Marco Dulca

Marco Dulca
Personal information
Full name Marco Alexandru Dulca
Date of birth (1999-05-11) 11 May 1999 (age 25)
Place of birth Pohang, South Korea
Height 1.84 m (6 ft 0 in)
Position(s) Midfielder
Team information
Current team
 Celje
Number 4
Youth career
2004–2015 Universitatea Cluj
2015–2019 Swansea City
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2019–2021 Viitorul Constanța 14 (0)
2020–2021 → Chindia Târgoviște (loan) 31 (2)
2021–2022 Chindia Târgoviște 36 (2)
2022–2023 FCSB 5 (0)
2023 Chindia Târgoviște 16 (0)
2023– Celje 32 (0)
International career
2015 Romania U17[a] 1 (0)
2018 Romania U19[a] 3 (0)
2017–2021 Romania U21[a] 6 (0)
2021 Romania Olympic[a] 3 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 23 November 2024

Marco Alexandru Dulca (born 11 May 1999) is a Romanian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Slovenian PrvaLiga club Celje.

Club career

Early career / Viitorul Constanța

Dulca started practising football with Universitatea Cluj at the age of five,[1] and remained at the club for more than a decade before joining the academy of Swansea City in 2015.

He returned to Romania four years later by signing for Viitorul Constanța,[2] where he recorded his senior debut in a 3–2 Liga I victory over Hermannstadt on 28 July 2019.[3]

Chindia Târgoviște

On 30 August 2020, Dulca was loaned out to fellow league team Chindia Târgoviște.[4] He scored his first career goal in a 2–2 home draw with Argeș Pitești on 19 December, and totalled 33 matches in all competitions during the 2020–21 season.

During the summer of 2021, Dulca joined Chindia Târgoviște on a permanent basis as part of a swap deal.[5]

FCSB

On 5 August 2022, FCSB officially announced the signing of Dulca after diverting him from his way to 1899 Hoffenheim and meeting his €200,000 release clause.[6][7][8] He made his debut the following day in a 1–1 league draw at Mioveni.

Celje

On 14 September 2023, Dulca moved abroad for the first time in his senior career and signed with Slovenian PrvaLiga outfit Celje on a contract until 2026.[9]

International career

Dulca represented the Romania national under-23 team in the 2020 Summer Olympics in Japan,[10] starting in all three games of the group-stage exit.[11]

Personal life

Dulca was born in Pohang, South Korea, where his father Cristian was playing for Pohang Steelers. The latter was also a professional footballer and was part of the Romania squad for the 1998 FIFA World Cup.[12]

In 2021, it was reported that Dulca started dating Mihaela Buzărnescu, a Romanian tennis player 11 years his senior.[1] They ended their relationship the following year, after she accused him of emotional abuse.[8][13]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 19 December 2024[11]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup Continental Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Viitorul Constanța 2019–20 Liga I 14 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 15 0
Chindia Târgoviște (loan) 2020–21 Liga I 31 2 2 0 — — 33 2
Chindia Târgoviște 2021–22 Liga I 33 2 2 0 — 2[b] 0 37 2
2022–23 Liga I 19 0 — — — 19 0
Total 83 4 4 0 — 2 0 89 4
FCSB 2022–23 Liga I 5 0 3 0 5 0 — 13 0
Celje 2023–24 Slovenian PrvaLiga 21 0 2 0 — — 23 0
2024–25 Slovenian PrvaLiga 11 0 2 1 10 0 — 23 1
Total 32 0 4 1 10 0 — 46 1
Career total 134 4 12 1 13 0 2 0 161 5
  1. ^ a b c d Official competitive matches only
  2. ^ Appearance(s) in the Liga I promotion/relegation play-offs

