Nicolae Dică facts for kids
.jpg)
Dică with CFR Cluj in 2010
|
|||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Nicolae Constantin Dică | ||
| Date of birth | 9 May 1980 | ||
| Place of birth | Pitești, Romania | ||
| Height | 1.81 m (5 ft 11 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Attacking midfielder, forward | ||
| Team information | |||
|
Current team
|
Concordia Chiajna (head coach) | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1991–1998 | Argeș Pitești | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1998–2003 | Argeș Pitești | 88 | (34) |
| 1998–2000 | → Dacia Pitești (loan) | 50 | (19) |
| 2004–2008 | Steaua București | 125 | (54) |
| 2008–2011 | Catania | 3 | (0) |
| 2009 | → Iraklis (loan) | 13 | (3) |
| 2010 | → CFR Cluj (loan) | 13 | (0) |
| 2010 | → Manisaspor (loan) | 5 | (0) |
| 2011 | → Steaua București (loan) | 11 | (4) |
| 2011 | Mioveni | 15 | (1) |
| 2012–2014 | Viitorul Constanța | 69 | (19) |
| Total | 392 | (134) | |
| International career | |||
| 2000–2001 | Romania U21 | 5 | (0) |
| 2003–2010 | Romania | 32 | (9) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2014–2015 | Steaua București (assistant) | ||
| 2015 | Steaua București (caretaker) | ||
| 2015–2017 | SCM Pitești | ||
| 2017–2018 | FCSB | ||
| 2019 | Argeș Pitești | ||
| 2019–2021 | Romania (assistant) | ||
| 2022 | FCSB | ||
| 2023 | Mioveni | ||
| 2023 | FC U Craiova | ||
| 2024 | Voluntari | ||
| 2024 | Argeş Piteşti | ||
| 2025– | Concordia Chiajna | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Nicolae Constantin Dică (born on May 9, 1980) is a Romanian professional football manager and a former player. He is currently the head coach for the Liga II club Concordia Chiajna.
Dică was known for his amazing passes, long kicks, and spectacular goals. He played football in four different countries. Most of his career was spent in his home country, Romania. He played for teams like Dacia Mioveni, Argeș Pitești, Steaua București, CFR Cluj, and Viitorul Constanța. He also played for the Romanian national team for seven years and was chosen for the UEFA Euro 2008 tournament.
After he stopped playing, Dică became a coach. He worked as an assistant, temporary coach, or head coach for his old club, Steaua București. He also managed Argeș Pitești and was an assistant coach for the Romania national team.
Contents
Playing Career Highlights
Starting at Dacia Pitești
Nicolae Dică began his professional football journey at 18 years old. He joined a local team called Dacia Pitești.
In his first year, Dică played in 17 games and scored 5 goals. In his second year, he became a key player for the team. Dacia Pitești finished fourth in the Divizia B league that season. Dică was one of the top scorers in the league, with 14 goals.
Moving to Argeș Pitești
Because of his talent, the bigger local club, Argeș Pitești, signed Dică in 2000. This team played in the top league, Divizia A. He played his first game for Argeș Pitești in a 2–1 win against Gaz Metan Mediaș. Soon after, he became the team captain. This happened after two other great players, Adrian Mutu and Adrian Neaga, moved to other teams.
Time at Steaua București
In December 2003, a very big Romanian club, Steaua București, bought Dică from Argeș Pitești for €250,000. He joined Steaua because his coaches, Victor Pițurcă and Mihai Stoica, suggested him.
Dică played his first European game in the 2004–05 UEFA Cup season. Steaua beat previous champions Valencia and reached the Round of 16. They were then knocked out by another Spanish team, Villarreal.
In 2005, Steaua didn't make it to the UEFA Champions League. However, Dică had another great season in the UEFA Cup. His team beat clubs like Lens, Heereenven, Real Betis, and their Romanian rivals Rapid București. They made it all the way to the UEFA Cup semi-finals. There, they were eliminated by the English team Middlesbrough.
