Romania National Team

Romanian legends were renowned for high talent, being  primarily produced by Steua Bucharest club. The 1930s saw Luliu Baratsky as the first world-class Romanian star and is also one of the first complete versatile players. Iosif Petschovschi and Alexandru Apolzan remarkably represented Romania in the first half 1950s but not get worldwide reputation due to consecutive nonparticipation in World Cup. Nicolae Dobrin notably performed during the 1970s as one of the most talented dribblers ever but was once again impeded by limited international opportunity. The Golden era of Steua Bucharest was positively influential to the nation when Gheorghe Hagi appeared as the best Romanian players ever and was one of the best offensive midfielders in the World during the first half 1990s. 

Romania


Location     :  Southeastern Europe
European Championship Participation : 3 Times (1984, 1996, 2008)
World Cup Participation :  7 Times (1930, 1934, 1938, 1970, 1990, 1994, 1998)
Achievement  :  None
Most Caps  :  Dorinel Munteanu  (134 Games)   
Top Scorer : Gheorghe Hagi, Adrian Mutu (35 Goals)
The Greatest Player Ever :  Gheorghe Hagi




All-Time Romanian Squad


1. Ion Voinescu

Date Of Birth  :  8 April 1929
Height  :  174 cm, Position  : Goalkeeper
Major Club  :  Steaua Bucharest
Caps.  :  22 Games
World Cup Participation: None
Club Honours :  6 Times Romanian League
3 Times Romanian Cup
International Honours  : None
Individual Achievement : None
Class : Prince Silver



2. Dan Petrescu

Date Of Birth  :  22 December 1967
Height  :  177 cm, Position  :  Right-Back
Major Club  :  Steaua Bucharest, Chelsea
Caps. :  95 Games
World Cup Participation: 1994, 1998 (9 Games)
Club Honours  : 3 Times Romanian League    
3 Times Romanian Cup
1 Time FA Cup, 1 Time League Cup
1989 European Cup Runner-Up
1998 UEFA Cup Winners Cup
International Honours  : None
Individual Achievement : Premier League Oversea Team of The Decade
Class : Prince Silver


3. Christian Chivu

Date Of Birth  :  26 October 1980
Position : Center-Back/ Left-Back
Caps. :  69 Games, Height  : 184 cm
Major Club  :  Ajax Amsterdam, AS Roma, Inter Milan
World Cup Participation: None
Club Honours  :  1 Time Dutch League
3 Times Italian Series A, 2 Times Copa Italia
2010 UEFA Champion League
International Honours  : None
Individual Achievement : 
3 Times Romanian Footballers of The Year
2002 Dutch Golden Shoe, UEFA Team of The Year
Class : Prince Silver

4. Gheorghe Popescu

Date Of Birth  :  9 October 1967
Position : Sweeper/Defensive Holding Midfielder
Height  :  188 cm, Caps  :  115 Games
Major Club  :  PSV Eindhoven, Galatasaray
World Cup Participation  : 1990, 1994, 1998 (13 Games)
Club Honours : 1 Time Romanian Cup, 1 Time Copa Del Rey
1 Time Romanian League, 2 Times Dutch League
3 Times Turkish League, 2 Times Turkish Cup     
1997 Cup Winners’ Cup, 2000 UEFA Cup
International Honours  : None                   
Individual Achievement  : 6 Times Romanian Footballer Of The Year
Class :  Prince Gold


5. Costica Stefanescu

Date Of Birth  :  26 March 1951
Position  :  Center-Back
Height : 186 cm
Major Club  : Universitatea Craiova
Caps. :  66 Games
World Cup Participation :  None
Club Honours :  3 Times Romanian League
6 Times Romanian Cup
International Honours  : None
Individual Achievement : None
Class : Prince Silver


6. Laszlo Boloni

Date Of Birth  :  11 March 1953
Position  :  Box-to-Box Midfielder
Height : 176 cm
Major Club :  Steaua Bucharest
Caps. :  108 Games (25 Goals)
World Cup Participation: None
Club Honours  :  2 Times Romanian League
3 Times Romanian Cup, 1986 European Cup
International Honours  : None
Individual Achievement :  2 Times Romanian Footballer of The Year
Class : Prince Silver


7. Nicolae Dobrin

Date Of Birth  :  26 August 1947
Height  :  180 cm, Position  :  Playmaker
Major Club  :  Arges Pitesti
Caps  :  48 Games
World Cup Participation :1970 (No Game)
Club Honours  :  2 Times Romanian League
International Honours  : None 
Individual Achievement  : 
 3 Times Romanian Footballer of The Year (1966,1967,1971)
Romanian League Greatest Player Ever
Class : Prince Gold

8. Luliu Bodola

Date Of Birth  :  26 February 1912
Position : Deep-Lying Forward
Height  :  170 cm
Major Club  :  Oradea
Caps. :  61 Games (34 Goals) (13 Games for Romania)
World Cup Participation: 1934, 1938 (2 Games)
Club Honours  :  None
International Honours  : None
Individual Achievement : 2 Times Romanian League Top Scorer
1931 Balkan Cup Top Scorer
Class : Prince Silver


9. Adrian Mutu

Date Of Birth  :  8 January 1979
Height  :  180 cm
Position :  Forward
Major Club  :  Fiorentina
Caps. : 77 Games (35 Goals)
World Cup Participation: None
Professional Scores Record : 197 Goals/ 500 Games
Club Honours  :  None
International Honours  : None
Individual Achievement : 4 Time Romanian Footballer of The Year
Class : Prince Silver


