Dan Petrescu facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Dan Petrescu

Petrescu in 2018
Personal information
Full name	Daniel Vasile Petrescu
Date of birth	(1967-12-22) 22 December 1967 (age 57)
Place of birth	Bucharest, Romania
Height	1.77 m (5 ft 10 in)
Position(s)	Full-back, winger
Team information
Current team	CFR Cluj (head coach)
Youth career
1977–1986	Steaua București
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1986–1991	Steaua București	95	(28)
1986–1987	→ Olt Scornicești (loan)	24	(0)
1991–1993	Foggia	55	(7)
1993–1994	Genoa	24	(1)
1994–1995	Sheffield Wednesday	37	(3)
1995–2000	Chelsea	150	(17)
2000	Bradford City	17	(1)
2001–2002	Southampton	11	(2)
2002–2003	Național București	20	(0)
Total		433	(59)
International career
1989–2000	Romania	95	(12)
Managerial career
2002–2003	Național București (player/assistant)
2003	Sportul Studențesc
2003–2004	Rapid București
2004–2005	Sportul Studențesc
2005–2006	Wisła Kraków
2006–2009	Unirea Urziceni
2009–2012	Kuban Krasnodar
2012–2014	Dynamo Moscow
2014	Al-Arabi
2015	ASA Târgu Mureș
2015–2016	Jiangsu Suning
2016	Kuban Krasnodar
2016–2017	Al-Nasr
2017–2018	CFR Cluj
2018–2019	Guizhou Hengfeng
2019–2020	CFR Cluj
2021	Kayserispor
2021–2023	CFR Cluj
2023–2024	Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors
2024–	CFR Cluj
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Daniel "Dan" Vasile Petrescu (born 22 December 1967) is a famous Romanian football manager and former player. He is currently the head coach for the Liga I club CFR Cluj.

As a player, Dan Petrescu was a versatile player, often playing as a full-back or a winger. He started his career at Steaua București in Romania. He also played for several clubs in Italy and England, including Chelsea in the Premier League. With Chelsea, he won the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup in 1998. He played 95 games for the Romanian national team, representing his country in two World Cups (1994 and 1998) and two European Championships (1996 and 2000).

After his playing career, Petrescu became a football manager. He has coached many teams in different countries, including Poland, Russia, China, and his home country, Romania. He has won several league titles and cups with teams like Unirea Urziceni, Jiangsu Suning, and especially CFR Cluj. He is one of the most successful managers in Romanian football history, having won the league title six times. He has also been named Romania Coach of the Year five times, which is a record he shares with another great coach, Mircea Lucescu.

Playing Career

Club Football Journey

Dan Petrescu started playing football in the youth teams of Steaua București. He joined the main team in 1986, just a month after Steaua won the European Cup. He was loaned to Olt Scornicești for one season but returned to Steaua in 1987.

Petrescu (top row, third from left) with Steaua Bucharest in the 1988–89 season, when they reached the European Cup final.

Petrescu was part of the Steaua team that reached the European Cup semi-finals in 1988 and the final in 1989.

In 1991, he moved to Italy to play for Foggia, a team that had just been promoted to Serie A. Later, in 1993, he joined Genoa.

After a great performance at the 1994 World Cup, Petrescu signed with Sheffield Wednesday in England in 1994. After one season, he moved to Chelsea in 1995, where he became a very important player for five years. At Chelsea, he helped the team win the FA Cup in 1997, and both the League Cup and Cup Winners' Cup in 1998. He left Chelsea after a disagreement with the manager, Gianluca Vialli.

He then played briefly for Bradford City and Southampton before returning to Romania.

Petrescu finished his playing career in his hometown of Bucharest with Național București. His last game was the Cupa României final on 31 May 2003. Even though his team lost, it was the end of a great career for one of Romania's best footballers.

International Matches

Dan Petrescu played 95 games for the Romanian national team. He started playing for his country in 1989. He played in four major tournaments: the 1994 World Cup, UEFA Euro 1996, the 1998 World Cup, and Euro 2000.

He missed the 1990 World Cup due to an injury. In the 1994 World Cup in the United States, he scored the winning goal against the United States. This win helped Romania finish first in their group. They then beat Argentina but lost to Sweden in the quarter-finals after a penalty shootout. Petrescu missed his penalty, which he says still bothers him.

