Vlad Chiricheș facts for kids
Chiricheș with Romania in 2014
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 14 November 1989 | ||
| Place of birth | Bacău, Romania | ||
| Height | 1.84 m | ||
| Playing position | Defender, defensive midfielder | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | FCSB | ||
| Number | 21 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| –2004 | LPS Bacău | ||
| 2004–2007 | Ardealul Cluj | ||
| 2007–2008 | Benfica | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2008–2010 | Internațional Curtea de Argeș | 41 | (1) |
| 2010–2011 | Pandurii Târgu Jiu | 39 | (0) |
| 2012–2013 | Steaua București | 42 | (1) |
| 2013–2015 | Tottenham Hotspur | 27 | (1) |
| 2015–2020 | Napoli | 32 | (3) |
| 2019–2020 | → Sassuolo (loan) | 9 | (0) |
| 2020–2022 | Sassuolo | 53 | (2) |
| 2022–2023 | Cremonese | 16 | (0) |
| 2023– | FCSB | 20 | (0) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2009–2010 | Romania U21 | 4 | (0) |
| 2011–2022 | Romania | 75 | (0) |
† Appearances (Goals). |
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Vlad Iulian Chiricheș (born 14 November 1989) is a Romanian professional footballer. He plays for the Liga I club FCSB. Vlad mainly plays as a central defender. He can also play as a right-back or a defensive midfielder.
Chiricheș started his senior career in Romania. He played for Internațional Curtea de Argeș, Pandurii Târgu Jiu, and Steaua București. With Steaua, he won a Liga I title and a Supercupa României. In 2013, he moved to Tottenham Hotspur in England. This transfer was a record for a Romanian player at the time, costing €9.5 million.
After two years in the Premier League, Chiricheș moved to Italy. He played for Serie A clubs like Napoli, Sassuolo, and Cremonese. In 2023, he returned to Romania to play for FCSB again. Vlad has also played for the Romanian national team since 2011. He has played over 70 games for his country and was part of the team at UEFA Euro 2016.
Contents
Club Career Highlights
Starting His Football Journey
Vlad Chiricheș started playing football in his hometown of Bacău. He began as a midfielder at LPS Bacău. Later, when he moved to Ardealul Cluj, he even played as a striker. At Ardealul Cluj, he played alongside other future Romanian national players, Mihai Răduț and Alexandru Maxim. In 2007, Chiricheș went to Portugal to join the youth team of Benfica.
After a year in Lisbon, Vlad came back to Romania. He joined a smaller club called Internațional Curtea de Argeș. He helped them get promoted to the top league, Liga I, in 2009. In 2010, after Internațional closed down, he moved to Pandurii Târgu Jiu. He was close to joining FCSB, but their coach at the time, Victor Pițurcă, did not agree to the transfer.
Time at Steaua București
After playing for one season in Târgu Jiu, Chiricheș finally joined Steaua București. This move happened in 2011. Steaua paid about €700,000 for him. Later, in 2013, they paid more to fully own his contract.
Vlad scored an amazing goal on 25 October 2012. It was an overhead kick in a Europa League match against Molde. This goal helped Steaua win 2–0. On 21 February 2013, he scored a long-range goal against Ajax. This helped Steaua win a penalty shootout and move on in the Europa League. They then played against 2012 Champions League winners Chelsea. He scored again against Chelsea in the second leg at Stamford Bridge.
Playing for Tottenham Hotspur
On 30 August 2013, Vlad Chiricheș moved to the English team Tottenham Hotspur. They paid €9.5 million for him. This made him the most expensive Romanian player transfer at that time. He played his first game for Tottenham on 24 September in a League Cup match. Tottenham won 4–0 against Aston Villa.
His first game in the Premier League was also against Aston Villa. Fans voted him the best player in that game, which Tottenham won 2–0. On 4 December, Chiricheș scored his first goal for Tottenham. He scored from outside the penalty box in a 2–1 win against Fulham. Towards the end of his time there, he was sent off in a game against Stoke City.
Moving to Italy: Napoli, Sassuolo, and Cremonese
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On 30 July 2015, Vlad joined the Italian club Napoli. He signed a four-year contract. His first game in Serie A for Napoli was a 1–2 loss to Sassuolo. In September 2018, Chiricheș got a serious knee injury. This kept him out of most of the season.
On 2 September 2019, Chiricheș moved to another Serie A club, Sassuolo. He first joined on a loan deal. In 2020, Sassuolo bought him permanently from Napoli for €11 million. He stayed at Sassuolo until 2022. On 8 July 2022, Chiricheș signed a one-year deal with Cremonese, another Italian club in Serie A.
Coming Back to FCSB
FCSB announced that Vlad Chiricheș was returning to the club on 25 July 2023. This was about ten years after he left for Tottenham. He played his first game back four days later, helping FCSB win 2–0 against Oțelul Galați. However, he played only a few more matches before getting a long-term injury. He was out of action until March 2024.
International Career
Vlad Chiricheș played his first game for the Romanian national team on 2 September 2011. It was a 2–0 win against Luxembourg in a qualifying match for UEFA Euro 2012. On 14 August 2013, he was captain for Romania for the first time in a friendly game against Slovakia. His first official game as captain was on 6 September 2013. Romania won 3–0 against Hungary in a FIFA World Cup qualifier.
On 5 October 2017, Chiricheș played his 50th game for the national team. Romania won 3–1 against Kazakhstan in that match.
Honours and Achievements
FCSB
- Liga I: 2012–13, 2013–14, 2023–24
- Supercupa României: 2013, 2024
Tottenham Hotspur
- League Cup runner-up: 2014–15
Individual Awards
- Gazeta Sporturilor Romanian Footballer of the Year: 2013; runner-up: 2012
Images for kids
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Chiricheș in action against Austria in June 2012.
See also
In Spanish: Vlad Chiricheș para niños
