Gheorghe Craioveanu

Gheorghe " Gică " Craioveanu ( born February 14, 1968 in Hunedoara ) is a former Romanian football player. He played a total of 350 games in the Romanian Divizia A and Spanish Primera División. He also took part in the World Cup 1998.

Career

Craioveanu began his career in 1989 at Metalurgistul Slatina in Divizia B, where he had changed during the winter break 1988/89. In 1990, he joined the league rivals FC Drobeta Turnu Severin, before the Romanian Universitatea Craiova giants became aware of him and engaged him in the winter break of the season 1990/91. In Craiova, he played on March 3, 1991 his first game in Divizia A and came in the rest of the season regularly used, so that he could contribute three goals to win the Romanian championship. Craioveanu could continue to develop in Craiova. In the years 1991 and 1993 he won the Romanian Cup, in 1994 and 1995 succeeded the Romanian runner.

After Craioveanu was with 22 and 27 hits become top scorer in the Divizia A in 1994 and 1995, foreign clubs were aware of him. Craioveanu then moved to Spain and joined Real Sociedad on, which at the time played in the Primera División. After three successful years, the 3rd place, culminating in 1998, he left San Sebastián and joined the team FC Villarreal. Again, he immediately became a regular player, but could relegation at the end of the 1998/99 season not prevent despite 13 goals.

The following year he managed to direct re-emergence, followed by a 7th place in the Primera Division. After Craiovenau not more regularly came into use in the 2001/ 02 season, he left Villarreal in 2002 and moved to Getafe CF in the Segunda División. In 2004 he succeeded with Getafe the largest to date, the success of the club promotion to the Primera Division. In 2006, he finished his career there.

National

Craioveanu denied a total of 25 games for the Romanian national football team, scoring four goals. He made his debut on 8 September 1993 against the Faroe Islands. Although he became top scorer of the Divizia A, he was not taken into account by national coach Anghel Iordănescu for the Football World Cup 1994, so it only in 1998 took part in the World Cup in France, where he was a substitute against Croatia.

Achievements

As a player

  • World Cup participants: 1998
  • Romanian champions: 1991
  • Romanian Cup Winners: 1991, 1993
  • Romanian scorer: 1994, 1995
  • Rise in the Spanish Primera Liga: 2000, 2004

Others

After the end of his active career Craioveanu retained his residence in Getafe near Madrid. At the municipal election in 2007, he ran as an independent candidate with the support of the Partido Popular and moved as a consultant for a sport in the city council. But on June 16, 2007, he performed back again after the Popular Party had lost influence in the city council. He is co- host of a Sunday sports broadcast the private broadcaster laSexta.

Craioveanu is married in second marriage with a Spanish woman named Gemma and has two children - one from each marriage.

Villarreal CF Liga I Liga II 1990–91 Divizia A
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