Ionuț Nedelcearu

Ionuț Nedelcearu
Nedelcearu with Ufa in 2018
Personal information
Date of birth (1996-04-25) 25 April 1996 (age 28)
Place of birth Bucharest, Romania
Height 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in)
Position(s) Centre-back
Team information
Current team
 Palermo
Number 18
Youth career
2003–2013 Dinamo București
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2013–2014 Dinamo II București 24 (0)
2013–2018 Dinamo București 89 (5)
2018–2020 Ufa 65 (1)
2020–2021 AEK Athens 25 (1)
2021–2022 Crotone 34 (2)
2022– Palermo 63 (2)
International career‡
2013 Romania U17 2 (0)
2013 Romania U18 4 (0)
2014–2019 Romania U21 18 (1)
2018– Romania 27 (2)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 8 November 2024
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 4 June 2024

Ionuț Nedelcearu (Romanian pronunciation: [i.oˈnut͡s nedelˈt͡ʃe̯a.ru]; born 25 April 1996) is a Romanian professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Serie B club Palermo and the Romania national team.

Club career

Dinamo București

Nedelcearu joined the youth system of Dinamo București at the age of seven.[1] After playing for the reserves, he made his first-team debut on 31 October 2013 in a Cupa României match against Chindia Târgoviște, aged 17.[2] On 13 December that year, he recorded his first Liga I appearance in a 4–0 home victory over ACS Poli Timișoara.[3]

Nedelcearu netted his first goal for the Alb-roșii in a 3–2 away win against Pandurii Târgu Jiu on 28 October 2015, a game where he also scored in his own net.[4][5]

Ufa

On 15 February 2018, Nedelcearu signed a three-and-a-half-year contract with Russian Premier League side FC Ufa.[6] In the summer of 2019, press reported that several teams showed interest in signing him, including Roma and Zenit Saint Petersburg.[7]

AEK Athens

On 5 October 2020, Nedelcearu signed a four-year contract with Super League Greece club AEK Athens.[8] On 1 November 2020, he scored his first goal, the equalizer of an eventual 2–1 home win against OFI.[9]

Crotone

On 16 July 2021, he moved to Italian club Crotone on a three-year contract, for a fee of €1.2 million.[10]

Palermo

On 27 July 2022, following Crotone's relegation to Serie C, Nedelcearu signed for Serie B club Palermo on a three-year deal.[11] He made his debut with the rosanero in the 32nd finals of Coppa Italia against Torino.

International career

On 27 March 2018, Nedelcearu made his full debut for Romania after being brought on as an 83rd-minute substitute in a 1–0 win over Sweden.[12]

On 7 June 2024, he was selected in Romania's squad for the UEFA Euro 2024,[13] but did not feature in any match.

Personal life

Born in Bucharest, Nedelcearu attended the National University of Physical Education and Sport before moving abroad for the first time.[14] His father, Marin, was also a professional footballer,[15] while his mother, Geta, was a sprinter in her youth.[14]

Career statistics

Club

As of 8 November 2024[16]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup League cup Continental Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Dinamo București 2013–14 Liga I 1 0 1 0 — — — 2 0
2014–15 13 0 1 0 3 0 — — 17 0
2015–16 21 0 5 1 2 0 — — 28 1
2016–17 33 3 2 0 4 0 — — 39 3
2017–18 21 2 2 0 — 2 0 — 25 2
Total 89 5 11 1 9 0 2 0 — 111 6
Ufa 2017–18 Russian Premier League 10 0 — — — — 10 0
2018–19 26 1 0 0 — 6 0 2 0 34 1
2019–20 20 0 1 0 — — — 21 0
2020–21 9 0 1 0 — — — 10 0
Total 65 1 2 0 — 6 0 2 0 75 1
AEK Athens 2020–21 Superleague Greece 25 1 4 0 — 6 0 — 35 1
Crotone 2021–22 Serie B 34 2 2 0 — — — 36 2
Palermo 2022–23 Serie B 36 0 1 0 — — — 37 0
2023–24 20 2 0 0 — — 1[a] 0 21 2
2024–25 7 0 1 0 — — — 8 0
Total 63 2 2 0 — — 1 0 66 2
Career total 276 11 21 1 9 0 14 0 3 0 323 12
  1. ^ Appearances in Serie B – Promotion play-offs