10. Ghorghe Hagi

Date Of Birth  : 5 February 1965
Height : 174 cm, Caps : 125 Games (35 Goals)
Position :  Playmaking-Attacking Midfielder
Major Club  :  Steaua Bucharest, Galatasalaay
World Cup Participation  : 1990,1994,1998 (12 Games)
Club Honours : 3 Romanian League, 3 Romanian Cup
4 Turkish League, 2 Turkish Cup
1989 European Cup Runner-Up, 2000 UEFA Cup
International Honours  :  None
Individual Achievement  :  2 Times Romania League Top Scorer
6 Times Romanian Footballer of The Year
1989 Eastern European Footballer of the Year
1994 FIFA World Cup All Star Team, Romania All-Time Top Scorer
IFFHS Romania Greatest Player Ever, UEFA Jubilee Award (Romania)
                                                  Class : Queen Silver


11. Luliu Baratky

Date Of Birth   : 14 May 1910
Position : Right-Winger/Deep-Lying Forward
Height  :  178 cm, Major Club  :  Rapid Bucharest
Caps.:  29 Games (14 Goals) (9 Games for Hungary)
World Cup Participation: 1934, 1938 (2 Games/1 goal)
Club Honours  : 4 Times Romanian Cup
International Honours  : None
Individual Achievement : None
Class :  Prince Silver

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

Substitution



12. Silviu Lung

Date Of Birth  : 9 September 1956
Position : Goalkeeper
Height  : 194 cm
Major Club  :  Universitatea Craiova
Caps. :  77 Games
World Cup Participation: 1990 (4 Games)
Club Honours   :  2 Times Romanian League
1989 European Cup Runner-Up
International Honours  : None
Individual Achievement : 1 Time Romanian Footballer of The Year
Class : Prince Silver


13. Emerich Vogl

Date Of Birth  :  12 August 1905
Position :  Left and Right-Defender
Height  :  174 cm
Major Club  : Juventus Bucharest
Caps. :  29 Games
World Cup Participation: 1930, 1934 (3 Games)
Club Honours  :  6 Times Romanian League
International Honours  : None
Individual Achievement : None
Class : Prince Silver





14. Alexandru Apolzan

Date Of Birth  :  6 February 1927
Position  :  Sweeper
Height  :  176 cm
Major Club  :  Steaua Bucharest
Caps. :  22 Games
World Cup Participation: None
Club Honours  :  6 Times Romanian League
5 Times Romanian Cup
International Honours  : None
Individual Achievement :  Rapid Bucharest Greatest Player Ever
Class :  Prince Gold


15. Miodrag Belodedicci

Date Of Birth   :  20 May 1964
Height  : 185 cm, Position  : Sweeper
Major Club  :  Steaua Bucharest, Red Star Belgrade
Caps. :  53 Games
World Cup Participation: 1994 (5 Games)
Club Honours  :  1991 Intercontinental Cup
5 Times Romanian League, 4 Times Romanian Cup
3 Times Yugoslav League, 1 Time Yugoslav Cup
2 Times European Cup (1986, 1991)
International Honours  : None
Individual Achievement :  1991 European Defender of The Year 
Class : Prince Silver


16. Ion Dumitru

Date Of Birth   :  2 January 1950
Position  :  Defensive Holding Midfielder
Height  : 169 cm, Caps. :  50 Games
Major Club  :  Steua Bucharest
 World Cup Participation: 1970 (3 Games)
Club Honours :  2 Times Romanian League
3 Times Romanian Cup
International Honours  : None
Individual Achievement :
2 Times Romanian Footballer of The Year
Class : Prince Silver



17. Iosif Petschovschi

Date Of Birth :  2 July 1921
Height : 168 cm, Position : Playmaker
Major Club : UTA Arad
Caps. :  35 Games (11 Goals) (3 Games for Hungary)
 World Cup Participation  :  None
Club Honours  :  2 Times Romanian League
3 Times Romanian Cup
International Honours  : None
Individual Achievement  : 1952 Romanian Sportsman of The Year   
Class : Prince Silver

18. Illie Balaci

Date Of Birth  :  13 September 1956
Height : 177 cm
Position  :  Playmaker
Major Club : Universitatea Craiova
Caps. : 69 Games
World Cup Participation: None
Club Honours  : 2 Times Romanian League
4 Times Romanian Cup
International Honours  : None
Individual Achievement :  2 Times Romanian Footballer of The Year
Class : Prince Silver


19. Stefan Dobay

Date Of Birth  :  26 September 1909
Height : Unknown, Position  : Forward/Left-Winger
Major Club  :  Ripensia Timisoara
Caps. :  41 Games (20 Goals)
World Cup Participation: 1934, 1938 (3 Games/2 Goals)
Amateur Scores Record : 130 Goals/ 160 Games
Club Honours : 4 Times Romanian League    
2 Times Romanian Cup
International Honours  : 2 Times Balkan Cup (1933, 1936)
Individual Achievement : 1933 Balkan Cup Top Scorer
Romanian League All-Time Most Top Scorer (4 Times)
Class : Prince Silver

