Romanian footballer (born 1997)
Alexandru Cicâldău (Romanian pronunciation: [alekˈsandru footballer who plays as amidfielder forLiga I clubUniversitatea Craiova .
Cicâldău started his senior career atViitorul Constanța , and in the summer of 2018 transferred to Universitatea Craiova. He totalled over 100 games in the league championship and won two domestic trophies with the latter, before moving abroad toGalatasaray for an initial €6.5 million in 2021. Following loans in the United Arab Emirates and Turkey, Cicâldau was bought back by Universitatea Craiova in 2024.
Internationally, Cicâldau registered his full debut forRomania in a 2–1friendly defeat ofIsrael in March 2018. He represented the country in theUEFA Euro 2024 .
[ edit ] Cicâldău was raised inSatu Nou , a village nearMedgidia ,Constanța County , and started practising football at the age of eight. After initially playing at Marcon Star Medgidia, he joined theGheorghe Hagi Academy , which served as the youth setup ofViitorul Constanța .[ 3]
Cicâldău made his debut in thefirst division for Viitorul on 31 March 2016, aged 18, in a 1–1 away draw atASA Târgu Mureș .[ 4] 2017–18 season ,[ 5]
Universitatea Craiova [ edit ] On 6 July 2018, Cicâldău agreed to a four-year contract withUniversitatea Craiova , being assigned thenumber 10 shirt .[ 6] [ 3] [ 7] [ 8] CFR Cluj won 1–0 in theSupercupa României .[ 9]
Cicâldău netted his first goal in a 3–0 league win overAstra Giurgiu , on 26 October.[ 10] header in a 2–3 away loss to title contendersFCSB .[ 11] European competitions on 18 July that year, opening a 3–2 home victory overSabail in the second leg of theUEFA Europa League first qualifying round .[ 12] [ 13] [ 14]
On 31 January 2020, in the opening game of the calendar year, Cicâldau scored twice before half-time in a 3–1 defeat ofGaz Metan Mediaș ; the second goal came from afree kick and the double was the first in his professional career.[ 15] [ 16] penalty in a 2–1 win against FCSB.[ 17] Liga I season with 14 goals, as Craiova lost the league title to CFR in the last home game.[ 18]
During the2020–21 season , Cicâldau amassed 12 goals from 42 appearances in all competitions, and won his firstnational cup after a 3–2 victory over Astra Giurgiu in thefinal .[ 19] penalty shoot-out win over CFR Cluj in the subsequentSupercupa României .[ 20]
Cicâldău withGalatasaray in 2021 On 24 July 2021, Cicâldău joined Turkish clubGalatasaray on a five-year deal in a transfer worth €6.5 million plus €2 million in bonuses.[ 21] [ 22] Süper Lig defeat ofGiresunspor in which he converted a penalty.[ 23] Lazio in the Europa Leaguegroup stage .[ 24]
On 25 October 2021, Cicâldău opened the scoring in a 1–2derby loss to reigning championsBeşiktaş atVodafone Park .[ 25] own goal in the first half of a 4–2 Europa League defeat ofMarseille .[ 26] assisted Galatasaray's only goal in a 1–2 loss toBarcelona in theround of 16 of the same competition.[ 27]
On 27 August 2022, Cicâldău was loaned out to the Emirati clubIttihad Kelba for oneseason .[ 28] Konyaspor .[ 29]
Cicâldău withUniversitatea Craiova during the first leg of the2025–26 UEFA Conference League play-off match againstİstanbul Başakşehir Return to Universitatea Craiova [ edit ] Towards the end of the 2024 summertransfer window , after a €3.5 million move toBelgian Pro League clubWesterlo fell through,[ 30] Petrolul Ploiești .[ 31] [ 32] [ 33] [ 34]
In late August 2025, Cicâldău helped Universitatea Craiova qualify for theleague phase of a European competition for the first time, scoring in both legs of a 5–2 aggregate win overİstanbul Başakşehir in theConference League play-off round .[ 35]
International career [ edit ] Cicâldău received his first call up for theRomania senior team in March 2018.[ 36] substitute in afriendly withIsrael , which his team won 2–1.[ 37] UEFA Nations League defeat ofLithuania .[ 38]
The following year he represented theunder-21 side at the2019 UEFA European Championship , where they managed to progress past agroup withCroatia ,England andFrance , before being eliminated by defending championsGermany in thesemi-finals .[ 39] caps during the final tournament, all as a starter.
