 Munteanu withRomania U21 in 2024 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | (2002-06-16)16 June 2002 (age 23) | ||
| Place of birth | Vaslui, Romania | ||
| Height | 1.84 m (6 ft 0 in) | ||
| Position | Forward | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | D.C. United | ||
| Number | 11 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2007–2015 | LPS Vaslui | ||
| 2015–2019 | Gheorghe Hagi Academy | ||
| 2020–2022 | Fiorentina | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2019–2020 | Viitorul Constanța | 21 | (3) |
| 2020–2024 | Fiorentina | 0 | (0) |
| 2022–2023 | →Farul Constanța (loan) | 29 | (10) |
| 2023–2024 | →Farul Constanța (loan) | 34 | (12) |
| 2024–2026 | CFR Cluj | 49 | (25) |
| 2026– | D.C. United | 0 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2018 | Romania U16 | 4 | (1) |
| 2017–2019 | Romania U17 | 14 | (4) |
| 2019–2020 | Romania U18 | 4 | (3) |
| 2019–2021 | Romania U19 | 3 | (0) |
| 2022 | Romania U20 | 2 | (0) |
| 2021–2025 | Romania U21 | 20 | (6) |
| 2023– | Romania | 4 | (2) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 12 December 2025 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 18 November 2025 | |||
Louis Munteanu (Romanian pronunciation:[ˈluismunˈte̯anu]; born 16 June 2002) is a Romanian professionalfootballer who plays as aforward forMajor League Soccer clubD.C. United and theRomania national team.
Munteanu made his senior debut forViitorul Constanța in 2019, aged 17, before moving to Italian sideFiorentina the following year. He returned to his boyhood club—which merged withFarul Constanța—in 2022, and played a key role in securing thenational title during his first loan spell back. In 2024, Munteanu signed forCFR Cluj, where he helped to aCupa României and finished as Liga I top scorer in his firstseason at the team. He transferred abroad again to American side D.C. United in 2026, joining them as aDesignated Player for an initial €6 million (US$7 million), which represented a club-record fee.
Internationally, Munteanu representedRomania under-21 in the2023 and2025 UEFA European Championships. In October 2023, he registered his full debut in a goalless draw withBelarus in theEuro 2024 qualifiers.
Munteanu was born inVaslui, Romania. He moved to theGheorghe Hagi Academy inConstanța at age nine, finding the transition difficult and later recalling that he "cried every night" during his first year away from home. His mother eventually relocated to Constanța to support him, helping him adjust and continue his development.[1]
Munteanu made his professional debut forViitorul Constanța on 27 October 2019, in a 3–2 awayLiga I loss toDinamo București. Five days later, he scored his first goal in a 3–0 home success overChindia Târgoviște.[2] He amassed three goals from 19 appearances duringhis first season as a senior, all in the league championship.
On 26 September 2020, Munteanu was transferred to Italian clubFiorentina for a rumoured fee of €2 million.[3] During his initial two years with thePrimavera side, he appeared in 40 matches and scored 13 goals.[2]
On 15 August 2022, Munteanu rejoined the Romanian league by signing forFarul Constanța on loan until the end of theseason.[4] Before moving to Farul, he was close to being loaned toRapid București, but the deal fell through because Fiorentina declined to include a permanent transfer clause.[5] On the 28th that month, he scored his first two goals in a 3–1 away victory over defending championsCFR Cluj.[6]
On 6 May 2023, Munteanu netted his second double of the campaign in a 7–2 home thrashing of Rapid București.[7] Fifteen days later, he scored the winner in a 3–2 home success over league contendersFCSB, securing the national title for Farul with one match remaining.[8] On 28 May, Munteanu ended his spell with ten goals in 29 matches by scoring twice in a 2–1 away victory at CFR Cluj, also missing apenalty.[9]
On 18 August 2023, Munteanu was sent on anotheryear-long loan to Farul.[10] He made his debut inEuropean competitions six days later, coming on forAdrian Mazilu in a 2–1 home win overHJK in theUEFA Europa Conference Leagueplay-off round.[11] On 27 August, he scored both goals in a 2–0 home win againstUniversitatea Craiova.[12]
Munteanu surpassed his previous season's statistics by netting 12 goals in 34 Liga I appearances, and was voted Farul Player of the Year by the fans.[13]
On 31 July 2024, amid interest from fellow league clubs FCSB and Rapid București, CFR Cluj officially announced the transfer of Munteanu on a four-year contract.[14][15] CFR Cluj owner Neluțu Varga admitted that the transfer fee was "around" €2 million, contrasting some reports that indicated it might be as high as €2.8 million,[16] and also stated that Fiorentina retained 50% participation rights in aco-ownership deal.[17]
Munteanu registered his debut on 4 August 2024, starting in a 3–2 home Liga I loss torivalsUniversitatea Cluj.[18] One week later, he scored his first two goals in a 3–0 win overnewly-promotedUnirea Slobozia.[19] On 15 September, Munteanu netted another double in a 2–2 home derby draw with FCSB.[20]