20. Titus Ozon

Date Of Birth : 13 May 1927
Height : 170 cm, Position : Deep-Lying Forward
Major Club  :  Dinamo Bucharest, Rapid Bucharest
Caps. : 22 Games (7 Goals)
World Cup Participation: None
Professional Scores Record :  161 Goals/ 278 Games
Club Honours  :  None
International Honours  : None
Individual Achievement : 2 Time Romanian League Top Scorer
Class : Prince Silver



21. Floria Dumitrache

Date Of Birth  :  22 September 1948
Height :  175 cm, Position :  Forward
Major Club  :  Dinamo Bucharest
Caps. : 31 Games (15 Goals)
World Cup Participation: 1970 (3 Games With 2 Goals)
Professional Scores Record :  170 Goals/ 357 Games
Club Honours  : 3 Times Romanian League
1 Time Romanian Cup
International Honours  :  None
Individual Achievement  : 2 Times Romanian League Top Scorer
2 Times Romanian Footballer of The Year
Dinamo Bucharest Greatest Player Ever
Class : Prince Silver

22. Dudu Georgescu

Date Of Birth  : 1 September 1950
Height  : 182 cm, Position : Target Striker
Major Club  :  Dinamo Bucharest
Caps. :  41 Games (21 Goals)
Professional Scored Record : 247 Goals/ 342 Games
Club Honours : 4 Times Romanian League
International Honours/World Cup Participation  : None
Individual Achievement : 2 Times Romanian Footballer of The Year
Romanian League All-Time Most Top Scorer (4 Times)
2 Times European Golden Shoe (1975, 1977)
1 Time World League Top Scorer
All-Time Romanian League Top Scorer
Class : Prince Silver





Manager


Istvan Kovacs


Year Of Birth :  2 October 1920
Major Team :   Steua Bucharest, Ajax Amsterdam
Major Achievement :   1 Time Romanian league
2 Times Dutch League
3 Times Romanian Cup
1 Time Dutch Cup
1 Time Greek Cup
2 Times European Cup Runner-Up (1972, 1973)
Individual Achievement :  1972 Treble Winning Manager
Style : Attacking
Class :  Prince Gold


Conclusion of Squad

GK : Ion Voinescu, Silviu Lung
DF : Dan Petrescu, Christian Chivu, Emerich Vogl, Costica Stefanescu, Miodrag Belodedicci, Alexandru Apolzan, Gheorghe Popescu
MF : Laszlo Boloni, Ion Dumitru, Gheorghe Hagi (Captain), Nicolae Dobrin, Iosif Petschovschi,  Illie Balaci, Luliu Baratky
FW : Stefan Dobay, Luliu Bodola, Titus Ozon, Adrian Mutu, Florea Dumitrache, Dudu Georgescu
Manager : Istvan Kovacs




Formation XI (4-2-3-1)



Explanation of Formation

The team strategy is “The Reserve Pyramid Triangle” without winger-system. Ion Voinescu is generally selected as a starter. Chivu is left-full-back with high level of defensive awareness and Petrescu is assigned to support offensive game right-side often. Stefanescu is responsible for stopping the opponents and Popescu is just behind him as a creative sweeper would also be a main creator from the back-line. Boloni played a central midfielder as a main destroyer of the team with a high quality of vision. Dobrin is assigned as a deep-lying creator in midfield area. Hagi and Baratky are to go more advanced as a wide attacking midfield role. Bodola is a support striker to support Mutu whi is set as a finisher.



National Stadium








Opened :  2011
City  : Bucharest
Capacity :  55,200 Seats









Statistics
By Decade
By Class
By Club
1920s : -
1930s : 4
1940s : 1
1950s : 2
1960s : 1
1970s : 4
1980s : 3
1990s : 5
2000s : 2

King : -
Queen : 1
Prince : 21

Steaua Bucharest : 6
Universitatea Craiova : 5
Dinamo Bucharest : 3
Rapid Bucharest : 2
Arges : 2
Tomisoara : 1
Oradea : 1
Arad : 1




Major Reserved Player


Cornel Dinu

Date Of Birth :  2 August 1948
Position : Center-Back/Defensive Holding Midfielder
Height  :  178 cm, Caps. : 75 Games
Major Club  :  Dinamo Bucharest
World Cup Participation: 1970 (3 Games)
Club Honours  :  2 Times English Top Division            
2 Times Romanian Cup
International Honours  : None
Individual Achievement : 3 Times Romanian Footballer of The Year
Class : Prince Silver





Minor Reserved Group
           
Goalkeeper

Necula Raducanu
Helmuth Duckadem

Defender

Nicolae Ungureanu
Dan Coe
Miircea Rednic
Cosmin Contra

Midfielder

Dorinel Munteanu
Ilie Dumitrescu
Dorin Meteut
Vasile Gergely
Marcel Raducanu

Forward

Silviu Bindea
Rodion Camataru
Marius Lacatus
Gheorghe Constantin
Angel Iordanescu
Ion Oblemenco


The Greatest Romanian Footballers of All-Time

1. Gheorghe Hagi
2. Nicolae Dobrin
3. Gheorghe Popescu
4. Luliu Bodola
5. Iosif Petschovschi
6. Luliu Baratky
7. Miodrag Belodedici
8. Illie Balaci
9. Laszlo Boloni
10. Ion Dumitru

43 comments:

  1. Anonymous28/1/15

    First of all , I want to say it's a great thing that you even started to make such a project. But as anybody else who would even atempt it , you need some help. You probably never watched most of these players so I can help you a bit if I may.

