Emil Petru was born on 28 September 1939 in Târnăveni, Romania, starting to play junior level football in 1949 at Știința Cluj.[4][5] He made his Divizia A debut under coach Nicolae Munteanu on 7 October 1956 in a 3–1 away loss in front of Dianmo Brașov, by the end of the season also appearing as a starter in a 8–0 loss with Dinamo București.[4][5][6] The team relegated by the end of his first season but Petru stayed with the club, helping it promote after one season with 12 goals scored in 16 appearances, including a hat-trick with Locomotiva Arad, four goals in a away game against Tractorul Brașov and a brace in a Cluj derby with CFR Cluj.[4][5][7] In the following five seasons, Petru was a constant appearance for the team in the first league, the highlights of this period being two 4th positions in the 1960–61 and 1962–63 seasons, also eight goals scored in the 1961–62 season.[4][5]
In 1963, Petru went to play for Dinamo București where in his first season he helped the club win The Double, coaches Traian Ionescu and Nicolae Dumitru using him in 23 league games in which he scored eight goals, also he played all the minutes in the 5–3 win over rivalsSteaua București from the Cupa României final.[4][8][9] In the same season he started to play in European competitions, making four appearances in the European Cup, scoring one goal in a 2–0 victory against East Germany champion, Motor Jena which helped the club advance to the next phase where they were eliminated by Real Madrid.[4][10] In the following season, Petru helped The Red Dogs win another title, contributing with four goals scored in the 19 matches he was used by coach Angelo Niculescu, including finding the net in a 2–1 win in the derby with Steaua, also he played four games in the 1964–65 European Cup, scoring one goal which helped them pass Sliema Wanderers, the campaign ending in the following round as they were defeated by Inter Milan.[4][11][12]
After three seasons spent at Dinamo, Petru returned at Universitatea Cluj where on 11 June 1967 he made his last Divizia A appearance in a 4–2 away victory over Dinamo Pitești, having a total of 175 games with 31 goals scored in the competition.[4][5] Afterwards, he went for the last two seasons of his career at CFR Cluj, helping the club earn promotion to the first league in his second season.[4][5]
International career
Emil Petru played seven games and scored two goals at international level for Romania, making his debut on 30 September 1962 under coach Constantin Teașcă in a friendly against Morocco which ended with a 4–0 victory.[1][13] In his following game, also a friendly, he scored a brace in the eventual 3–2 loss in front of East Germany.[1][14] He then played in both legs of the 7–3 loss on aggregate in front of Spain at the 1964 European Nations' Cup qualifying preliminary round.[1] His last appearance for the national team took part on 9 October 1963, a 0–0 in a friendly with Turkey.[1]
Dr. Constantin Rădulescu described Emil Petru as:"Raised at "U", one of the biggest players of Cluj and the country. He played in the junior, youth and senior national teams in numerous matches. Tall with a princely outfit, head held high, peripheral view (for which the coaches of the little ones strive enormously) which he had natively, exceptional technique, as well as the tactical timing of the execution. Relentless right-footed kicks (he scored goals from long distances 25-30 meters), excellent header by lobbing the ball from a diving jump, with perfect mental and moral balance (he played against Real Madrid as well as against Sticla Turda). He had a tendency to gain weight which is why he had a short career."[5]
Marius Bretan said about him:"Attacking midfielder similar to Dobrin, complete, with extraordinary qualities."[3]
Personal life
Emil Petru was a graduate of the Faculty of Law from Cluj.[5] After retiring from his playing career, he worked as a coach, eventually becoming the coordinator of the Universitatea Cluj's Children and Junior Center.[5] Petru died on 1 March 1995 at age 55.[1][4][5]