After the conclusion of the Under-21 Championship, Cicâldău continued to be selected for the senior team. On 31 March 2021, on his twelfthcap , he scored his first goals in a 2–3 away loss toArmenia counting for the2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers .[ 40]
In 2023, Cicâldău appeared in seven games of theEuro 2024 qualifiers , including a start in the final 1–0 victory overSwitzerland which secured Romania first place in Group I.[ 41] final tournament .[ 42] Netherlands in theround of 16 , coming on as a 72nd-minute substitute forMarius Marin .[ 43]
Cicâldău is capable of aiding his teammates in bothdefense andattack , being described as abox-to-box midfielder by former Romanian internationalGheorghe Craioveanu .[ 44] work ethic .[ 45] [ 46]
As of match played 9 November 2025 [ 47] As of match played 2 July 2024 [ 48] Appearances and goals by national team and year National team Year Apps Goals Romania 2018 3 0 2019 3 0 2020 4 0 2021 10 2 2022 8 2 2023 7 0 2024 3 0 Total 38 4
Scores and results list Romania's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Cicâldău goal. [ 48] Viitorul Constanța [ 47]
Universitatea Craiova [ 47]
Galatasaray
Individual
^ "Fotbalistul Alexandru Cicâldău, special de mic. Povestește Izmir Abdulgani "Când joacă băieții de la Medgidia, să-l vedem pe "blondul"?" (galerie foto)" [Footballer Alexandru Cicâldău, gifted since he was a child. Izmir Abdulgani rememorates "When do the boys from Medgidia play, we want to see the blonde one?" (Photo gallery)] (in Romanian). Ziua de Constanța. 2 May 2020.^ "Alexandru Cicâldău" . UAE Pro League. Retrieved15 July 2023 .^a b "Cicâldău a părăsit cantonamentul Viitorului și vine la București să semneze cu noua echipă!" [Alexandru Cicâldău left Viitorul and is travelling to Bucharest to sign for a new team].Gazeta Sporturilor . Retrieved6 July 2018 .^ "ASA Tg. Mureș - Viitorul 1-1" (in Romanian).Digi Sport . 31 March 2016. Retrieved25 March 2018 .^ "INTERVIU VIDEO | "Da! La început eram doar un puşti promiţător". Ca la 20 de ani, fără griji dar adulat de fani. Cicâldău vorbeşte despre Hagi, interesul lui Becali şi naţionala de tineret" [VIDEO INTERVIEW | "Yes! At first I was just a promising youth." Like a 20-year-old, without worries but beloved by fans. Cicâldău talks about Hagi, Becali's interest and the youth national team] (in Romanian).ProSport . 10 November 2017. Retrieved25 March 2018 .^ "Alexandru Cicâldău, jucătorul Științei pentru 4 ani!" [Alexandru Cicâldău, the player ofȘtiința for the next 4 years!] (in Romanian). CS Universitatea Craiova. 6 July 2018. Retrieved6 July 2018 .^ "Transfer URIAS in Liga 1! Unul dintre cei mai doriti jucatori a ales-o pe Craiova dupa ce a refuzat FCSB si CFR Cluj! Anuntul diminetii" [HUGE transfer in Liga 1! One of the most desired players chose Craiova after rejecting FCSB and CFR Cluj!] (in Romanian).Sport.ro . 5 July 2018. Retrieved6 July 2018 .^ "Câţi bani primeşte Hagi pentru transferul lui Cicâldău. Suma care l-a convins pe "Rege" să-şi vândă unul dintre cei mai buni fotbalişti la Craiova" [How much money Hagi receives for the transfer of Cicâldău. The sum that convinced "the King" to sell one of his best footballers to Craiova] (in Romanian). ProSport. 6 July 2018. Retrieved6 July 2018 .^ "CFR Cluj a câștigat Supercupa României 2018" [CFR Cluj won the 2018 Romanian Supercup] (in Romanian).Romanian Football Federation . 14 July 2018. Archived fromthe original on 15 July 2018. Retrieved15 July 2018 .