Nicolae Dobrin facts for kids
Dobrin with Argeș Pitești in the 1970s
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 26 August 1947 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Pitești, Romania | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of death | 26 October 2007 (aged 60) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of death | Pitești, Romania | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Playing position | Attacking midfielder | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1959–1962 | Dinamo Pitești | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1962–1981 | Argeș Pitești | 390 | (106) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1981–1982 | FCM Târgoviște | 13 | (5) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1982–1983 | Argeș Pitești | 5 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1985–1986 | CS Botoșani | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Total | 408 | (111) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| National team | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1966–1980 | Romania | 48 | (6) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Teams managed | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1982–1985 | Argeș Pitești | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 1985–1986 | CS Botoșani | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 1992 | Argeș Pitești | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 1995 | ARO Muscelul Câmpulung (technical director) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 1998–1999 | Argeș Pitești | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 2001 | Argeș Pitești | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Honours
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Nicolae Dobrin (born August 26, 1947 – died October 26, 2007) was a famous Romanian footballer. He played as an attacking midfielder and later became a manager.
People called him Gâscanul ("The Gander") or Prințul din Trivale ("The Prince of Trivale"). Many believe he was one of Romania's best ever footballers. Dobrin was known for his amazing dribbling skills. He won the Romanian Footballer of the Year award three times. This was in 1966, 1967, and 1971. A stadium in his hometown of Pitești is named after him.
Contents
Dobrin's Football Journey
Early Days and Club Success
Nicolae Dobrin was born in Pitești, Argeș County, Romania. As a child, he loved playing football with his friends. They played on a field near the Argeș river. One day in 1959, some players from Dinamo Pitești came to play. Dobrin's team won 12–2, and he scored 6 goals!
After the game, a youth coach, Leonte Ianovschi, invited him to train with the club. Dobrin played his first top-league match at just 14 years old. This was on July 1, 1962, for Dinamo Pitești. He holds the record for the youngest player to debut in the Romanian top league.
Dobrin spent most of his career with Argeș Pitești. His first big achievement was reaching the 1965 Cupa României final in 1965. Later, he helped his team win two Divizia A titles. In the 1971–72 season, he was the team's top scorer with 15 goals. For the 1978–79 title, he scored 9 goals. His goal in the final game, a 4–3 win, was very important.
Playing in Europe
Dobrin also played in 25 European matches, scoring 8 goals. In the 1966–67 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, his team Dinamo Pitești beat teams like Sevilla. This impressed many people.
In 1966, Inter Milan from Italy wanted to sign Dobrin. They offered a lot of money, $250,000, which was a huge sum back then. But Romania's government at the time did not allow him to leave.
A famous story involves Real Madrid. In the 1972–73 European Cup, Argeș Pitești played Real Madrid. Dobrin scored in their 2–1 home win. Real Madrid's president, Santiago Bernabéu, was so impressed. He wanted Dobrin for Real Madrid and offered $2 million. He even offered to install special lights for the stadium in Pitești.
However, Romania was under a communist government. The dictator, Nicolae Ceaușescu, saw Dobrin as a "national treasure." He refused to let Dobrin leave the country. This was said to be Dobrin's biggest regret. He did get to play one game for Real Madrid in a special match, but he couldn't stay.
In the 1978–79 UEFA Cup, Argeș Pitești played Valencia. Dobrin scored a great goal in a 2–1 win. After the game, Mario Kempes, a World Cup winner, told Dobrin he was a "great player!"
Later Career and Retirement
In 1981, Dobrin moved to FCM Târgoviște in the second league. He scored 17 goals and helped them get promoted. In 1982, he returned to Argeș Pitești as a player-manager. He played his last game on June 14, 1983. He briefly came out of retirement in 1985 to play for CS Botoșani.
Overall, Dobrin played 409 top-league matches and scored 111 goals. He was named Romanian Footballer of the Year in 1966, 1967, and 1971. In 2003, the stadium in Pitești was renamed Stadionul Nicolae Dobrin in his honor.
Dobrin's International Career
Nicolae Dobrin played 47 games for the Romanian national team and scored 6 goals. His first game was on June 1, 1966, against West Germany. He impressed everyone with his dribbling skills. Even Fritz Walter, a World Cup winner, praised him. German newspapers also wrote about his "high class" and "brilliant technique."
He played in qualifiers for the Euro 1968 and the 1970 World Cup. He helped Romania qualify for the 1970 World Cup. However, he did not play in any matches at the World Cup. The reasons are still unclear, and it remains a debated topic in Romanian football history.
Dobrin also played in qualifiers for Euro 1972 and the 1974 World Cup. His last game for Romania was on April 2, 1980, in a friendly match.
International goals
Scores and results list Romania's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Dobrin goal.
| # | Date | Venue | Cap | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 26 November 1966 | Stadio San Paolo, Naples, Italy | 5 |  Italy |
1–0 | 1–3 | Euro 1968 qualifiers |
| 2 | 24 May 1967 | Hardturm, Zürich, Switzerland | 11 |  Switzerland |
1–7 | 1–7 | Euro 1968 qualifiers |
| 3 | 12 October 1969 | Stadionul 23 August, Bucharest, Romania | 18 |  Portugal |
1–0 | 1–0 | 1970 World Cup qualifiers |
| 4 | 14 November 1971 | Stadionul 23 August, Bucharest, Romania | 27 |  Czechoslovakia |
2–1 | 2–1 | 1972 Euro qualifiers |
| 5 | 14 May 1972 | Stadionul 23 August, Bucharest, Romania | 29 |  Hungary |
1–1 | 2–2 | 1972 Euro quarter-finals |
| 6 | 29 October 1972 | Stadionul 23 August, Bucharest, Romania | 33 |  Albania |
1–0 | 2–0 | 1974 World Cup qualifiers |
Managerial Career
Nicolae Dobrin started coaching in the 1982–83 Divizia A season. He was a player-manager for Argeș Pitești. He coached Argeș Pitești many times, leading them in 138 top-league matches.
His only other coaching job was as a player-manager for CS Botoșani. He also worked as a technical director for ARO Muscelul Câmpulung. He helped that team get promoted to the second league.
Later Life and Legacy
Nicolae Dobrin passed away on October 26, 2007, in Pitești. His funeral was attended by over 5,000 people. He is remembered as a true legend of Romanian football. His dribbling skills and passion for the game inspired many.
Honours
Argeș Pitești
- Divizia A: 1971–72, 1978–79
- Cupa României runner-up: 1964–65
FCM Târgoviște
- Divizia B: 1980–81
Individual
- Romanian Footballer of the Year: 1966, 1967, 1971, (runner-up): 1969, 1978, (third place): 1972, 1973, (fourth place): 1977, 1979
