Cristian Manea
![]() Manea with CFR Cluj in 2023 | |||
Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | Cristian Marian Manea | ||
Date of birth | (1997-08-09) 9 August 1997 (age 27) | ||
Place of birth | Agigea, Romania | ||
Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) | ||
Position(s) | Right-back | ||
Team information | |||
Current team | Rapid București | ||
Number | 23 | ||
Youth career | |||
2009–2013 | Gheorghe Hagi Academy | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
2014 | Viitorul Constanța | 5 | (0) |
2014–2020 | Apollon Limassol | 0 | (0) |
2014–2015 | → Viitorul Constanța (loan) | 26 | (2) |
2015–2017 | → Mouscron (loan) | 14 | (0) |
2017–2019 | → CFR Cluj (loan) | 69 | (1) |
2019–2020 | → FCSB (loan) | 2 | (0) |
2020 | → CFR Cluj (loan) | 5 | (0) |
2020–2024 | CFR Cluj | 103 | (8) |
2024– | Rapid București | 3 | (0) |
International career‡ | |||
2013 | Romania U16 | 2 | (0) |
2013–2014 | Romania U17 | 6 | (0) |
2014–2016 | Romania U19 | 8 | (0) |
2014–2019 | Romania U21 | 19 | (0) |
2021 | Romania Olympic | 2 | (0) |
2014– | Romania | 25[note 1] | (2) |
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 5 August 2024 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 22 March 2024 |
Cristian Marian Manea (Romanian pronunciation: [kristiˈan mariˈan ˈmane̯a]; born 9 August 1997) is a Romanian professional footballer who plays as a right-back for Liga I club Rapid București and the Romania national team.
Manea started out as a senior at Viitorul Constanța in 2014, and transferred to Apollon Limassol during that summer. He did not feature in any games for the Cypriots, being loaned out consecutively to Viitorul, Mouscron, CFR Cluj, FCSB, and again CFR Cluj. Manea signed a permanent deal with the latter in 2020, and won seven domestic honours during his stints in Cluj-Napoca. In 2024, he moved to Rapid București as a free agent.
Internationally, Manea became the youngest player to make his debut for Romania after playing in a 1–0 win over Albania in May 2014.[note 2] In 2019, he represented the under-21 side in the UEFA European Championship.
Club career
Viitorul Constanța
Born in Agigea, Constanța County, Manea spent his junior years in the academy of Viitorul Constanța. He made his professional debut for the club on 21 April 2014, in a 0–3 home Liga I loss to Steaua București.[1]
Apollon Limassol
In the summer of 2014, an investment fund acquired Manea's playing rights and he was registered by Cypriot side Apollon Limassol. The transfer fee was rumoured to be worth €2.5 million.[2][3][4]
Previously, Romanian media reported that Manea had been sold to Premier League team Chelsea for roughly £2.3 million,[5] but the rumour proved to be false.[6] In May 2018, the player himself stated that he had believed he would sign for Chelsea and that he had never physically been to Cyprus.[7]
Various loans
Manea spent the 2014–15 campaign on loan at his former club Viitorul Constanța, and scored his first senior goal in a 2–1 away defeat of Petrolul Ploiești on 13 April 2015.[8]
On 28 August 2015, Manea moved to Belgian team Royal Excel Mouscron on a season-long loan, which was extended for another year. He amassed 18 appearances in all competitions before returning to Romania on 27 June 2017, joining CFR Cluj also on loan.[9] He was an undisputed starter during his stint, winning back-to-back national championships.[10]
On 2 September 2019, fellow Liga I team FCSB agreed a deal to sign Manea on loan with an option to buy.[11] He fell out of favour at the Bucharest-based club, and on 31 January 2020 returned to CFR Cluj on loan for the remainder of the season.[12]
CFR Cluj
On 6 September 2020, Manea signed a four-year deal with CFR Cluj for an undisclosed transfer fee.[13]
Rapid București
On 24 June 2024, Manea agreed to a three-year contract with Rapid București as a free agent.[14]
International career
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d8/Cristi_Manea_-_Sweden_vs_Romaina_23_March_2019_%28cropped%29.jpg/190px-Cristi_Manea_-_Sweden_vs_Romaina_23_March_2019_%28cropped%29.jpg)
Manea earned caps for Romania at under-16, under-17, under-19, and under-21 levels. In May 2014, he was called up to the senior team by manager Victor Pițurcă, despite having only made five club appearances at the time.[15] Manea made his debut as a starter against Albania on the 31st that month, aged 16 years, 9 months and 22 days. He became the youngest footballer to play for Romania since 1928, after breaking the record set by Grațian Sepi.[16][note 2]
Manea registered his first senior goal for the country on 5 June 2018, scoring the opener in a 2–0 friendly win over Finland at the Ilie Oană Stadium in Ploiești.[17] The following year, he featured for the under-21 side in all four matches of the 2019 UEFA European Championship, where Romania was eliminated by Germany in the semi-finals.[18]
