Costin Curelea facts for kids
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Costin Romeo Curelea | ||
| Date of birth | 11 July 1984 | ||
| Place of birth | Bucharest, Romania | ||
| Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Striker | ||
| Team information | |||
|
Current team
|
Romania U21 (head coach) | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1993–2003 | Sportul Studențesc | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2003–2013 | Sportul Studențesc | 254 | (82) |
| 2013 | → Dinamo Minsk (loan) | 14 | (6) |
| 2013–2016 | Universitatea Craiova | 56 | (13) |
| 2016–2017 | Voluntari | 15 | (0) |
| 2018 | Academica Clinceni | 0 | (0) |
| Total | 339 | (101) | |
| International career | |||
| 2005–2006 | Romania U21 | 11 | (2) |
| 2011 | Romania | 1 | (0) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2018–2020 | Academica Clinceni (assistant) | ||
| 2020 | CFR Cluj (assistant) | ||
| 2021 | Kayserispor (assistant) | ||
| 2021–2023 | CFR Cluj (assistant) | ||
| 2023–2025 | Romania U20 | ||
| 2025– | Romania U21 | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Costin Romeo Curelea, born on July 11, 1984, is a Romanian football coach and a former player. He was a fantastic striker, which means he was great at scoring goals! Today, he is the head coach for the Romania national under-21 team.
Contents
Playing Career Highlights
Starting Strong at Sportul Studenţesc
Costin Curelea began his professional football journey with Sportul Studenţesc. In his very first game in the Liga II (which is like the second division of Romanian football), he scored two goals! This helped his team win 3-1 against Dacia Mioveni.
His first match in the top league, Liga I, was on July 31, 2004, against Apulum Alba Iulia. Just two months later, he scored his first Liga I goal. It was a 1-1 draw against FCM Bacău at the Regie Stadium.
Staying Loyal Through Challenges
After the 2005–2006 season, Sportul Studenţesc faced some financial problems and was moved down to a lower league. But Costin Curelea stayed with the team. He was a loyal player, along with teammates like Viorel Ferfelea, Dacian Varga, and Tiberiu Bălan.
He often became the team's top scorer. For example, in the 2006–2007 season, Costin scored 14 goals in 29 matches for Sportul Studenţesc. He played many games for them, scoring 82 goals in 254 matches over ten years!
Moving to New Teams
In 2013, Costin went on loan to FC Dinamo Minsk in Belarus, where he scored 6 goals in 14 games. After that, he joined Universitatea Craiova and played there for three years, scoring 13 goals in 56 matches. He also played for FC Voluntari and FC Academica Clinceni before ending his playing career. Overall, he played in 339 club matches and scored 101 goals!
Coaching Career
After his playing days, Costin Curelea moved into coaching. He started as an assistant coach for FC Academica Clinceni from 2018 to 2020. He then worked as an assistant coach for CFR Cluj in 2020 and again from 2021 to 2023. He also had a short time as an assistant coach for Kayserispor in 2021.
In 2023, Costin became the head coach of the Romania U20 team. He led them until July 2025. Now, he is the head coach of the Romania U21 team, helping to train the next generation of Romanian football stars.
Achievements and Awards
Costin Curelea won several important titles during his playing career:
- Sportul Studențesc
- Divizia B: 2003–04 (This means his team won the second division league title.)
- Universitatea Craiova
- Liga II: 2013–14 (Another second division league title win!)
- Voluntari
- Cupa României: 2016–17 (This is the Romanian Cup, a big knockout competition.)
Individual Awards
- He was the top scorer in the Liga II during the 2006–07 season, scoring 14 goals!
