Cluj in the approaching transfer window for a fee of €1 million.^[5] He was formally unveiled at his new team on 8 January 2018.^[6]

Over the course of four and a half seasons in Cluj-Napoca, Costache amassed totals of 145 games and 15 goals in all competitions, and also aided to seven domestic honours.

Rapid București

On 16 June 2022, Costache was transferred to fellow Liga I team Rapid București.^[7]

Apollon Limassol

On 22 August 2023, Costache signed for Cypriot First Division club Apollon Limassol on a two-year deal with the option for a further year.^[8]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 14 December 2024^[9]

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club	Season	League			National Cup		League Cup		Continental		Other		Total
Club	Season	Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Dinamo București	2015–16	Liga I	4	1	0	0	1	0	—		—		5	1
	2017–18	Liga I	14	3	1	0	—		1	0	—		16	3
	Total		18	4	1	0	1	0	1	0	—		21	4
Afumați (loan)	2016–17	Liga II	22	6	1	0	—		—		—		23	6
CFR Cluj	2017–18	Liga I	13	0	0	0	—		—		—		13	0
	2018–19	Liga I	18	1	3	3	—		1	0	1	0	23	4
	2019–20	Liga I	34	4	0	0	—		1	0	1	0	36	4
	2020–21	Liga I	35	4	1	0	—		0	0	1	0	37	4
	2021–22	Liga I	21	3	0	0	—		14	0	1	0	36	3
	Total		121	12	4	3	0	0	16	0	4	0	145	15
Rapid București	2022–23	Liga I	24	0	1	0	—		—		—		25	0
	2023–24	Liga I	3	0	—		—		—		—		3	0
	Total		27	0	1	0	0	0	—		—		28	0
Apollon Limassol	2023–24	Cypriot First Division	28	3	2	0	—		—		—		30	3
UTA Arad	2024–25	Liga I	19	3	2	0	—		—		—		21	3
Career total			235	28	11	3	1	0	17	0	4	0	267	31

Honours

Dinamo București

Cupa României runner-up: 2015–16

CFR Cluj^[9]

Liga I: 2017–18, 2018–19, 2019–20, 2020–21, 2021–22
Supercupa României: 2018, 2020;^[10] runner-up: 2019, 2021

References

^ "Gabi Răduţă: "Valentin Costache e cel mai bun la U 17 şi nu a fost convocat la naţională"" [Gabi Răduță: "Valentin Costache is the best at under-17 level but he wasn't called to the national team"]. Ring (in Romanian). 1 April 2015. Archived from the original on 31 July 2017. Retrieved 25 December 2015.
^ "CFR Cluj - Dinamo 1–1" (in Romanian). Digi Sport. 20 December 2015. Retrieved 31 July 2017.
^ "Superinvenție: Costache » Rednic l-a titularizat pe un copil de 17 ani și a lăsat pe bancă nume mai grele: Marc, Essombe, Bartalsstovu. Juniorul a și marcat" [Great discovery: Costache » Rednic started the game with the 17-year-old boy and left the bigger names on the bench: Marc, Essombé, Bartalsstovu. The junior also scored]. Gazeta Sporturilor (in Romanian). 15 February 2016. Retrieved 31 July 2017.
^ ""Ronaldo de România" a impresionat înainte de ziua lui. "E marele câștig, o să vedeți!"" ["The Romanian Ronaldo" impressed just before his birthday. "He is a great asset, you will see!"] (in Romanian). Digi Sport. 31 July 2017. Retrieved 31 July 2017.
^ "Transfer neașteptat în Gruia" (in Romanian). realitatea.net. 10 November 2017. Archived from the original on 5 July 2018. Retrieved 5 July 2018.
^ "Ne intarim pentru play-off!" [We strengthen ourselves for the play-offs!] (in Romanian). CFR Cluj. 8 January 2018. Retrieved 8 January 2018.
^ "Valentin Costache este noul jucător al Rapidului" [Valentin Costache is the new player of Rapid] (in Romanian). FC Rapid București. 16 June 2022. Retrieved 17 June 2022.
^ "Apollon signs Valentin Costache". www.apollon.com.cy/en. 22 August 2023. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
^ ^a ^b Valentin Costache at Soccerway. Retrieved 31 July 2017.
^ "FOTO&VIDEO | CFR Cluj a câștigat Supercupa României!" [PHOTO&VIDEO | CFR Cluj has won the Romanian Supercup!] (in Romanian). Romanian Football Federation. 15 April 2021. Retrieved 16 April 2021.