International

As of 4 June 2024[17]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
Romania 2018 3 0
2019 6 0
2020 4 2
2021 7 0
2022 4 0
2023 1 0
2024 2 0
Total 27 2
As of 8 September 2021.
Scores and results list Romania's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Nedelcearu goal.[17]
List of international goals scored by Ionuț Nedelcearu
No. Date Venue Cap Opponent Score Result Competition
1 11 November 2020 Stadionul Ilie Oană, Ploiești, Romania 12  Belarus 3–0 5–3 Friendly
2 5–0

Honours

Dinamo București[16]

References

  1. ^ "NEDELCEARU: "Trebuie să-mi ajut familia!"" [NEDELCEARU: "I have to support my family!"] (in Romanian). FC Dinamo București. 24 October 2014. Archived from the original on 6 December 2017. Retrieved 6 December 2017.
  2. ^ "CUPA ROMÂNIEI: Dinamo s-a calificat în sferturi, după 5-0 contra Chindiei Târgovişte" [ROMANIAN CUP: Dinamo qualified for the quarter-finals, after 5–0 against Chindia Târgoviște] (in Romanian). Mediafax. 31 October 2013. Retrieved 6 December 2017.
  3. ^ "Timișoara nu mai e bau-bau pentru nimeni. Dinamo Bucuresti – ACS Poli: 4 – 0" [Nobody is scared by Timișoara anymore. Dinamo București – ACS Poli: 4–0] (in Romanian). Timiș Online. 13 December 2013. Retrieved 6 December 2017.
  4. ^ "Pandurii – Dinamo 2-3 – 'Cîinii' i-au scos pe gorjeni și din Cupa României, după un gol în minutul 90" [Pandurii – Dinamo 2–3 – 'Câinii' eliminated 'the Gorj People', after scoring in the 90th minute]. Gazeta Sporturilor (in Romanian). 28 October 2015. Retrieved 6 December 2017.
  5. ^ "Dinamo – Steaua 3–1" (in Romanian). Digi Sport. 30 November 2016. Retrieved 6 December 2017.
  6. ^ 'Уфа' подписала контракт с защитником молодежной сборной Румынии [Ufa signed a contract with the defender of the youth national team of Romania] (in Russian). FC Ufa. 15 February 2018. Archived from the original on 5 November 2018. Retrieved 15 February 2018.
  7. ^ "Ionuț Nedelcearu, dorit de AS Roma și Zenit, vorbește în premieră de un posibil transfer: "Asta ar fi un avantaj pentru mine"" (in Romanian). Gazeta Sporturilor. 6 July 2019.
  8. ^ "Ionut Nedelcearu signed for AEK FC!". aekfc.gr. AEK Athens F.C. 5 October 2020. Retrieved 5 October 2020.
  9. ^ "ΑΕΚ - ΟΦΗ 2-1: Ανατροπή με γκολάρα Σάκχοφ". www.sport24.gr. 1 November 2020.
  10. ^ "Colpo Nedelcearu per la difesa. Benvenuto Ionut!" (in Italian). Crotone. 16 July 2021.
  11. ^ "NEDELCEARU È ROSANERO. GIRON AL CROTONE" (Press release) (in Italian). Palermo F.C. 27 July 2022. Retrieved 27 July 2022.
  12. ^ "România rămâne neînvinsă la Craiova: a câștigat cu 1-0 în fața Suediei" [Romania remains undefeated in Craiova: it won 1–0 against Sweden] (in Romanian). Romanian Football Federation. 27 March 2018. Archived from the original on 1 August 2018. Retrieved 28 March 2018.
  13. ^ "Lotul României pentru EURO 2024" [Romania's squad for EURO 2024] (in Romanian). Romanian Football Federation. 7 June 2024. Retrieved 4 July 2024.
  14. ^ a b Mărgărit, Marius (23 March 2017). "Mama unui dinamovist prins băut în avion ia atitudine: "Dacă ai greşit, asumă-ţi vina!" [The mother of a dynamist caught drinking on the plane takes a stand: "If you made a mistake, take the blame!] (in Romanian). Retrieved 12 December 2022.
  15. ^ "17 ani, 500 de lei şi o comparaţie! ProSport vă prezintă povestea emoţionantă a ultimului tânăr propus de Dinamo" [17 years, 500 lei and a comparison! ProSport presents the exciting story of the newest youngster proposed by Dinamo]. ProSport (in Romanian). Retrieved 3 June 2018.
  16. ^ a b Ionuț Nedelcearu at Soccerway. Retrieved 7 September 2019.
  17. ^ a b "Ionuț Nedelcearu". European Football. Retrieved 28 March 2018.
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