Honours

Viitorul Constanța

Celje

References

  1. ^ a b "O nouă poveste de dragoste în sportul românesc: Marco Dulca se iubește cu Mihaela Buzărnescu | SPECIAL" [A new love story in Romanian sports: Marco Dulca is in a relationship with Mihaela Buzărnescu | SPECIAL] (in Romanian). ProSport. 15 September 2021. Retrieved 24 September 2021.
  2. ^ "Marco Dulca a semnat cu Viitorul » Din Anglia, direct în Liga 1" [Marco Dulca signed with Viitorul » From England, directly to Liga 1]. Gazeta Sporturilor (in Romanian). 2 July 2019. Retrieved 2 November 2021.
  3. ^ "Hagi revine pe locul 1! Spectacol total la Viitorul – Hermannstadt: 3-2, după 0-0 la pauză. VIDEO" [Hagi returns to the first place! Total entertainment in Viitorul – Hermannstadt: 3–2, after 0–0 at the break. VIDEO] (in Romanian). Fanatik.ro. 28 July 2019. Retrieved 2 November 2021.
  4. ^ "Tiberiu Căpușă, Marco Dulca și Paul Iacob vor evolua la Chindia Târgoviște" [Tiberiu Căpușă, Marco Dulca și Paul Iacob will play for Chindia Târgoviște] (in Romanian). FC Viitorul Constanța. 30 August 2020.
  5. ^ "Chindia dă lovitura pe piața transferurilor! Șase jucători de la clubul lui Gheorghe Hagi ajung la echipa din Târgoviște, după plecarea lui Marian Aioani la noul Farul" [Chindia hits the jackpot on the transfer market! Six players from Gheorghe Hagi's club are joining the team from Târgoviște, after Marian Aioani left for the new Farul] (in Romanian). ProSport. 21 June 2021.
  6. ^ "Bine ai venit, Marco Dulca!" [Welcome, Marco Dulca] (in Romanian). FCSB. 5 August 2022. Retrieved 5 August 2022.
  7. ^ "S-a aflat cum a reușit FCSB super transferul lui Marco Dulca! Conducătorul Chindiei a dat cărțile pe față: "Am fost obligați să-l cedăm! Se știe asta de acum un an!" | EXCLUSIV" [It was found out how FCSB managed the super transfer of Marco Dulca! Chindia's director revealed everything: "We were forced to give up on him! This has been known since a year ago!" | EXCLUSIVE] (in Romanian). ProSport. 6 August 2022. Retrieved 6 August 2022. Marcel Ghergu, the director of Chindia, said that Marco Dulca had the 250,000 euro clause since the moment the contract was signed.
  8. ^ a b "FCSB a transferat un jucător cu probleme? Marco Dulca, acuzat de Mihaela Buzărnescu că a agresat-o fizic" [FCSB transferred a problem player? Marco Dulca, accused by Mihaela Buzărnescu of physical abuse] (in Romanian). Fanatik.ro. 9 August 2022.
  9. ^ "Albert Riera je dobil novo okrepitev, v zvezni vrsti bo igral Marco Dulca, ki ima tržno vrednost 750.000 evrov" (in Slovenian). Nogomania. 14 September 2023. Retrieved 14 September 2023.
  10. ^ "Lotul României U23 convocat pentru Jocurile Olimpice de la Tokyo" [Romania U23's squad called up for the Olympic Games in Tokyo]. Romanian Football Federation. 29 June 2021. Retrieved 14 September 2021.
  11. ^ a b c d Marco Dulca at Soccerway. Retrieved 30 August 2021.
  12. ^ "Marco Dulca o ia pe urmele tatălui său! E gata să se vopsească blond dacă România se întoarce cu o medalie de la Tokyo" [Marco Dulca follows in his father's footsteps! He is ready to paint his hair blonde if Romania returns with a medal from Tokyo] (in Romanian). Digi Sport. 3 July 2021. Retrieved 24 September 2021.
  13. ^ "Marco Dulca reacționează la acuzațiile aduse de Mihaela Buzărnescu, fosta lui iubită" [Marco Dulca reacts to the accusations brought by Mihaela Buzărnescu, his ex-girlfriend]. Gazeta Sporturilor (in Romanian). 30 March 2022. Retrieved 1 April 2022.