Radu Niculescu
Horia Radu Niculescu ( born March 2, 1975 in Sibiu ) is a former Romanian football player. He played a total of 231 games in the Romanian Divizia A and the Turkish Süper Lig As a national player, he participated in the World Cup 1998.
Career
Association
The career of Niculescu began at the age of 16 years at FC Inter Sibiu in his hometown. On 16 June 1991, he joined his first appearance in the first Romanian League, the Divizia A. At first he only came on a few missions. Only in the 1992/93 season he was able to earn a place in the team. With Inter he could always place in midfield. In August 1994, he left his hometown and moved to Dinamo Bucharest. He could not be penetrated and already went in the winter break for FC Universitatea Craiova. With his new club, he could play the 1994/95 season finish as runners-up behind Steaua Bucharest.
In the summer of 1995, the FC Naţional Bucharest Niculescu committed. There took his career to gain momentum. With FC Naţional he could achieve both the 1995/96 season as also conclude in 1996/97 as runners-up and twelve or thirteen gates. In the following years he was not able to confirm these benefits and his eye for goal. In the second half of 1998/99 he was loaned out to local rivals Rapid Bucharest, with whom he won the Romanian championship. Back at Naţional he played with the club only in the middle of the league. In the second half 2000/ 01 him again helped a loan deal to win the title, this time with Steaua Bucharest.
In January 2002, Romania Niculescu left and signed with Galatasaray Istanbul. He came in the second half, although infrequently used, but still won his third championship. He was then transferred to league rivals MKE Ankaragucu. After a year he returned to Romania, played for Steaua and Rapid Bucharest in January 2004. In both positions, he seldom came to the course. After another half a year at Chinese club Chongqing Lifan, with which he could only finish the season in last place, he finished his career.
National
Niculescu played 15 games for the Romanian national team. He debuted on February 13, 1994 in a friendly match against the United States. In the following games, he was also used, but was not taken into account by national coach Anghel Iordănescu for the Football World Cup 1994 in the USA. After he had been taken into account in two friendly matches in February 1995, it took three years until his next appointment. On March 18, 1998, he played in a friendly against Israel half time. This time he came in most preseason games used for the 1998 World Cup. Unlike previous four years Iordănescu Niculescu appointed in his squad for the tournament in France. In the first group game against Colombia, he came off the bench just before the end of Viorel Moldovan. Also in the second round against Croatia Niculescu was sent half an hour before closing on the field, but could not prevent his team from.
After the World Cup he was no longer considered by the new coach Victor Piţurcă. Only when Emerich Jenei early 2000 took over the helm, Niculescu got a new chance. Jenei summoned him to his squad for a tournament in Cyprus in February 2000., Where he came in the final game against the host to its last use.
Achievements
- World Cup participants: 1998
- Romanian champion: 1999, 2001
- Turkish champions: 2002