Career statistics
Club
- As of match played 5 August 2024[19]
Club | Season | League | National Cup | League Cup | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
Viitorul Constanța | ||||||||||||||
2013–14 | Liga I | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 5 | 0 | ||||
Viitorul Constanța (loan) | ||||||||||||||
2014–15 | Liga I | 26 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 29 | 2 | |||
Mouscron (loan) | ||||||||||||||
2015–16 | Belgian Pro League | 7 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 9 | 0 | ||||
2016–17 | Belgian Pro League | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 8 | 0 | ||||
Total | 14 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 0 | ||
CFR Cluj (loan) | ||||||||||||||
2017–18 | Liga I | 35 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 35 | 0 | ||||
2018–19 | Liga I | 34 | 1 | 4 | 0 | — | 5[a] | 0 | 1[b] | 0 | 44 | 1 | ||
Total | 69 | 1 | 4 | 0 | — | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 79 | 1 | |||
FCSB (loan) | 2019–20 | Liga I | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 4 | 0 | |||
CFR Cluj (loan) | 2019–20 | Liga I | 5 | 0 | — | — | 2[c] | 0 | — | 7 | 0 | |||
CFR Cluj | ||||||||||||||
2020–21 | Liga I | 26 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 5[c] | 0 | 1[b] | 0 | 33 | 0 | ||
2021–22 | Liga I | 25 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 13[d] | 1 | 1[b] | 0 | 39 | 2 | ||
2022–23 | Liga I | 30 | 5 | 0 | 0 | — | 14[e] | 0 | 1[f] | 0 | 45 | 5 | ||
2023–24 | Liga I | 22 | 2 | 1 | 0 | — | 2[g] | 0 | — | 25 | 2 | |||
Total | 108 | 8 | 2 | 0 | — | 36 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 149 | 9 | |||
Rapid București | 2024–25 | Liga I | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 3 | 0 | |||
Career total | 227 | 11 | 12 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 41 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 286 | 12 |
- ^ Two appearances in UEFA Champions League, three appearances in UEFA Europa League
- ^ a b c Appearance in Supercupa României
- ^ a b Appearances in UEFA Europa League
- ^ Five appearances and one goal in UEFA Champions League, two appearances in UEFA Europa League, six appearances in UEFA Europa Conference League
- ^ Two appearances in UEFA Champions League, 12 appearances in UEFA Conference League
- ^ Appearance in Liga I European play-offs
- ^ Appearances in UEFA Conference League
International
- As of match played 22 March 2024[20]
National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
---|---|---|---|
Romania | 2014 | 1 | 0 |
2018 | 6 | 1 | |
2019 | 1 | 0 | |
2020 | 2 | 0 | |
2021 | 5 | 1 | |
2022 | 5 | 0 | |
2023 | 4 | 0 | |
2024 | 1 | 0 | |
Total | 25 | 2 |
- Scores and results list Romania's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Manea goal.[20]
No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 5 June 2018 | Ilie Oană, Ploiești, Romania | ![]() | 1–0 | 2–0 | Friendly |
2 | 5 September 2021 | Arena Națională, Bucharest, Romania | ![]() | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification |
Honours
CFR Cluj[19]
Individual
References
Notes
Citations
- ^ "Viitorul Constanța-Steaua 0-3 / Prima victorie după 3 etape, cea mai clară în deplasare după 2 luni" [Viitorul Constanța-Steaua 0–3 / First victory after 3 fixtures, the biggest away in 2 months] (in Romanian). Știrile TVR. 21 April 2014. Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 7 June 2018.
- ^ "EXPLOZIV! Ce ascunde Hagi: Manea nu e jucătorul lui Chelsea, ci al lui Apollon Limassol! Transferul prin care un "super-impresar" fentează regulamentul FIFA. Partea I" [EXPLOSIVE! What Hagi is hiding: Manea is not the player of Chelsea, but of Apollon Limassol! The transfer by which a "super-agent" outsmarts FIFA rules. Part I] (in Romanian). ProSport. 10 February 2016.
- ^ "18 jucători = 16 milioane de euro. Armata vândută de Hagi, profitul din tolbă şi cum arată 11-le tip al celor mai valoroşi fotbalişti cedaţi pe bani mulţi" [18 players = 16 million euros. The army sold by Hagi, the profit from the quiver and what the first eleven of the most valuable footballers sold for a lot of money looks like] (in Romanian). ProSport. 29 August 2017. Retrieved 9 September 2018.
- ^ "Ce se întâmplă cu Cristi Manea, unul dintre cei mai buni jucători de la EURO 2019. "Se antrenează prin parcuri!"" [What is happening with Cristi Manea, one of the best players of EURO 2019. "He trains in the parks!"] (in Romanian). Fanatik.ro. 21 August 2019.
- ^ "EXCLUSIV Manea va semna cu Chelsea" [EXCLUSIVE Manea will sign for Chelsea] (in Romanian). Dolce Sport. 15 September 2014. Archived from the original on 10 February 2015. Retrieved 15 September 2014.