^ "ASTRA GIURGIU - CS U CRAIOVA 0-3 // FOTO+VIDEO Craiova a făcut spectacol la Giurgiu și a urcat pe locul 2 » Mitriță și Koljic au fost de neoprit!" [ASTRA GIURGIU - CS U CRAIOVA 0-3 // PHOTO+VIDEO Craiova impressed at Giurgiu and went up to place 2 » Mitriță și Koljić were unstoppable!].Gazeta Sporturilor (in Romanian). 26 October 2018. Retrieved2 November 2018 .^ "FCSB - Craiova 3-2. Rezerva Gnohere a adus victoria roș-albaștrilor, după un meci nebun, cu greșeli mari de arbitraj" [FCSB - Craiova 3–2. Substitute Gnohéré brought the victory of "the Red-Blues", after a crazy match, with many referee mistakes].DigiSport (in Romanian). 31 March 2019. Retrieved5 March 2018 .^ "Universitatea Craiova 3–2 Sabail" .UEFA . 18 July 2019. Retrieved19 July 2019 .^ "Universitatea Craiova are ofertă de 5 milioane de euro pe masă, pentru Alexandru Cicâldău. Unde poate ajunge" [Universitatea Craiova has a 5 million euros offer on the table for Alexandru Cicâldău. Where he could turn up to] (in Romanian). Digi Sport. 18 July 2019.^ "Cicaldău și-a prelungit contractul cu Universitatea Craiova până în 2025" [Cicâldău extended his contract with Universitatea Craiova until 2025].Libertatea ^ "Alexandru Cicâldău, după prima "dublă" din carieră: "Exersez mult la antrenamente" [Alexandru Cicâldău, after the first "double" of his career: "I practice it a lot in trainings"] (in Romanian). Fanatik.ro. 31 January 2020. Retrieved6 February 2020 .^ "A dat golul victoriei în Gruia, dar şi-a certat colegii: "Nu e permis aşa ceva! Se putea termina totul!" [He scored the winning goal in Gruia, but criticised his teammates: "Something like that is not allowed! It could all have been over!"] (in Romanian). Digi Sport. 28 June 2020. Retrieved17 July 2020 .^ "Alexandru Cicâldău rămâne rezervat după victoria cu FCSB, care îi aduce pe olteni cu un pas mai aproape de titlu" [Alexandru Cicâldău stays humble after the victory with FCSB, which brings the Oltenia people one step closer to the title] (in Romanian). Digi Sport. 12 July 2020. Retrieved17 July 2020 .^ "Universitatea Craiova – CFR Cluj 1-3. Veni, Vidi, Vinicius. Ardelenii revin spectaculos, câștigă al treilea titlu consecutiv și se pregătesc de preliminariile Champions League" [Universitatea Craiova – CFR Cluj 1-3. Veni, Vidi, Vinícius.Ardelenii turn the game around in a spectacular manner, win their third consecutive title and prepare for the Champions League qualifiers] (in Romanian). ProSport. 3 August 2020. Retrieved18 October 2020 .^ "Universitatea Craiova a învins Astra și a câștigat Cupa României!" [Universitatea Craiova defeated Astra and won the Romanian Cup!] (in Romanian).Romanian Football Federation . 23 May 2021. Retrieved27 November 2021 .^ "CFR Cluj - Universitatea Craiova 0-0, 2-4 d.l.d. Oltenii câștigă Supercupa României! Pigliacelli, erou" [CFR Cluj - Universitatea Craiova 0–0, 2–4 after penalties "The Oltenia people" win the Romanian Super Cup! Pigliacelli, the hero] (in Romanian). Digi Sport. 10 July 2021. Retrieved27 November 2021 .^ "Alexandru Cicaldau Galatasaray'da!" [Alexandru Cicâldău is at Galatasaray!] (in Turkish). Galatasaray S.K. 24 July 2021. Retrieved24 July 2021 .^ "8,5 milioane de euro pentru un fotbalist din Liga 1" [8.5 million euros for a Liga 1 footballer] (in Romanian).Telekom Sport . 26 July 2021.^ "Giresunspor - Galatasaray » Nebunie! Cicâldău, gol la debut! Apoi a sărit să despartă doi colegi aflați la un pas de bătaie" [Giresunspor - Galatasaray » Madness! Cicâldău, goal on debut! He then intervened between two colleagues who almost fought each other].Gazeta Sporturilor (in Romanian). 16 August 2021. Retrieved26 October 2021 .