_2018_Sports_Festival_-_meciul_amintirilor._(52810852493)_(cropped)_2.jpg) Răducioiu in 2018 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Florin Valeriu Răducioiu | ||
| Date of birth | (1970-03-17)17 March 1970 (age 55) | ||
| Place of birth | Bucharest, Romania | ||
| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | ||
| Position | Striker | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1978–1986 | Dinamo București | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1986–1990 | Dinamo București | 76 | (29) |
| 1990–1991 | Bari | 30 | (5) |
| 1991–1992 | Hellas Verona | 30 | (2) |
| 1992–1993 | Brescia | 29 | (13) |
| 1993–1994 | AC Milan | 7 | (2) |
| 1994–1998 | Espanyol | 56 | (19) |
| 1996 | →West Ham United (loan) | 11 | (2) |
| 1997–1998 | →VfB Stuttgart (loan) | 19 | (4) |
| 1998–2000 | Brescia | 37 | (5) |
| 2000 | Dinamo București | 8 | (1) |
| 2001–2002 | AS Monaco | 12 | (2) |
| 2004 | Créteil | 9 | (1) |
| Total | 324 | (85) | |
| International career | |||
| 1989–1990 | Romania U21 | 9 | (3) |
| 1990–1996 | Romania | 40 | (21) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2007 | Dinamo București (sporting director) | ||
| 2012–2013 | Romania U15 | ||
| 2013–2014 | Romania U16 | ||
| 2014 | Romania U17 | ||
| 2017–2018 | Regal Sport București (technical director) | ||
| 2022 | Dinamo București (team manager) | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Florin Valeriu Răducioiu (born 17 March 1970) is a Romanian former professionalfootballer who played as astriker, currently television pundit forOrange Sport.[1]
He is known asthe first footballer to play and score at least one goal in each of the Big Five leagues.
He played forRomania at the1990 World Cup, the1994 World Cup andEuro 1996.
Răducioiu, nicknamedMinunea blondă ("The Blonde Wonder"), was born on 17 March 1970 inBucharest, Romania and began playing junior-level football in 1978 at local clubDinamo where he worked withIosif Varga.[2][3][4][5][6] CoachMircea Lucescu gave 16-year old Răducioiu hisDivizia A debut on 10 May 1986 in a 2–1 home victory againstPolitehnica Timișoara.[2][3][4] His first performance was playing five games and scoring one goal againstKuusysi Lahti in the1988–89 European Cup Winners' Cup, reaching the quarter-finals where they were eliminated on theaway goals rule after 1–1 on aggregate bySampdoria.[2][7][8]
In thefollowing season, Dinamo wonThe Double with Răducioiu playing 24 Divizia A games in which he scored 14 goals, including one in a 2–2 draw againstrivalsSteaua București.[2][4][5][9] He also scored ahat-trick in the 6–4 victory against them in theCupa României final.[2][4][5][10] Additionally, he appeared in eight matches in the1989–90 European Cup Winners' Cup campaign, scoring once againstPanathinaikos and three times againstPartizan Belgrade, reaching the semi-finals where they were eliminated 2–0 on aggregate byAnderlecht.[2][3][4][5][11] In the 85th minute of the second leg in the semi-final against Anderlecht, Răducioiu received a red card after fighting with an opponent and quarreled with the referee, Lucescu giving him a slap for that.[3][12] However, he appreciated the coach, praising him years later after he ended his career:"He was my mentor, teacher, everything! Without him, I would never have become a footballer. He believed in me and gave me the opportunity to play. He showed me what football is all about, but I also learned a lot of other things."[3][12]
In the summer of 1990, Italian clubBari transferred Răducioiu after paying Dinamo$3 million.[2][13] He made hisSerie A debut on 9 September, as coachGaetano Salvemini used him as a starter in a 2–0 away loss toAtalanta.[14][15] One week later he netted his first goal in a 2–1 home victory againstTorino.[14] Until the end of the season he scored four more times, netting in two 1–1 draws againstLazio Roma andSampdoria, then opening the score in a 2–0 win overPisa and his last goal came in a 5–1 loss toInter Milan.[14]
