Dan Petrescu facts for kids
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Petrescu in 2018
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Daniel Vasile Petrescu | ||
| Date of birth | 22 December 1967 | ||
| Place of birth | Bucharest, Romania | ||
| Height | 1.77 m | ||
| Playing position | Full-back, winger | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | 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) | |
| National team | |||
| 1989–2000 | Romania | 95 | (12) |
| Teams managed | |||
| 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 | ||
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Daniel "Dan" Vasile Petrescu (born December 22, 1967) is a famous Romanian football manager and former player. He is currently the head coach of the Liga I club CFR Cluj.
As a player, Petrescu was known for playing as a full-back or a winger. He started his career at Steaua București in Romania. Later, he played for clubs in Italy like Foggia and Genoa. He also spent time in the Premier League in England, playing for teams such as Sheffield Wednesday, Chelsea, Bradford City, and Southampton. With Chelsea, he won the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup in 1998.
Dan Petrescu also played for the Romanian national team 95 times. He was part of the team 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, Kuban Krasnodar, ASA Târgu Mureș, Jiangsu Suning, and CFR Cluj. He is one of the most successful managers in Romania, winning the league six times. He has also been named Romania Coach of the Year five times.
Playing Career Highlights
Starting Out in Romania
Dan Petrescu began his football journey in the youth teams of Steaua București. He joined the main team in 1986. For a short time, he was loaned to Olt Scornicești for the 1986–87 season. But he soon returned to Steaua in 1987.
He was part of the Steaua team that did very well in the European Cup. They reached the semi-finals in 1988 and the final in 1989.
Playing in Italy and England
In 1991, Petrescu moved to Italy to play for Foggia. This was an exciting time for the club as they were promoted to Serie A, Italy's top league. In 1993, he joined another Italian club, Genoa.
After playing well for Romania in the 1994 World Cup, Petrescu moved to England. He signed with Sheffield Wednesday in 1994. After one season, he joined Chelsea in 1995. He played for Chelsea for five years and was a key player.
While at Chelsea, he helped the team win some big trophies. They won the FA Cup in 1997. In 1998, they won both the League Cup and the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup. He left Chelsea in 2000.
After Chelsea, he played briefly for Bradford City and then Southampton. He scored a few goals for these clubs before returning to Romania.
Back Home and International Success
Petrescu finished his playing career in his hometown of Bucharest, playing for Național București in the 2002–03 season. His last match was the Cupa României final in May 2003.
Dan Petrescu played 95 games for the Romanian national team. He played in four major tournaments. These included the 1994 World Cup and the 1998 World Cup. He also played in the 1996 and 2000 European Championships.
In the 1994 World Cup in the United States, he scored the winning goal against the United States. This helped Romania win their group. They beat Argentina but lost to Sweden in the quarter-finals after a penalty shootout. Petrescu missed his penalty kick, which he later said stayed with him.
At the 1998 World Cup in France, Petrescu scored a key goal against England. This win helped Romania top their group. Romania won all the matches where Petrescu scored.
Managerial Career Highlights
After retiring as a player in 2003, Dan Petrescu started his coaching career.
Early Coaching Roles
He began managing Sportul Studențesc in July 2003. He helped them get promoted to Liga I, Romania's top league. He then had a short time as manager at Rapid Bucharest. He returned to Sportul Studențesc for a second time.
In December 2005, Petrescu became the manager of Wisła Kraków in Poland. They finished second in the league in the 2005–06 season.
Success with Unirea Urziceni
About a week after leaving Wisła, Petrescu took over Unirea Urziceni. This was a newly promoted club in Romania's Liga I. Under his leadership, Unirea Urziceni became very successful. They finished second in the Romanian Cup in 2008.
In May 2009, Petrescu led Unirea Urziceni to win the Liga I title. This was a huge surprise, as the club was not expected to win. This win also meant they qualified for the 2009–10 UEFA Champions League. In the Champions League, they had amazing wins against Rangers (4–1) and Sevilla (1–0). Petrescu left Unirea Urziceni in December 2009.
Adventures in Russia and Beyond
In December 2009, Petrescu became the manager of Kuban Krasnodar in Russia. He helped them get promoted to the Russian Premier League in his first season. His team was known for having a very strong defense. He left Kuban in 2012 for a new challenge.
He then joined Dynamo Moscow in August 2012. He coached them for almost two years. After that, he had short spells managing Al-Arabi in Qatar and ASA Târgu Mureș in Romania. With Târgu Mureș, he won the Supercupa României in his only match in charge.
Coaching in China and the UAE
In July 2015, Petrescu moved to China to manage Jiangsu Suning. He led them to win the 2015 Chinese FA Cup. He left the club in June 2016. He briefly returned to Kuban Krasnodar in Russia. Then, he managed Al-Nasr in the United Arab Emirates until May 2017.
Multiple Spells with CFR Cluj
On June 10, 2017, Petrescu became the head coach of CFR Cluj in Romania. He led them to win the Liga I championship in the 2017–18 season.
He then had a short time managing Guizhou Hengfeng in China. But he returned to CFR Cluj in March 2019. He continued their success, winning the Liga I title again in 2019 and 2020. He also guided CFR Cluj to the group stage of the 2019-20 Europa League. This was a great achievement for the team. He left CFR Cluj in November 2020.
In August 2021, Petrescu returned to CFR Cluj for his third time. He led them to another Liga I title in May 2022, marking their fifth championship in a row.
Recent Coaching Roles
In June 2023, Petrescu became the head coach of Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors in South Korea. He stepped down in April 2024.
Just a few days later, in April 2024, Dan Petrescu agreed to return to CFR Cluj for a fourth time. He quickly took charge and led them to a 3–2 win in his first game back.
Personal Life
Dan Petrescu has two daughters, Rebecca (born 1994) and Beatrice Chelsea (born 1998), from his first marriage. He named one of his daughters "Chelsea" to honor his time playing for the famous English club. In 2007, he married Adriana Stan, and they have a daughter named Jennifer, born in 2008.
Honours
Player
Steaua București
- Divizia A: 1985–86, 1987–88, 1988–89
- Cupa României: 1988–89
- European Cup runner-up: 1988–89
Chelsea
- FA Cup: 1996–97
- League Cup: 1997–98
- UEFA Cup Winners' Cup: 1997–98
- UEFA Super Cup: 1998
Național București
- Cupa României runner-up: 2002–03
Individual
- Overseas Team of the Decade – Premier League 10 Seasons Awards (1993 to 2003)
Manager
Unirea Urziceni
- Liga I: 2008–09
- Cupa României runner-up: 2007–08
Kuban Krasnodar
- Russian First Division: 2010
ASA Târgu Mureș
- Supercupa României: 2015
Jiangsu Suning
- Chinese FA Cup: 2015
CFR Cluj
- Liga I: 2017–18, 2018–19, 2019–20, 2020–21, 2021–22
Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors
- Korean FA Cup runner-up: 2023
Individual
- Romania Coach of the Year: 2008, 2009, 2011, 2019, 2022