^ "Galatasaray 1–0 Lazio" .UEFA . 16 September 2021. Retrieved26 October 2021 .^ "Cicâldău a marcat, dar Galatasaray nu a putut câștiga derby-ul de pe terenul lui Beşiktaş" [Cicâldău scored, but Galatasaray could not win the derby on Beşiktaş's ground] (in Romanian).Eurosport România . 25 October 2021. Retrieved26 October 2021 .^ "Galatasaray 4–2 Marseille" .UEFA . 25 November 2021. Retrieved27 November 2021 .^ "VIDEO Alexandru Cicâldău, pasă de gol în Galatasaray – Barcelona! Mijlocașul român a executat perfect cornerul din care "leii" au marcat și au declanșat nebunia la Istanbul" [VIDEO Alexandru Cicâldău, assist in Galatasaray – Barcelona! The Romanian midfielder perfectly executed the corner from which "the Lions" scored and started the madness in Istanbul] (in Romanian).Antena Sport . 17 March 2022. Retrieved28 August 2022 .^ "Profesyonel futbolcumuz Alexandru Cicâldău'nun geçici transferi hakkında" [About the temporary transfer of our professional football player Alexandru Cicâldău] (in Turkish). Galatasaray S.K. 27 August 2022. Retrieved27 August 2022 .^ "OFICIAL | Alexandru Cicâldău a plecat de la Galatasaray! Mijlocașul a fost prezentat la echipa din Super Lig" [OFFICIAL | Alexandru Cicâldău left Galatasaray! The midfielder was unveiled by the Süper Lig team] (in Romanian). ProSport. 1 August 2023. Retrieved2 August 2023 .^ "Galatasaray'da beklenen ayrılık gerçekleşiyor! Takım bulundu..." [The expected separation is happening at Galatasaray! The team was found...].Fanatik . Retrieved9 September 2024 .^ "Anunțul făcut de Petrolul despre Alex Cicâldău" [The announcement made by Petrolul about Alex Cicâldău] (in Romanian). Digi Sport. 9 September 2024. Retrieved9 September 2024 .^ "ALEX CICÂLDĂU IS BACK" (in Romanian). CS Universitatea Craiova. 9 September 2024. Retrieved9 September 2024 .^ "Alexandru Cicaldau'nun, U Craiova 1948 Club Sportiv'e transferi hakkında" [About the transfer of Alexandru Cicaldau to U Craiova 1948 Club Sportiv] (in Turkish). Galatasaray S.K. 9 September 2024. Retrieved9 September 2024 .^ "Mihai Rotaru sparge banca! Cât plătește Craiova pentru transferul lui Cicâldău » Mutarea e definitivă, pe 4 ani" [Mihai Rotaru breaks the bank! How much will Craiova pay for the transfer of Cicâldău » The move is permanent, for 4 years] (in Romanian). Gazeta Sporturilor. 9 September 2024. Retrieved9 September 2024 .^ "Video | Universitatea Craiova - Istanbul Bașakșehir 3-1. Calificare! Oltenii sunt în premieră în Conference League" [Video | Universitatea Craiova - Istanbul Başakşehir 3-1. Qualification! The Oltenia People are in the Conference League for the first time] (in Romanian). Digi Sport. 28 August 2025. Retrieved29 August 2025 .^ "27 de jucători convocați pentru "dubla" cu Israel și Suedia" [27 players called-up for the "double" with Israel and Sweden] (in Romanian). Romanian Football Federation. 16 March 2018. Archived fromthe original on 17 March 2018. Retrieved17 March 2018 .^ "Israel – România 1–2. Tricolorii au revenit spectaculos și câștigă primul amical al anului" [Israel – Romania 1–2. "The Tricolours" win the first friendly of the year] (in Romanian). Digi Sport. 24 March 2018. Retrieved24 March 2018 .^ "România – Lituania 3–0. "Tricolorii" au urcat pe locul 2, după cea mai bună prestaţie din Liga Naţiunilor" [Romania – Lithuania 3–0. "The Tricolours" climbed to the second place, after their best performance in the Nations League] (in Romanian). Digi Sport. 17 November 2018. Retrieved30 June 2019 .^ "Germany 4–2 Romania" .UEFA . 27 June 2019. Retrieved30 June 2019 .