In 1991 he joinedHellas Verona, making his league debut on 1 September under coachEugenio Fascetti who used him the entire match in a 1–0 home loss toAS Roma.[2][16][17] He scored his first goal forThe Mastiffs on 16 November in a 2–1 victory againstGenoa.[16] Subsequently, he was unable to score until 11 April 1992 in a 2–1 loss toTorino.[16] These were his only goals in his 30 appearances during this season in which the team was relegated.[2][16] Years later after ending his career, Răducioiu claimed that his poor performances during this period were influenced by the love relationship he had withfashion model Eugenia "Janine" Ștefan:"I had a nightmare season at Verona,1991–92. I had fallen head over heels in love with Janine, a famous fashion model of those years. My whole being was connected during that period to this girl (...) I had fallen at matches, during training, the supporters attacked us when we were coming from away games, they also attacked me once. We relegated that season, the fans rightly blamed me, and years later I publicly apologized for my disastrous year's performances".[18]
Răducioiu went to play for the1992–93 season at Mircea Lucescu's "Brescia Romena", as around that period, his fellow RomaniansGheorghe Hagi,Ioan Sabău,Dorin Mateuț andDănuț Lupu also played for the club.[2][19][20] He made his debut on 5 September 1992 in a 0–0 draw againstNapoli, two weeks later scoring his first goal in a 1–0 win overPescara, by the end of the year managing a brace in a 2–2 draw againstGenoa.[21] In the second half of the season he scored goals in victories over Napoli andJuventus, and in May 1993 he managed two doubles, first in the 2–0 success overAtalanta and then in the 2–2 draw againstUdinese.[21] He netted a total of 13 goals, but the team was relegated toSerie B.[2][4][5][21]
After three seasons in Serie A, Răducioiu joinedAC Milan, which paid Brescia€2.75 million for his transfer.[2][22][23] His first appearance was in the1993 Supercoppa Italiana when coachFabio Capello sent him at half-time to replaceMarco Simone who had scored the only goal in the victory againstTorino.[5][7][24] He made his Serie A debut forThe Devil on 12 September 1993, closing the score in a 2–0 home win againstAtalanta, and on 4 December he netted the only goal in a home victory over Torino.[25] On 11 December, he was used by Capello as a starter in the 3–2 loss toSão Paulo in the1993 Intercontinental Cup.[26] Răducioiu also played two games in theChampions League group stage, scoring once in a 3–0 win overPorto which was the 300th goal of the club in European competitions.[7][27] In his single season with Milan he scored only four goals in 14 appearances across all competitions, having to compete for a place in the offence with players such asJean-Pierre Papin,Daniele Massaro,Dejan Savićević and Marco Simone, but still managed to win theleague title and theChampions League.[2][4][5][7][28] He would describe his opportunity to play for Milan as "a dream come true".[28]
In 1994, Răducioiu went in Spain to play forEspanyol, which paid Milan€2.4 million for his transfer.[2][22][23] He made hisPrimera División debut under coachJosé Antonio Camacho on 4 September, opening the score in a 4–2 home win overReal Oviedo.[29][30] One week later he scored again in a 4–0 away victory againstReal Valladolid, managing to score nine goals until the end of the season, including a brace in a 2–0 win overAtlético Madrid.[4][29] For the way he played in 1994, Răducioiu was placed second in the ranking for theRomanian Footballer of the Year award, only behindGheorghe Hagi.[31] He started thefollowing season strong by scoring a brace in the first round and one goal in the second in victories againstSalamanca andTenerife respectively, but scored only two more goals in wins againstReal Sociedad and Real Oviedo until the end of it.[2][32]
Having scored his country's only goal inEuro 1996, managerHarry Redknapp signed him forWest Ham United in 1996.[2][33][34] There, he was teammates with compatriotIlie Dumitrescu.[35] He made hisPremier League debut on 24 August when he replacedMarc Rieper in the 39th minute of a 2–1 home win overSouthampton.[36][37] Most famously, he scored a goal in a 2–2 draw againstManchester United after being criticized by Redknapp for going shopping with his wife atHarvey Nichols on a previous match day, a claim Răducioiu denied.[33][34][38] Despite showing promise, he never adapted to the pace and competitive nature of the English game, making no real impact atUpton Park.[33][34] He scored three goals during his spell withThe Hammers, in addition to his goal against Manchester United, he scored againstStockport County in theLeague Cup andSunderland in the league.[33][34][39] Having fallen out with manager Redknapp at the East London club, he was transferred back to Espanyol after his short underachieving spell, having scored just two goals in the Premier League.[2][33][34][36]