Euro 1996 was not a good tournament for Romania, as they lost all their group matches.

At the 1998 World Cup in France, Petrescu scored a memorable winning goal against England. This goal helped Romania win their group. However, Romania lost their next match to Croatia 1–0.

Petrescu was also a key player for Romania at Euro 2000. They were in a tough group with Portugal, Germany, and England. Another victory over England helped them reach the quarter-finals. Romania won every match where Petrescu scored a goal.

Managerial Career

After retiring as a player in 2003, Dan Petrescu started his coaching career. His first job was with Sportul Studențesc in July 2003, where he helped the team get promoted. He then coached Rapid Bucharest for a short time before returning to Sportul Studențesc.

Coaching in Poland and Romania

In December 2005, Petrescu became the manager of Wisła Kraków in Poland. The team finished second in the league that season. He left the club in September 2006.

Petrescu in 2008

Soon after, he was appointed manager of Liga I club Unirea Urziceni in Romania. Under his leadership, Unirea Urziceni became a very strong team. They finished second in the 2007–08 Cupa României and qualified for the 2008–09 UEFA Cup. In May 2009, Petrescu led Unirea Urziceni to win the Liga I title, which was a huge surprise. This win also qualified them for the 2009–10 UEFA Champions League. In the Champions League, Unirea had impressive wins against Rangers and Sevilla. Petrescu resigned from Unirea Urziceni in December 2009.

Adventures Abroad

Petrescu with Kuban Krasnodar in 2011

On 28 December 2009, Petrescu signed a five-year contract with the Russian club Kuban Krasnodar. In his first season, he led them to win the 2010 Russian First Division, earning promotion to the Russian Premier League. His team was known for its strong defense, conceding only 20 goals in 38 matches. He left Kuban Krasnodar in August 2012, looking for a new challenge.

Petrescu as Dynamo Moscow manager in 2012

In August 2012, Petrescu joined Dynamo Moscow. He coached the team until April 2014, when his contract was ended by mutual agreement.

He then coached Al-Arabi in Qatar for a few months in 2014.

In June 2015, Petrescu became the manager of ASA Târgu Mureș in Romania. He won the Supercupa României with them in his only match in charge. He resigned the next day to take a job with the Chinese club Jiangsu Suning.

At Jiangsu Suning, Petrescu led the team to win the 2015 Chinese FA Cup in his first season. He left the club in June 2016.

He had a second spell at Kuban Krasnodar in Russia in 2016, but it was short. He then managed Al-Nasr in the United Arab Emirates until May 2017.

Success with CFR Cluj

On 10 June 2017, Dan Petrescu was appointed head coach of Liga I club CFR Cluj. He quickly led them to become Liga I champions for the 2017–18 season.

He briefly managed Guizhou Hengfeng in China from June 2018 to March 2019.

On 22 March 2019, Petrescu returned to CFR Cluj for his second time as manager. He immediately led them to win the 2018-19 Liga I title, successfully defending the trophy. The next season, he guided CFR Cluj to the 2019-20 Europa League group stage, after a strong performance in the 2019-20 Champions League playoffs. In the Europa League, they had impressive wins against Stade Rennais and even against SS Lazio and Celtic. CFR Cluj finished second in their group and reached the knockout phase, where they were eliminated by Sevilla. This European journey was highly praised. Domestically, CFR Cluj won their third consecutive title in the 2019–20 season. He left the club in November 2020.

After a short time with Kayserispor in Turkey in early 2021, Petrescu returned to CFR Cluj for his third spell on 31 August 2021. On 15 May 2022, he won his fourth league title with CFR Cluj, marking the club's fifth consecutive championship.

He then coached Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors in South Korea from June 2023 to April 2024.

On 15 April 2024, Petrescu agreed to return to CFR Cluj for a fourth time. He took charge of the club on 30 April 2024, leading them to a 3–2 victory in his first match back.

Personal Life

Dan Petrescu was married to Daniela Carmen from 1992 to 2003. They have two daughters, Rebecca (born 1994) and Beatrice Chelsea (born 1998). He named one of his daughters "Chelsea" to honor his former club. In May 2007, he married Adriana Stan, a former athlete. They have a daughter named Jennifer, born in 2008.

Honours

See also

In Spanish: Dan Petrescu para niños