^ "După "dubla" de la Erevan, Alex Cicâldău a devenit cel mai bine cotat din Liga 1. "Va juca la echipe de top 7 din primele 4 campionate ale Europei" [After the double in Yerevan, Alex Cicâldău became the best evaluated in Liga 1. "He will play at a top-7 team in one of the best four leagues of Europe"] (in Romanian). ProSport. 31 March 2021. Retrieved1 April 2021 .^ "VICTORIE cu Elveția și mergem la EURO 2024 de pe primul loc în grupă!" [WIN against Switzerland and we go to EURO 2024 from first place in the group!] (in Romanian). Romanian Football Federation. 21 November 2023. Retrieved26 November 2023 .^ "Lotul României pentru EURO 2024" [Romania's squad for EURO 2024] (in Romanian). Romanian Football Federation. 7 June 2024. Retrieved5 July 2024 .^ "Romania 0–3 Netherlands: Donyell Malen and Cody Gakpo score as Dutch reach quarters" .BBC . 2 July 2024. Retrieved8 July 2024 .^ " ["He will be sold for 8-10 million euros". Craioveanu announces the next big transfer of Liga 1] (in Romanian). Digi Sport. 8 September 2018. Retrieved9 September 2018 .^ "Sânmărtean, lăsat mască de Cicâldău! "E senzaţional, super jucător" [Sânmărtean, fascinated by Cicâldău! "He's sensational, extraordinary player"] (in Romanian). ProSport. 22 October 2017. Retrieved6 July 2018 .He has a great capacity for effort, I think it was the best match he did. ^ "Alexandru Cicâldau, dorit de o echipă din Serie A! Anunţul de ULTIMĂ ORĂ al italienilor" [Alexandru Cicâldau, wanted by a Serie A team! The latest announcement of Italian press] (in Romanian). Fanatik.ro. 24 June 2019. Retrieved30 June 2019 .Alexandru Cicâldău, the offensive midfielder of Romania's U21 national team, is a technically gifted player who also manages to cover a big portion of the field, having a good effort capacity. ^a b c Alexandru Cicâldău atSoccerway . Retrieved 24 March 2018.^a b "Alexandru Cicâldău" . European Football. Retrieved24 March 2018 .^ "VIDEO GALA GSP 2021 » Gazeta a decernat Superlativele anului 2021 și a premiat 5 Legende: iată cine sunt laureații!" [VIDEO 2021 GSP GALA »Gazeta announced the Superlatives of the year 2021 and awarded 5 Legends: here are the winners!].Gazeta Sporturilor (in Romanian). 21 December 2021. Retrieved21 December 2021 .^ "Alexandru Cicâldău a fost ales "Jucătorul lunii noiembrie", iar Andrei Prepeliță - "Antrenorul lunii"! Cum s-a votat" [Alexandru Cicâldău was chosen "Player of the month in November", and Andrei Prepeliță - "Coach of the month"! How the voting took place].Gazeta Sporturilor (in Romanian). 6 December 2021. Retrieved12 December 2021 .^ "Echipa sezonului 2018/2019" [Team of the season 2018/2019] (in Romanian).LPF.ro . 24 June 2019. Retrieved24 June 2019 .^ "LPF a anunțat echipa sezonului în Liga 1 » CFR Cluj dă cei mai mulți jucători, FCSB doar unul" [LPF has announced the "ideal team" of the Liga 1 season! CFR Cluj offers the most players, FCSB only one.] (in Romanian). GSP. 7 August 2020. Retrieved4 June 2021 .^ "LPF a ales "echipa ideală" a sezonului din Liga 1! Care echipă a oferit cei mai mulți jucători" [LPF has chosen the "ideal team" of the Liga 1 season! Which team offers the most players] (in Romanian).Digi Sport . 4 June 2021. Retrieved4 June 2021 .^ "Liga 1 Betano: Echipa sezonului regulat" [Liga I Betano: Team of the regular season] (in Romanian).LPF.ro . 6 March 2019. Retrieved6 March 2019 .^ "Liga 1 Betano: echipa ideală a play-off-ului" [Liga 1 Betano: team of the championship play-offs] (in Romanian).LPF.ro . 27 May 2019. Retrieved27 May 2019 .
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Armenia
Israel
Moldova