    -About Emerich Vogl , he is indeed a iconic romanian defender of his era but putting him ahead of Chivu has no logic. Vogl was a good defender especially because of his WC apps but not in the same level as Cristian. Chivu was named MVP of the dutch league in 2002 and was also named in UEFA Team of the Year(so basically was definetly amongst the top 3 defenders on the planet that year). And next season was as good just that the competition was higher. You can see that according to dbs calcio he has some pretty good season at Roma(note that it was Serie A of the 00s a league ten folded better than Vogl's comp) and also won the UCL(Treble even) at Inter in 2010. I don't think there is any Romanian , let alone foreigner to rank Vogl above Chivu(apart maybe a handful of Chivu -haters)

    -Now about Cornel Dinu. I don't want you to be upset on me but honestly , a romanian seeing how you rate Cornel will be more than baffeled. But it's not your fault. You probably guided yourself with individual awards and in that way it's understandable. To explain the best way why most of your "mistakes" from this thread were made , you must understand how much communism affected football in Romania. Dinamo and Steaua were the 2 teams that were hailed and recieved unimaginable benefits from the regyme. I am I Rapid fan and when Camataru scored against Rapid(5 goals if I remember) the fans were chanting "Toni Polster where are you to see the circus in Giulesti". Defenders were literally running away from his so he can win the golden boot. But sticking to the subject , Dinu was no way our 2nd best defender ever let alone our 5th best player(that was really awkward honestly). It's nice to see Rapid's legend Apolzan in the team but the true artist was Costica Stefanescu(as a random fact he was nominated in 83 at the ballon d'or). Ask anyone who saw them play and apart from Dinamo fans , everyone will say Stefanescu was far better. Mircea Lucescu while his coach , said that he never saw a more flawless player. And that's the best way to describe him , elegance and perfection(hence he was called Backenbauer).If Romanian player of the year voting wasn't influenced constantly so that Dinu would recieve recognition , Stefanescu's already great record would have been exponentialy better. The Minister of Defence!

    -The most important thing and what most romanians would find as the biggest mistake is the rating of Ilie Balaci. Before I start , Baratky(Rapid's greatest player ever) is regarded as the best pre-war player(above Bodola) so I think you should rank him at least under Popescu if not even higher.
    Now abbout Balaci , Balaci is unnanimously regarded amongst the 3 best romanian players of all time. By some even considered the most talented. Olteans regard him as talented as Maradona(wich is overration I admit). Costea , Baratky's former team mate wanted to say that Giussi was actualy the best romanian player ever and he said "even greater then Balaci , Hagi and Dobrin". As you probably know , Dobrin can operate as CM and side-mdf aswell so Balci is a must in the all-time team. You can play either with a 4-1-2-2-1 if you get what I'm saying. Popescu DM , Dobrin and Petchovschi CMs , Balaci and Hagi behind the striker

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm excited on your informative suggestion. The selection is partially constructed based on what I have discussed with some Romanians but they are not an expert on the legends. Now I'm time constraint and will return to answer you tomorrow what is an influence factor on this selection and also will discuss on your important issues.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous28/1/15

      Ok , I await you response tomorow.

      Delete
    3. Since I’m far from expertise level in Romanian football history, I’m definitely prone to your convincement. Nevertheless, I always need to investigate something.
      It is seemingly difficult to rate Emerich Vogl ? Honesty I’m never watched his footage and just heard by some Romanians that he was one of leading Romanian defenders ever.
      When look at Chivu’s rating in dbscalcio, I’m not sure why you consider it in pretty good. He got only 6.16 at maximum and this rating is just average if you checked other defenders in series A. Honesty I‘m favorite in his style of playing but I saw he often had difficult times to stop fast players in UEFA Champion League particular when he was used as a left-back, will be considered not appropriate to be named in a starter of left-back position in all-time Romania XI.


      Dinu, This player has been interested by me for a long time whether he was really great or just overrated by number of awards winners because I have never heard someone accolade him. When consider the years he won the awards, his candidates are likely to have lower level than many other years (Necula Raducanu, Boc and Lucescu). Note that Dinu also finished second place twice. Costica Stefanescu never won the awards but finished second place four times and third place four times, is a superior consistency profile to Dinu so I think your suggestion has become more weight based on this point.
      I need you confirmation about frequency and the peak of Dinu’s position (SW or CM ?). Pcsd.com where cites his best position is even Central Midfielder not Sweeper but a Romanian ever confirmed me he was naturally defender and rarely midfielder.

      Balaci’s supreme talent is not a new knowledge to me but he is known to be significantly impacted by his injury since his 27 years old. He won Romanian player of the year twice but did not name in any top five of other year. Even his peak is undeniably accepted as one of the very best among Romanian legends, the selection is based on performance in overall career. As I check his national team participation record, he was substituted 22 times, is caused by his bad physical condition ? I think he will be best at 5th or 6th depend on review of Iosif Petschovski’s legend status. I read article in pcsd and Wikipedia describe him as one of the most talented Romanian players ever as well. I need your help on this player.
      For your suggestion on adjustment for information, the 4-1-2-2-1 will be efficient as long as two wing-backs are existed only. Petrescu is OK but certainly not for Chivu but not sure for Emerich Vogl ? Furthermore, I don’t think Balaci will be best at trequarter position because he is pure midfielder. In reality of the tactic, three technical playmakers (Dobrin, Petchovski and Hagi) already form a potential of incompatibility. With addition of Balaci would destroy the equivalent between functions.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous29/1/15

      From my link of dbs calcio , I see that chivu had even a rating of 6.72 in the 2007/2008 season. http://www.dbscalcio.it/schedaCalciatore.php?player=Christian%20Chivu Anyway , I tend to disagree on a point , I saw Chivu handling Messi perfectly once. Sure he made many mistake , but consistency wasn't his strong point.In any case , Chivu has playd even wing-back and Defensive-midfielder. I think he can very well cope with any tactic.