In the second half of the1996–97 season, Răducioiu scored two doubles for Espanyol, one in a loss toSporting Gijón and the other in a 2–0 win overBarcelona in theDerbi Barceloní.[2][40]
In the summer of 1997 he joinedVfB Stuttgart.[2][4] He made hisBundesliga debut on 23 August when coachJoachim Löw sent him at half-time to replaceJonathan Akpoborie in a 3–1 away win againstMSV Duisburg where he closed the score.[41] He played for them in three games in the early stages of the1997–98 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup campaign in which Stuttgart reached thefinal.[2][5][42]
In 1998, Răducioiu made a comeback atBrescia, this time playing for two years inSerie B.[2][4][5] Afterwards he returned to his country atDinamo, where he stayed only for the first half of the2000–01 season.[2][4][5] Răducioiu scored his only goal during this second spell withThe Red Dogs in a 3–2 loss toPetrolul Ploiești.[2][43] He made his last Divizia A appearance on 24 November 2000 in a 3–2 win overAstra Ploiești, having a total of 84 matches with 30 goals in the competition.[2]
In early 2001, Răducioiu went to play forAS Monaco, making hisLigue 1 debut on 13 January againstSedan when coachClaude Puel introduced him in the 66th minute to replace the only scorer of the game,Shabani Nonda.[2][4][5][44][45] He netted for the first time on 3 February in a 6–1 victory overMetz, then on 17 March he opened the score in a 4–3 home win againstTroyes.[44][46]
He retired in 2004, after a short stint with FrenchLigue 2 sideCréteil.[2][5]
Răducioiu is the first professional footballer who played and also scored in the top five European leagues (England, Spain, Germany, Italy and France).[4][33][47]
Răducioiu played 40 games and scored 21 goals forRomania, making his debut on 25 April 1990 under coachEmerich Jenei in a 4–1 friendly win againstIsrael, being on the field for the first 58 minutes before he was replaced withGabi Balint.[48][49]
Răducioiu was taken by Jenei to be part of the1990 World Cup squad where he made his debut in the 2–1 victory against theSoviet Union atStadio San Nicola inBari, aged 20.[48][50] Appearing in three games, he finished the tournament without scoring and Romania fell to theRepublic of Ireland in the round of 16, in apenalty shootout.[48]
Răducioiu scored his first goal in a 6–0 victory overSan Marino in theEuro 1992 qualifiers, only to double his account in the next game in San Marino, as the Romanians won 3–1.[7][48]
The1994 World Cup qualifiers were very successful for Răducioiu, starting with two goals againstCzechoslovakia inKošice, even though Romania lost 5–2.[48] An even greater success for Răducioiu would come three months later when inToftir, he managed to score all four of Romania's goals against theFaroe Islands.[48][51] Răducioiu also scored a penalty kick and provided an assist forIlie Dumitrescu in a 2–1 victory againstBelgium.[48][52] In the last group game of the qualifiers, he scored a goal againstWales, finishing a nice team effort after a pass from Ilie Dumitrescu.[48][51][52] This late goal, coming in the 83rd minute, earned Romania a 2–1 win and thus the mathematical qualification to the1994 World Cup.[48][51][52][53] This match is considered by Romanian journalists as the birth of Romania's "Golden Generation".[52] With nine goals scored, Răducioiu was the top-scorer of the1994 World Cup qualifiers in theUEFA zone.[4][7][51]
