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Ionuț Nedelcearu
	Nedelcearu with Ufa in 2018
Personal information
Date of birth	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
2013–2014	Dinamo II București
2013–2018	Dinamo București
2018–2020	Ufa
2020–2021	AEK Athens
2021–2022	Crotone
2022–	Palermo
International career‡
2013	Romania U17
2013	Romania U18
2014–2019	Romania U21
2018–	Romania
	*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 26 December 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 26 December 2024^[16]

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	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		9	0	1	0	—		—		—		10	0
	Total		65	2	2	0	—		—		1	0	68	2
Career total			278	11	21	1	9	0	14	0	3	0	325	12

^ 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	11 November 2020	Stadionul Ilie Oană, Ploiești, Romania	12	Belarus	5–0	5–3	Friendly