On September 13, 2006, Dică scored two goals in a 4–1 away win against Dynamo Kyiv. This was Steaua București's first game in the UEFA Champions League, and it was Dică's first time playing in this big tournament. He scored four goals and helped with one assist in six games against teams like Dynamo Kyiv, Real Madrid, and Lyon. Because of his great performances in the Champions League, a newspaper called Gazeta Sporturilor gave Dică the Romanian Footballer of the Year award in 2006.
On January 23, 2007, Dică got a knee injury during a friendly game against AC Siena. This meant he missed most of that season. On May 9, which was his birthday, Dică returned to the team. He played in the final minutes of a 2–0 win against Ceahlăul Piatra Neamț. This was his first official game of 2007.
Playing for Catania and Other Teams
On June 28, 2008, Dică moved to Catania in Italy. His former coach from Steaua, Walter Zenga, wanted him there. He was supposed to replace another midfielder, but he didn't play much in his first six months. He only played for 93 minutes. Even though it seemed he would leave in January, coach Walter Zenga kept him until the end of the Serie A season.
In June 2009, a Greek team called Iraklis signed Dică on loan from Catania. He played his first game for them on August 23, 2009. He scored two goals in a 2–1 win against Panthrakikos.
In January 2010, CFR Cluj in Romania signed Dică on loan from Catania until June 2010. He helped them win the Liga I league and the Romanian Cup. He scored his first goal for Cluj in a 2–1 victory against Dinamo București in the Cup semi-final.
In July 2010, a Turkish team called Manisaspor signed Dică on loan from Catania until June 2011. He didn't play much for them. On December 14, 2010, he decided to end his contract with Manisaspor.
Later Years in Romania
In January 2011, Dică signed a one-year contract to return to his former team, Steaua București. He played his first game back on February 27, 2011, in a 1–0 win against Universitatea Craiova. On April 5, he scored his first goal since returning to Steaua in a big 5–0 home win. On May 11, Dică scored a goal that helped Steaua reach the Romanian Cup final. On May 25, Dică scored from a free kick in a 2–1 win against rivals Dinamo București. This win helped him secure his second Romanian Cup in a row.
In May 2011, Dică joined another Romanian team, Liga I side Dacia Mioveni. He wore the number 80 jersey. On October 31, Dică scored a goal in a 3–1 loss to Concordia Chiajna. In January 2012, after playing fifteen games, he left Mioveni.
Later that month, he signed a contract with Liga II team Viitorul Constanța. At the end of the 2011–12 season, Viitorul was promoted to the Liga I. Dică played a big part in this, scoring six goals in the second half of the season.
International Career
On October 11, 2003, Dică played his first game for the Romania national team in a friendly match against Japan. He scored his first goal in August 2006, in a friendly game against Cyprus. Overall, he played 32 games for Romania.
Managerial Career
On May 15, 2017, it was announced that Nicolae Dică would become the manager of FCSB for the 2017–18 season. He had a great start, not losing any of his first ten games. However, his team then lost to the Portuguese club Sporting CP in the Champions League play-off. In December 2018, after leading the club for a year and a half, Dică and FCSB agreed to end his contract.
On July 26, 2022, Dică returned to FCSB as manager. On November 1, 2022, he again ended his contract with FCSB by agreement.
On January 14, 2023, he became the new manager of his former club Mioveni. He left the team on April 26, 2023, by agreement.
On July 17, 2023, he took charge of another Liga I team, FC U Craiova. After two losses, his team won two games. However, they then lost 4–3 to Petrolul Ploiești on August 18. The very next day, after only 34 days as manager, he was dismissed from the club.
Personal Life
In November 2003, Nicolae Dică married Corina Zimbroianu. They had met in 1998. They have a son named Marco Ilie.
In March 2007, Dică went through a tough time when his father passed away. His father was the one who encouraged him to become a football player.
