Ciprian Marica facts for kids
Marica with Schalke 04 in 2011
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Ciprian Andrei Marica | ||
| Date of birth | 2 October 1985 | ||
| Place of birth | Bucharest, Romania | ||
| Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Forward | ||
| Team information | |||
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Current team
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Farul Constanța (minority shareholder) |
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| Youth career | |||
| 1996–2001 | Dinamo București | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2001–2003 | Dinamo București | 22 | (4) |
| 2004–2007 | Shakhtar Donetsk | 74 | (15) |
| 2007–2011 | VfB Stuttgart | 93 | (19) |
| 2011–2013 | Schalke 04 | 34 | (5) |
| 2013–2014 | Getafe | 27 | (6) |
| 2014–2015 | Konyaspor | 7 | (1) |
| 2016 | Steaua București | 7 | (0) |
| Total | 264 | (51) | |
| International career | |||
| 2001 | Romania U17 | 2 | (0) |
| 2002–2003 | Romania U19 | 3 | (1) |
| 2003–2006 | Romania U21 | 10 | (4) |
| 2003–2014 | Romania | 72 | (25) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Ciprian Andrei Marica (born October 2, 1985) is a famous Romanian former football player. He used to play as a forward, which means he was usually at the front of the team, trying to score goals. Today, he is a part-owner of the football club Farul Constanța.
Contents
Ciprian Marica's Football Journey
Ciprian Marica played for many different football clubs throughout his career. He started in Romania and then moved to play in Ukraine, Germany, Spain, and Turkey.
Starting Out at Dinamo București
Ciprian Marica began his professional football journey at Dinamo București, a team from his hometown. Even though he was young, he started to get noticed. He played 23 games and scored four goals during his three years with the club.
Playing in Ukraine with Shakhtar Donetsk
After his time in Romania, Ciprian moved to Ukraine to play for Shakhtar Donetsk, a top club there. This was a great period for him, and he played some of his best seasons. He also gained important experience playing in the UEFA Cup, a big European competition.
Time in Germany with VfB Stuttgart
On July 23, 2007, Ciprian joined the German club VfB Stuttgart. He signed a five-year contract. The team's sports director, Horst Heldt, said that Ciprian was a very flexible forward who fit perfectly into their team. He really wanted to join Stuttgart!
Ciprian played his first game for VfB Stuttgart in the Bundesliga (Germany's top league) on August 12, 2007. In his first season, he played in 28 games and scored two goals. He also scored one goal in the UEFA Champions League, which helped Stuttgart win a game.
After a tough first season, things got better for Marica when a new coach, Christian Gross, arrived. Ciprian got more chances to play, especially when another player, Cacau, was injured. He took this chance and scored four goals in three games in a row! This included two goals against Hannover 96, the winning goal against Bayern Munich, and a goal against Borussia Mönchengladbach.
However, by the 2010–11 season, he was often the third choice for his position. On July 12, 2011, he left Stuttgart.
Moving to Schalke 04
On July 28, 2011, Ciprian Marica signed a two-year contract with another German club, Schalke 04. He decided to stay in Germany even though he had offers from teams in England and France.
He scored a goal for Schalke in a game against Maccabi Haifa, helping his team win 3–0. On January 29, 2012, he scored two goals against 1. FC Köln, leading Schalke to a 4–1 victory.
Playing in Spain with Getafe
On September 27, 2013, Marica signed a contract with Getafe, a team in Spain's top league, La Liga. He played his first game for Getafe on October 6. On October 31, he scored his first league goal for the team in a 2–0 win against Villarreal. In May 2014, he scored two goals in a game against Rayo Vallecano, which helped Getafe stay out of the relegation zone (meaning they avoided being moved down to a lower league).
Short Stint at Konyaspor in Turkey
In the summer of 2014, Marica signed a two-year contract with the Turkish team Konyaspor. However, he only played seven games in 14 months for them, mostly because of injuries. He was released by Konyaspor on October 15, 2015.
Returning to Romania with Steaua București
On January 14, 2016, Marica agreed to play for Steaua București, which meant he was returning to Romania after twelve years. This was special because he became one of the few players to have played for both of Bucharest's big rival teams, Dinamo and Steaua. In his first game with Steaua, a 2–0 win, he played for most of the match.
Ciprian Marica's International Career
Ciprian Marica also played for the Romanian national team. He scored 25 goals in 71 games for his country. His first game for Romania was on November 16, 2003, in a friendly match against Italy. He scored his first goal for the national team on November 17, 2004, against Armenia.
In 2008, he received a special medal from the President of Romania for helping the team qualify for the UEFA Euro 2008 tournament. He scored two goals in a game for Romania for the first time on June 3, 2011, against Bosnia and Herzegovina. On June 4, 2013, he scored his first ever hat-trick (three goals in one game) for Romania in a friendly match against Trinidad and Tobago.
Career Statistics Summary
Ciprian Marica played in many matches throughout his career. Here's a quick look at his total appearances and goals for clubs and the national team:
- Total Club Appearances: 264 games
- Total Club Goals: 51 goals
- Total National Team Appearances: 72 games
- Total National Team Goals: 25 goals
Honours and Achievements
Ciprian Marica won several trophies and titles during his career with different clubs:
- With Dinamo București:
* Divizia A (Romanian League): 2001–02 * Cupa României (Romanian Cup): 2002–03
- With Shakhtar Donetsk:
* Vyshcha Liha (Ukrainian League): 2004–05, 2005–06 * Ukrainian Cup: 2003–04 * Ukrainian Super Cup: 2005
- With Steaua București:
* Cupa Ligii (Romanian League Cup): 2015–16
See also
In Spanish: Ciprian Marica para niños