      Dinu was a legit defender. Central midfielder? Maybe he was apllied now and than , but certanly he was a central-defender. Now again , I advise that you base ur work here less and less on those awards. I have frinds that were journalists and voted in the 90s(after communism) and they all knew that the awards wre a shared and they were awarded as it suited the regymme. Dinu was never best romanian player. If I remeber well , the Romanian journalist was forced in 70 to vote din at the Ballon d'Or but a foreign journalist voted Dumitrache(a player much better than Dinu), but not sure of this so adives you don't take it for granted. You mentioned Alexandru Boc. Boc is a super defender in history of Romanian football. A truly opressed player by the regymme and a fighter for freedom. Better than Dinu IMO. I din't saw him , but from people than I spoken with , he was sublime. But as I said , the best defender of our nation is IMO Costica Stefanescu. Sure Popescu should be rated higher coase he played abroad and that adds to your legacy. But from those who didn't had the chance , Stefanescu was by far the best.

      Again , don't mention those awards when you are talking about Ilie Balaci. Balaci was at least 4 times head and shoulders the best player of our country if not even more(from 80 to 83). It's just that the communists depised him because he won titles with Craiova beating the Bucharest teams. So in conclusion , Balaci's consistency is enough to rate him 3rd best ever. He after all started already from age 17 as playmaker for the Champion-team in romanian's league toughest era. And he reamined phenomenal till his injury in 84.

      Hope to hear from you!

      Delete
  2. Anonymous28/1/15

    -now about the forward , I find it odd that you don't rank Adi Mutu considering he his rated by most as our best ever apart from the 3 gods(Hagi,Dobrin,Balaci) maybe tied with Popescu. Mutu was nominted for the Ballon d'Or in 2003 and in my opinion he was the Serie A MVP in 2 consecutive season(2006-2007,2007-2008). Only Kaka , Ibra and Totti are comparable to him in those 2 seasons but Mutu played for a smaller team and carried it. He was the MVP in 2007 according to media rating , and in 2008 he played even better.

    So , to end I say again good job and I hope you will take my advices!!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. As I review again, I conclude that I may underrate him and should name him in top ten. He is considered to perform world-class seasons twice times based on DBScalcio rating. However his wide range of consistency has been issued

      Delete
  3. OK I have reformed the midfield line. Baratky replaced Bodola. Stefanescu replaced Rednic in substitution although there would be no natural right-back in the bench.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous7/2/15

      Sorry I delayed with a reply but I was busy lately. Now again , I strongly recommend you to take Dinu out(especialy given you play him in the center of midfield). Popescu or Nunweiller(arguably the best passer in our history) would be much better there. Also Balaci is a must. I see for example that in you Brazil squad you play with 4 creative players(if not 5 counting Garrincha) and in Argentina you play with 5 playmaking players. I tell you to not worry about Iosif as he is our most complete player ever and he will take any role you give him and perform great(he could play even defender). And thus you will have only 3 playmakers in Hagi(can easly go on the wing during the match) , Dobrin(the central midfielder) and Balaci.
      Also Chivu is known as our most versatile player ever in defense and my opinion is that he could cope very easy.

      Hope to hear from you!

      Delete
    2. Anonymous7/2/15

      Name Baratky instead of Dumitrache btw when including Balaci

      Delete
    3. Anonymous7/2/15

      Ion Dumitru also would be ten folded better in central midfield than Dinu. Another exceptional passer!

      Delete
    4. OK, I'll review again tomorrow.

      Delete
    5. As I check, Dumitru's annual place in Romanian Player of The Year is similar to Cornel Dinu and they played in the same era. I have replaced Dinu by Dumitru in DM position. Now Dinu is not even in the squad when I see Boloni's annal rank is even superior in number of appearances (even lower best places but the competitiveness between years is not equal .

      Yes, I named many playmakers in All-Time Brazil and Argentina squad but they are still set in different roles. I'm not sure how the squad could be balanced if Dumitrache would be removed as he is an only natural forward/striker in the first eleven. Baratky could play as forward but his best position is a support striker and even great to conduct himself deeper in midfield area.

      Delete
    6. Anonymous8/2/15

      Dumitru was good but what is your opinion in having the CB pair Stefanescu-Belodedic or Apolzan paired with one of them , and placing Popescu instead of Dumitru?