Career Statistics
Club
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Europe | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Dacia Pitești (loan) | Divizia B | 1998–99 | 17 | 5 | – | 17 | 5 | |||
| Divizia B | 1999–00 | 33 | 14 | – | 33 | 14 | ||||
| Total | 50 | 19 | 0 | 0 | 50 | 19 | ||||
| Argeș Pitești | Divizia A | 2000–01 | 19 | 4 | 1 | 0 | – | 20 | 4 | |
| Divizia A | 2001–02 | 27 | 11 | 2 | 1 | – | 29 | 12 | ||
| Divizia A | 2002–03 | 28 | 10 | 5 | 0 | – | 33 | 10 | ||
| Divizia A | 2003–04 | 14 | 8 | 3 | 2 | – | 17 | 10 | ||
| Total | 88 | 34 | 11 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 99 | 37 | ||
| Steaua București | Divizia A | 2003–04 | 14 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 9 |
| Divizia A | 2004–05 | 29 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 2 | 40 | 13 | |
| Divizia A | 2005–06 | 29 | 15 | 1 | 0 | 15 | 6 | 45 | 21 | |
| Liga I | 2006–07 | 23 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 5 | 33 | 15 | |
| Liga I | 2007–08 | 30 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 1 | 40 | 10 | |
| Total | 125 | 54 | 1 | 0 | 46 | 14 | 172 | 68 | ||
| Catania | Serie A | 2008–09 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 1 | – | 6 | 1 | |
| Iraklis Thessaloniki (loan) | Super League | 2009–10 | 13 | 3 | 0 | 0 | – | 13 | 3 | |
| CFR Cluj (loan) | Liga I | 2009–10 | 13 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 1 |
| Manisaspor (loan) | Süper Lig | 2010–11 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 1 | – | 7 | 1 | |
| Steaua București | Liga I | 2010–11 | 11 | 4 | 2 | 2 | – | 13 | 6 | |
| Mioveni | Liga I | 2011–12 | 15 | 1 | 0 | 0 | – | 15 | 1 | |
| Viitorul Constanța | Liga II | 2011–12 | 13 | 6 | 0 | 0 | – | 13 | 6 | |
| Liga I | 2012–13 | 26 | 10 | 0 | 0 | – | 26 | 10 | ||
| Liga I | 2013–14 | 30 | 3 | 1 | 0 | – | 31 | 3 | ||
| Total | 69 | 19 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 70 | 19 | ||
| Career total | 392 | 134 | 23 | 8 | 46 | 14 | 461 | 156 | ||
International
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Romania | 2003 | 2 | 0 |
| 2004 | 7 | 0 | |
| 2005 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2006 | 5 | 2 | |
| 2007 | 5 | 4 | |
| 2008 | 8 | 3 | |
| 2009 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2010 | 2 | 0 | |
| Total | 32 | 9 | |
- Scores and results list Romania's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Dică goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 16 August 2006 | Stadionul Farul, Constanța, Romania |  Cyprus |
1–0 | 2–0 | Friendly |
| 2 | 6 September 2006 | Qemal Stafa, Tirana, Albania |  Albania |
1–0 | 2–0 | UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying |
| 3 | 22 August 2007 | Stadionul Lia Manoliu, Bucharest, Romania |  Turkey |
1–0 | 2–0 | Friendly |
| 4 | 8 September 2007 | Dinamo Stadium, Minsk, Belarus |  Belarus |
2–1 | 3–1 | UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying |
| 5 | 21 November 2007 | Stadionul Lia Manoliu, Bucharest, Romania | Albania |
1–0 | 6–1 | UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying |
| 6 | 6–1 | |||||
| 7 | 31 May 2008 | Stadionul Steaua, Bucharest, Romania |  Montenegro |
3–0 | 4–0 | Friendly |
| 8 | 31 May 2008 | Stadionul Steaua, Bucharest, Romania | Montenegro |
4–0 | 4–0 | Friendly |
| 9 | 20 August 2008 | Stadionul Tineretului, Urziceni, Romania |  Latvia |
1–0 | 1–0 | Friendly |
Honours
Player
Steaua București
- Divizia A: 2004–05, 2005–06
- Cupa României: 2010–11
- Supercupa României: 2006
CFR Cluj
- Liga I: 2009–10
- Cupa României: 2009–10
Individual
- Romanian Footballer of the Year: 2006
Coach
SCM Pitești
- Liga III: 2016–17
See also
In Spanish: Nicolae Dică para niños