- ^ "INFOGRAFIE » Manea, istoria unui transfer dubios" [INFOGRAPHIC » Manea, the history of a suspicious transfer]. Gazeta Sporturilor (in Romanian). 12 May 2016. Retrieved 19 September 2017.
- ^ "EXCLUSIV | Cristi Manea retrăieşte transferul la Chelsea: "Am izbucnit în plâns când am aflat că, de fapt, merg în Belgia". Cum a fost păcălit cel mai tânăr debutant din istoria naţionalei" [EXCLUSIVE | Cristi Manea relives the transfer to Chelsea: "I burst into tears when I found out that, in fact, I was going to Belgium." How the youngest debutant in the history of the national team was tricked] (in Romanian). Orange Sport. 22 May 2018. Retrieved 29 April 2023.
- ^ "FINAL WHISTLE / Petrolul – Viitorul 1-2. Echipa lui Gica Hagi emite pretentii la cupele europene!" [FINAL / Petrolul - Viitorul 1–2. Gică Hagi's team is pushing for European Cups!] (in Romanian). Sport Total FM. 13 April 2015. Retrieved 6 June 2018.
- ^ "Cristi Manea, la CFR Cluj! Fundașul, împrumut pe un an de Apollon Limassol" [Cristi Manea, to CFR Cluj! The defender, loaned for one year from Apollon Limassol]. Libertatea (in Romanian). 27 June 2017. Retrieved 6 June 2018.
- ^ "CFR Cluj: lotul de jucători și alte date statistice" [CFR Cluj: player squad and other statistics] (in Romanian). Liga Profesionistă de Fotbal. 24 May 2018. Retrieved 6 June 2018.
- ^ "OFICIAL Cristi Manea a semnat cu FCSB și devine cel mai bine plătit fotbalist din Liga 1!" [OFFICIAL Cristi Manea signed with FCSB and becomes the highest paid footballer in Liga 1!]. Gazeta Sporturilor (in Romanian). 2 September 2019.
- ^ "Cristi Manea s-a transferat de două ori în mai puțin de 24 de ore! Cum a ajuns să semneze cu CFR" [Cristi Manea transferred twice in less than 24 hours! How he ended up signing with CFR] (in Romanian). ProSport. 2 February 2020. Retrieved 29 April 2023.
- ^ "EXCLUSIV // E oficial: calvarul s-a încheiat! Cristi Manea a scăpat definitiv de Apollon și s-a transferat în Liga 1" [EXCLUSIVE // It's official: the struggle is over! Cristi Manea got rid of Apollon for good and transferred to Liga 1]. Gazeta Sporturilor (in Romanian). 6 September 2020. Retrieved 29 April 2023.
- ^ "Cristi Manea a semnat cu Rapid" [Cristi Manea signed with Rapid] (in Romanian). FC Rapid București. 24 June 2024. Retrieved 4 July 2024.
- ^ "Debut pentru istorie » Victor Piţurcă propune patru surprize pentru turneul "naţionalei" din Elveţia" [Debut for history » Victor Pițurcă proposes four surprise players for the national team's tour in Switzerland]. Gazeta Sporturilor (in Romanian). 25 May 2014. Retrieved 6 June 2014.
- ^ "A fost doborît un record vechi de 86 de ani! Cristi Manea a devenit cel mai tînăr tricolor din istorie" [An 86-year-old record was broken! Cristi Manea became the youngest Tricolour in history]. Gazeta Sporturilor (in Romanian). 31 May 2014. Retrieved 6 June 2014.
- ^ "România – Finlanda 2–0, în ultimul meci al lui Lobonț din carieră" [Romania – Finland 2–0, in the last match of Lobonț's career]. Romanian Football Federation. 5 June 2018. Archived from the original on 9 June 2018. Retrieved 6 June 2018.
- ^ "Germany 4–2 Romania". UEFA.com. 27 June 2019. Retrieved 29 April 2023.
- ^ a b Cristian Manea at Soccerway. Retrieved 25 May 2021.
- ^ a b "Cristian Manea". European Football. Retrieved 17 March 2018.
- ^ "FOTO&VIDEO | CFR Cluj a câștigat Supercupa României!" [PHOTO&VIDEO | CFR Cluj won the Romanian Supercup!] (in Romanian). Romanian Football Federation. 15 April 2021. Retrieved 16 April 2021.
- ^ "S-a stabilit echipa sezonului trecut din Superliga. Care este echipa cu cei mai mulți reprezentanți" [Last season's Superliga team has been decided. Which team has the most representatives?] (in Romanian). Playsport.ro. 9 June 2023. Retrieved 18 June 2023.
External links
- Cristian Manea at RomanianSoccer.ro (in Romanian)
- Cristian Manea at National-Football-Teams.com
- Cristian Manea – UEFA competition record (archive)
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