      To respond to your role asingment , Dobrin will be the central-midfielder , Hagi the free-role atacker(in paper he is AM but can often move on the wing) and Balaci staright forward NO.10 behin the Striker. And make no mistake , Balaci was a free-role atacker aswell due to him being a very complete player. As Iniesta goed on the wing he could aswell. He is much faster than Iniesta , has exceptional dribbling and a interminable array of passing(bassicaly exact what a winger needs). It would be somewhat of a total football. Baratky being if you may a cherry top as he could play anywhere on the field above the defensive line(just like Cruyff). It even applies extremely well considering Kovacs is the coach :)

      Delete
  4. Anonymous12/2/15

    By the way , have you heared of Romanian legend , Dan Coe? Speaking about tactical option , Dan Coe could even be a starter in the all-time team depending of preference. He is the best man-marker in history of Romanian football. During the 1970 WC qualifiers , he completely neutralized Eusebio making the legend say "If there was a defender like Dan marking me back in 66 , Portugal would have never reached the semis". Also when Romania played Switzerland in the qualifiers , the press named the stupendous trio Rică Răducanu - Dan Coe - Sandu Boc(the one I mentioned in previous posts) , The Golden Triangle from Lausanne.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I ever included his profile picture in honorable mention after being convinced by reading article in pcsd.com which mention his extraordinary ability similar to your sentence but by a short time, I checked his places in Romanian Footballer of the year he was named in top five only once time at 5th in 1967, note that the awards was first held in 1966 at his 25 years old, is much lower rating in comparison to Dinu. I’m not sure how much accurate or biased of the awards but this is my primary analysis on the awards within the period between 1966 and 1974 ;
      1) The Awards is not biased for players who won Romanian league title as many players who finished below top three in the league could be voted as the first place and noticeably Dobrin even finished in the bottom place at 12th in 1966.
      2) The proportion of number of players in top five Romanian players of the years by club is provided as following ; Dinamo Bucharest : 17 (37.8 %), Rapid Bucharest : 9 (20 %), Arges Pitesti : 9 (20 %), Steua (13.3 %).
      It could be seen players from Dinamo Bucharest has the potential of biased votes but the club finished below top five in the league just twice times and if set the table point in that period, they would finish first place easily.
      Now I would switch to discuss on Nicolae Dobrin. I currently name in him at 49th best offensive midfielder ever in Positional Hall of Fame. However, I have a plan to diminish his place primarily due to his lack of international success. He played in the same period as Dinu but the ranking profile in the national awards is just similar. When you strongly suggest me to abolish overrating Dinu, I see Dobrin should be treated in the same way ? and according to you who is the greatest player in history of Romanian league ?

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    2. Anonymous13/2/15

      How about all winners from the 60s and 70s being from the 2 bucharest teams aprt from Dobrin(and Coman because of his NT performance). Only Dobrin could win those awards even tough he wasn't playing in the commies teams. Dobrin truly is Romanian's league best player ever(Balaci could have been if not for the injury). Also only Craiova players could detrone The Bucharest players in the 80's. In a unrelated note , Craiova Maxima is probably the greatest team Romania ever had.

      I must mention that Dan Coe's placing in the awards is maybe the most irellevant of all. Dan Coe has ALWAYS spoke badly about the regymme even publicly on the radio. Something almost unthinkable. In 81 he was found strangled , wich much controversy surounding the incident. Even now we chant for the great Dan Coe. Also Alexandru Boc , who was his pair in the defense was also a revolutionary and a hero that the commies didn't like. I'd even Include Boc in the top 5 romanian CBs of all time(maybe).

      Most important thing is , I told you that the awards were a sharade. But that is only 1% of the equasion. What matters most is the intervention in the actual games , the fabricated results. That also leads to the logic of the awards. As I said , Camataru scored 20 goals in his last 6 games just so he could win the golden boot(a pride for Dinamo) , don't get me wrong , Rodion is a legendary striker in Romania's history , but facts can't be denied. Players like Dobrin and Balaci are ultimate legends from the Romanian football perspective for winning championships ahead of the Bucharest teams. That was almost unconcievable.

      So in conclusion , I even wanted to raise the matter on Dobrin's place to be too low. For me , knowing how good Dobrin actualy was , it's rather awful to see a player like Kaka over him(I understand team awards are very important). Alos I have seen many foreigners ranking him amogst the top 3 best ever dribblers of all time. I think you should include him aswell in your own ranking as in that department , he is considered even internationaly as one of the very best in history(he was untouchable against Real Madrid and utterly humiliated the great Horst Zimaniak to give you a few examples). I think you should add Balaci aswell in the top 50 but I know he wouldn't be popular amongst ur fans as he is basically unknown.
      To end , I add that Real Madrid offered 2 milion $(if I'm not mistaken that double the all-time record at the time) for a unkown midfielder from the Romanian league. That's how supremely talented Dobrin was. Had the transfer gone trough , he would have by far surpassed midfielders like Kopa IMO. He would have reached the phenomenal level fo football history.

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    3. OK, that is very knowledgeable information. I'll bring Dan Coe back. I ever watched the video clip of Dobrin's technique but never watch his dribbling performance against world-class defenders so I'm not too sure about this regard. When consider Savicevic who is ranked 10th best ever in my list, he could survive from defensive monsters in Series A with many scene of incredible dribbling.

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    4. Anonymous13/2/15

      Yes but why is Sekuralak above Dobrin? Or Sindelar? You haven't watched footage with Sindelar either. Also I think Pele should be at least in top 3. At least from the vids I see , he's the best for me cause he literally is a one-man show constantly beating 3-4 defenders for gun and also he humiliated all-time European greats like Beckenbauer and Tarchisio. I could go on and on how he humiliated top oposition but maybe you just forgotten him. Surely above Sindelar and Best(whom at least I can watch footage of and be sure).

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    5. Actually I have watched Sindelar is a short period of video clip but not seen teh incredible dribbling scene, just his impressive playmaking ability.
      I ever watch the negative clip of Pele, it shows Pele often lost the ball too easy when he tried to get pass opponents although I also have never watched the same negative clip of other great dribblers.
      In referring to humiliating Beckenbauer and Burgnich, you means Pele or Dobrin ?