On 27 January 2025, Louis Munteanu netted his first professionalhat-trick in a 3–1 home victory over his former club Farul Constanța.[21] His consistent goalscoring form continued on 9 March, when he recorded another hat-trick in a 6–0 thrashing ofGloria Buzău in the final round of the regular season.[22] On 20 April 2025, he scored a brace against FCSB in a 3–2 away defeat in the championship play-offs.[23]
On 14 May 2025, Munteanu scored in the Cupa Românieifinal, helping his team secure a 3–2 victory overHermannstadt at theFrancisc von Neuman Stadium inArad.[24] His final goal of the season, netted in a 1–1 draw with FCSB on 23 May, made him the Liga I top scorer with 23 goals and equalledMihai Adam's long-standing club record from the1973–74 season.[25] CFR Cluj concluded thecampaign as runners-up, and Munteanu was named the Under-21 Player of the Season byLPF.[26]
Munteanu scored his first European goal on 17 July 2025, ten minutes after coming on in a 3–0 home victory overPaks in theEuropa Leaguefirst qualifying round.[27] In late August, after returning to Romania following a harsh 2–7 defeat toBK Häcken in the Conference Leagueplay-off round, he refused to train amid rumours of a transfer abroad and subsequently missed a Liga I match againstOțelul Galați, which CFR Cluj lost 1–4.[28] By the turn of the year, Munteanu's form declined, as he only managed to score two goals from 14 league matches.
On 5 January 2026, Munteanu joinedMajor League Soccer teamD.C. United as aDesignated Player, signing a three-and-a-half-year contract with an option for a further year. D.C. United officially announced that it paid a club-record transfer fee of US$7 million (€6 million),[29] with reports also mentioning potential add-ons of up to US$3 million (€2.6 million) and a 35% sell-on clause.[30]
On 15 June 2023, Munteanu was selected in theRomania national under-21 team squad for the2023 UEFA European Championship.[31] He started in all threegroup games, as his side failed to score any goals and finished in last place. On 12 October that year, Munteanu made his full debut forRomania by coming on as a 77th-minute substitute forDenis Drăguș in a goalless draw withBelarus in theEuro 2024 qualifiers.[32]
On 11 October 2024, Munteanu scored a hat-trick in a 6–2 away thrashing ofMontenegro counting for the2025 European Under-21 Championship qualifiers. Four days later, he provided two assists as Romania defeatedSwitzerland 3–1 at home and qualified for its fourth consecutiveEuropean Under-21 Championship.[33] On 14 June 2025, he scored a long-range goal in a 1–2 loss toSpain at thefinal tournament, with Romania finishing last inits group.[34]
Munteanu is primarily deployed as acentre-forward, but can also play as awinger due to his refined technical ability and link-up play. He maintains precision and executes moves even at high speed, making him versatile across attacking positions.[35][36]
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Viitorul Constanța | 2019–20 | Liga I | 19 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 3 |
| 2020–21 | Liga I | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 2 | 0 | |||
| Total | 21 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 3 | ||
| Fiorentina | 2020–21 | Serie A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2021–22 | Serie A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | |||
| Total | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Farul Constanța (loan) | 2022–23 | Liga I | 29 | 10 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 29 | 10 | ||
| 2023–24 | Liga I | 34 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 2[b] | 0 | — | 36 | 12 | ||
| Total | 63 | 22 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 65 | 22 | |||
| CFR Cluj | 2024–25 | Liga I | 35 | 23 | 5 | 2 | 2[b] | 0 | — | 42 | 25 | |
| 2025–26 | Liga I | 14 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 6[c] | 1 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 3 | |
| Total | 49 | 25 | 6 | 2 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 63 | 28 | ||
| D.C. United | 2026 | Major League Soccer | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 19 | 3 | ||
| Career total | 133 | 50 | 6 | 2 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 149 | 53 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Romania | |||
| 2023 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2024 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2025 | 3 | 2 | |
| Total | 4 | 2 | |
| No. | Date | Venue | Cap | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9 October 2025 | Arena Națională,Bucharest, Romania | 2 |  Moldova | 1–0 | 2–1 | Friendly |
| 2 | 18 November 2025 | Ilie Oană,Ploiești, Romania | 4 |  San Marino | 7–1 | 7–1 | 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification |
Farul Constanța[37]
CFR Cluj[37]
Individual
Fiorentina agreed to sell Louis Munteanu, 22 years old, for a substantial transfer fee of €2.8 million.