In the World Cup finals, Răducioiu scored two goals in the victory againstColombia during the group stage.[4][5][51][48] CoachAnghel Iordănescu could not use him in the historical victory againstArgentina in the round of 16 as he was suspended after receiving two yellow cards in the group stage.[54] In the quarterfinal againstSweden, he first equalized Sweden's 0–1 lead in the 88th minute of regular time, taking the game to extra time, then put Romania ahead 2–1 in the first period.[4][5][51][55] Shortly thereafter, Sweden'sStefan Schwarz was sent off after his second yellow card, but even with ten men,Kennet Andersson tied the game in the 115th minute, leading to a shootout.[55] Răducioiu scored Romania's first penalty attempt after Sweden had missed its first, but Romania was eliminated after missing two attempts out of six.[48][55][56] Still, Răducioiu's four tournament goals helped Romania to its most successful World Cup campaign ever.[4][5][57]
During the successfulEuro 1996 qualifiers he scored five goals, including a hat-trick againstAzerbaijan, being his side's top-scorer.[48][58] He was used by Iordănescu in all three matches in thefinal tournament, which was unsuccessful as they lost toFrance,Bulgaria andSpain.[4][48][59][60] Răducioiu netted the nation's only goal after a pass fromOvidiu Stîngă in the 2–1 loss to the Spanish side.[4][48][59]
Afterwards, Răducioiu decided to retire from the national team even though he was only 26 years old, a decision he would regret, years later saying in an interview:"Disappointed with the European Championship... I felt that I could no longer be useful to the national team. What nonsense I could think then! I felt like I was probably losing my place in the team and... It was probably wrong, for sure!"[59]
For representing his country at two final tournaments, Răducioiu was decorated byPresident of RomaniaTraian Băsescu on 25 March 2008 with the Ordinul "Meritul Sportiv" – (The Medal "The Sportive Merit") class III.[61]
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In 2005 he had a short spell as asports agent, then in 2007 he worked as a sporting director forDinamo București.[33][62]
In 2012 he was hired by theRomanian Football Federation to be the head coach ofRomania's under-15 national team, in the following years working atRomania U16 andRomania U17, teaching players such asIanis Hagi andFlorinel Coman.[5][63]
In 2017, Răducioiu was hired by Regal Sport București as a technical director, working there with a 15-year-oldRadu Drăgușin.[5][64] In 2022 he worked as a team manager for a few months at Dinamo București.[65]
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Romania | 1990 | 10 | 1 |
| 1991 | 5 | 1 | |
| 1992 | 2 | 1 | |
| 1993 | 4 | 8 | |
| 1994 | 12 | 5 | |
| 1995 | 3 | 4 | |
| 1996 | 4 | 1 | |
| Total | 40 | 21 | |
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 December 1990 | Stadionul Naţional,Bucharest, Romania |  San Marino | 3–0 | 6–0 | UEFA Euro 1992 qualifying |
| 2 | 27 March 1991 | Stadio Olimpico,Serravalle, San Marino | San Marino | 2–1 | 3–1 | UEFA Euro 1992 qualifying |
| 3 | 29 November 1992 | Neo GSZ Stadium,Larnaca, Cyprus |  Cyprus | 2–0 | 4–1 | 1994 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 4 | 2 June 1993 | Všešportový areál,Košice, Slovakia |  Czechoslovakia | 1–1 | 2–5 | 1994 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 5 | 2–2 | |||||
| 6 | 8 September 1993 | Svangaskarð,Toftir, Faroe Islands |  Faroe Islands | 1–0 | 4–0 | 1994 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 7 | 2–0 | |||||
| 8 | 3–0 | |||||
| 9 | 4–0 | |||||
| 10 | 13 October 1993 | Stadionul Steaua,Bucharest, Romania |  Belgium | 1–0 | 2–1 | 1994 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 11 | 17 November 1993 | Cardiff Arms Park,Cardiff, Wales |  Wales | 2–1 | 2–1 | 1994 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 12 | 18 June 1994 | Rose Bowl,Pasadena, United States |  Colombia | 1–0 | 3–1 | 1994 FIFA World Cup |
| 13 | 3–1 | |||||
| 14 | 10 July 1994 | Stanford Stadium,Stanford, United States |  Sweden | 1–1 | 2–2 | 1994 FIFA World Cup |
| 15 | 2–1 | |||||
| 16 | 7 September 1994 | Stadionul Steaua, Bucharest, Romania |  Azerbaijan | 3–0 | 3–0 | UEFA Euro 1996 qualifying |
| 17 | 29 March 1995 | Stadionul Steaua, Bucharest, Romania |  Poland | 1–1 | 2–1 | UEFA Euro 1996 Qualifying |
| 18 | 26 April 1995 | Hüseyin Avni Aker Stadium,Trabzon, Turkey | Azerbaijan | 1–0 | 4–1 | UEFA Euro 1996 Qualifying |
| 19 | 3–1 | |||||
| 20 | 4–1 | |||||
| 21 | 18 June 1996 | Elland Road,Leeds, England |  Spain | 1–1 | 1–2 | UEFA Euro 1996 |
Dinamo București
AC Milan
VfB Stuttgart
Individual
Romania squads | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||||||||