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    6. Anonymous14/2/15

      I mean Pele about dribbling Franz and Burgnich. Anyway , if one would put effort , he could make a negative video about any player in history loosing balls , that really doesn't mean anyhting. All I can say from my own view is that for me Pele is the best dribbler ever(again , only judging by youtube , I haven't seen Pele play in the 60's and 50's) but in any case he should definetly be top 3. Also Dobrin is definetly reagrded as a better dribbler than Sindelar in football history and should be ranked higher.

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  5. Anonymous14/2/15

    Here is an article btw about Costica Stefanescu. It's in Romanian so I don't know if it will make any sense trough google translate. But I'll translate you the first paragraph:
    "His best asset wasn't his pass , more beautiful than Brackenbauer's , neither his positioning , more eficient than Franco Baresi's , and neither his technique , more dazzling than Pirlo's. The best asset of Costica Stefanescu , the perfect Libero , was his captain armband. Captain of Craiova , captain of the National Team , capatin of our hearts , the ones who loved him , more than anything , always , forever" I find the description very elegant and accurate!

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  6. Anonymous14/2/15

    Also I want to show you some footage of Balaci. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wxjeReu3Q0w Here it shows how players like Gentile and Cabrini couldn't contain him. In this match , Romania beaten legendary World Champion Italy with the best defense of all--time. Balaci makes the assist for Boloni's superb long-range shot.

    Balaci only lacked memorable moments in his career to be imortalised as one of the greatest players ever. To bad he was injured right before EURO 84. At the time it almost felt like a sure thin that he will lead the nation to glory. For example look at the goal atempt he makes at the beggining of this video against England.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mkXJRlS5R_U
    Just a bit more and that would have probably been the greatest headers ever(the goalkeeper is Shilton). Balaci couldn't been contained by players like Gentile , Cabrini , Briegel , Passarella etc. I only advise that you rank him 3rd best as he would have probably even ended the best ever if not for the injury.

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    1. I'm again struggling to include Dan Coe in profile list. As I checked, he missed a big part of domestic games since 1967 which I think it is an answer why he is not rated in the most years of top five Romanian footballer of the year. He played only 59 games in total available 30 games between 1967 and 1970.

      As of Balaci, he would be fit to the list of top three highest peak Romanian players ever but I have not made this typical of list and just based on all-time accumulative performance.

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    2. Anonymous19/2/15

      This is basically the only legit ranking on the internet , it shows what 99% of people will always tell you http://www.thebigfootball.com/2011/08/best-romanian-football-player-of-all.html
      This is a thread on bigsoccer on the matter , see how all posters ranked Balaci in top 3 even saying how the top 3 is undisputed
      http://forums.bigsoccer.com/threads/greatest-romanian-players-of-all-time.650005/

      Look also at this articol about Baratky , it says "Trei nume au rămas întipărite definitiv în mintea şi inimile microbiştilor, indiferent de simpatii: Dobrin, Balaci şi Hagi." meaning 3 names have been imortalised in the mind and hearths of fans no matter who they supported:Dobrin , Blaci and Hagi. But they made the article to show that Baratky was on their level.

      And I could go on and on. Balaci is default top 3 no matter what source. Just because he got an injury doesn't mean he's not the 3rd best ever.It's like saying Matthes is better than Best because he was waay more consistent.

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    3. Anonymous19/2/15

      Oh and about Coe , I didn't necesarly said you should include him because of his place in the top romanian central defenders , just that he is the best ever at what he did. He is no doubt the best man-marker in romanian history so that was my point. I think for example that Alexandru Boc was a better defender overall but not man-marker. Also you should check Rapid legend Dumitru Macri who was nominated for the Ballon d'Or in 61. He's another all-time great center-back in romanian history who mesmerized crowds with his spectacular bycicle-kicks.

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  7. The name correct is DORIN MATEUT.

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  8. The name correct is Rodion Cămătaru.

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  9. Anonymous17/4/16

    Mate , here's a pool that might help you with your work. About 5 months ago , the news paper , Libertatea , held a pool to determine the greatest Romanian player of all time. http://www.libertatea.ro/sport/fotbal/nicolae-dobrin-a-fost-votat-cel-mai-mare-fotbalist-roman-al-tuturor-timpurilor-in-sondajul-sportnews-ro-regretatul-print-din-trivale-i-a-devansat-pe-alti-fosti-mari-fotbalisti-precu-1339553 Boloni and Duckadam are the ridiculous choices ofcourse , but understandable because they were part of the Steaua generation that brought much pride to all romanians. Dobrin as no.1 with 800 votes ahead of Hagi is interesting ( and maybe reflects the true ranking in true football skills) , and again , Balaci as the logical 3rd option , as he is universally rated.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks for the link. Top five looks reliable when players from the past likes Petchovschi and Baratsky are included. As you said, I stop to reference them when Boloni and Duckadem are followed in 6th and 7th.

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  10. Because adrian mutu is in the reserve team, with the nr 8 and Florea Dumitrache is in the first team and will not appear among the 10 major players, both of which are in the same position?

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    1. OK, I understand that it is not matched together. I have named Mutu out of top 10 and replaced by Dumitrache.

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    2. Anonymous19/8/16

      Wrong decision to replace Mutu with Dumitrache. Mutu was a much more complete player than Dumitrache and also had at least as good dribbling skill. Not to mention that Mutu reached a far higher level than Florea ever had. He was Serie A MVP in 2007 and played even better in 2008 but he was underrated at individual awards due to low placing of Fiorentina and outfield behaviour. His behaviour affected his Ballon d'Or rating those seasons same as Suarez was not even nominated at the Ballon d'Or when he was EPL MVP. Mutu's name was even changed to Murgu during that time in games because FIFA does not want him to get avertisment. He also was nominated at the Ballon d'Or in 2003. Even in 2006 everyone said it was a travesty that Dica won the Player of the year , because Mutu was again persecuted for lifestyle and Dica benefited of demostic Steaua bias.
      Also consistency is no argument here as Dumitrache had only 5-6 good seasons in his career(clearly bellow Mutu level even those).

      Ozon and Apolzan also have no bussines being above Mutu. Ozon scored like only 7 goals at the NT , and you probably rate him high just because Kovacs said he would be proud to coach him but to rate him above Mutu? Guardiola also said a few days ago after the 5-0 City-Steaua trashing , and I quote "The No.10 is an amazing player". He was talking about Nicusor Stanciu , who is a 7th rate football player... Same thing with Apolzan probably and the fact that he apearently invented the libero position before Beckenbauer. Well yeah , he was the best romanian defender at the time , and no doubt should remain amongst the best romanian center backs in rankings for his status , but above Mutu??? There is not a single romanian who would agree with you mate(people outside Romania don't know anything about hima anyway beside the 2 things I highlighted above).
      In conclusion , Mutu should be in worst case in top 8.

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    3. OK, I think it is fair after I check Mutu has a great domestic seasons around 4.5 and all of them is highly rated by Guerin at 6.4 - 6.6. He also have a more opportunity in NT career.

      For Titus Ozon, I need more info. According to this articles http://www.pesmitidelcalcio.com/viewtopic.php?f=20&t=2199
      He seems to be very complete in functional plays and should be more consistent than Mutu in domestic career.

      In case of Apolzan, I think his legend status is at least better than Mutu but the evidence to prove his class is seemingly unavailable.

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    4. Anonymous19/8/16

      On the contrary , he only has 7 season with more than 10 goals despite playing in the Romanian league.
      http://www.romaniansoccer.ro/players/1478/titus-ozon.htm
      Mutu played 14 consecutive years(all of his prime) exclusively across the top 5 leagues of Europe. And I was talking about Dumitrache when I said Mutu was far more complete. But even with Ozon , Mutu could effectivey operate in almost all atacking position with great quality.

      "A highly skilful and creative player, with an eye for goal, who has been troubled by off-field issues, however, Mutu is capable of playing in several offensive positions, as a supporting forward, as a striker, as a winger, and also as an attacking midfielder, due to his ability to both score and assist goals. Often compared to compatriot Gheorghe Hagi, in his prime, Mutu was a quick and mobile player, with excellent technical skills and dribbling ability, and was also an accurate set-piece and penalty-kick taker"

      Also why do you think Apolzan is a greater legend than Mutu? I haven't seen Apolzan and with defenders , it's always the hardest to determine how great they were in the past , I admit , but most Romanians rate Chivu above him. In fact , the most acclaimed Romanain classic center backs are Popescu , Belodedic and Stefanescu.

      P.S. I will tell you this , Apolzan was indeed a very complete defender from the romanian articles I read and old people I know that saw him. He was ambidextreous , had impecable aerial game even tough he was only 1.75 (nicknamed Apollozan after the greek Sun God) , and he was fast as hell. In fact , his team mate Ilie Savu recalled how Apolzan raced with mutiple Balkan champion at the 100m dash , Ion Moina , and they were perfectly equal until the very last steps. He was once clocked at 11 seconds with the heavy footballboots. Anyway , if you really rate him as a legend why don't you include him in the top 50 defenders list?

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  11. Anonymous5/11/16

    Popescu is rated wy too low compared to some players of other countries.

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  12. http://www.xtratime.org/forum/348-history-football/435450-top-50-greatest-romanian-players-all-time.html

    Here is my top 50 Romanian player ever if it helps you.

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  13. Anonymous23/7/17

    'Greatest Romanian Footballers' according to Romanian daily newspaper, 'Libertatea'. voted by football fans.

    1. Nicolae Dobrin (8358 votes)
    2. Gheorghe Hagi (7559 votes)
    3. Ilie Balaci (1179 votes)
    4. Iosif Petschovschi (571 votes)
    5. Iuliu Baratki (403 votes)
    6. Laszlo Boloni (352 votes)
    7. Helmuth Duckadam (325 votes)
    8. Gheorghe Popescu (295 votes)
    9. Miodrag Belodedici (270 votes)
    10. Adrian Mutu (214 votes)
    11. Cristian Chivu (170 votes)

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    1. Thank again. Duckadam is highly overrated since he did not made any top five Romanian player of the year aside from the 1986 that he won the awards.

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  14. Anonymous5/10/17

    Mircea Lucescu? as a player.

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  15. Greatest Romania XI by Ioan Chirila (1967):

    Voinescu; Vogl; Apolzan; Vintila; Petschovschi; Bindea; Guga; Barakty; Petea Valcov; Colea Valcov; Dobay

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  16. Anonymous2/4/18

    Hagi QUEEN Gold
    Dobrin Queen SILVER
    balaci at least Prince Gold

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