Adrian Mihalcea
Encyclopedia
Adrian Mihalcea is a Romanian football
striker
who currently plays for Liga I
team Concordia Chiajna
.
in 2000 and again in 2001.
Mihalcea started the 2001 season for Dinamo Bucharest in excellent form, scoring 11 goals in 14 league matches, and earned 5th place in the competition for the 2001 Romanian Footballer of the Year
award. This performance attracted the interest of Italian Serie B
side Genoa 1893, and Mihalcea signed for the club in January 2002. The following season Mihalcea scored 9 goals in Serie B and was Genoa's leading goalscorer for the campaign. In summer 2003, he was sold to fellow Serie B club Hellas Verona and enjoyed another good season scoring 5 goals in 20 league matches for his new club.
After the experience in Italy, a return to Dinamo Bucharest in 2004 was disappointing, with Mihalcea struggling for goals as the team narrowly missed out on the Romanian championship. They saved the season and managed, with Mihalcea one of the team's captains, to win the Romanian Cup
. He scored only one goal that season, against Sportul Studenţesc
.
Mihalcea was sold again at the end of that season, in the summer of 2005, this time to South-Korean club Chunnam Dragons
, but he only played 5 games without scoring there and because he could not adapt to the Asian style of life and football he came back home. He was free of contract for about 2 months and trained alone in Bucharest
, at his ex-team Dinamo Bucharest's stadium. At the beginning of March 2006 he signed a 3 month contract with Romanian side FC Vaslui
. At this point he was no longer in the attention of the Romanian national football team.
In the summer of 2006, Mihalcea moved to Cypriot side Aris Limassol in an attempt to resurrect his career. He started by scoring 16 goals in 24 matches, more than he had scored in the last 5 years! He continued his consistent good form by scoring 12 goals in 25 matches in the next season. Following the relegation of Aris in the Cypriot second division
, AEL Limassol
showed interest in the striker and transferred him in the summer of 2008. After Aris returned to Cypriot first division
, Mihalcea came back, and scored 8 goals in 28 matches in the 2009-2010 season, also being named captain of the team. He was very respected at Aris for being one of its best scorers.
In the summer of 2010 he signed with Liga I
team Astra Ploieşti
, coming there as a free agent
because his contract in Cyprus
had ended.. In the winter of 2010 he moved to the league winning side Unirea Urziceni.
Mihalcea's international career with Romania has not lived up to his early promise, as he played 10 times for the Romanian under-21 team
, scoring 3 goals, and was tipped to be a star of the future by Ilie Dumitrescu
. He was promoted to the Romanian international squad in 1998 but failed to score in 16 appearances and was overlooked for the European Championships in 2000 and last capped by Romania in 2003.
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
striker
Striker
Forwards, also known as strikers, are the players on a team in association football who play nearest to the opposing team's goal, and are therefore principally responsible for scoring goals...
who currently plays for Liga I
Liga I
Liga I, or in full, due to sponsorship reasons, Liga I Bergenbier, is the top division of the Romanian football league system. Before the 2006/2007 season, it was called Divizia A, but the name had to be changed following the discovery that someone else had registered the trademark "Divizia A"...
team Concordia Chiajna
CS Concordia Chiajna
CS Concordia Chiajna is a Romanian football club founded in 1957 and based in Chiajna, Ilfov. The team currently plays in the Liga I.-History:...
.
Career
Mihalcea spent many years playing with one of the top Romanian teams, Dinamo Bucharest, where he won the Romanian First Division championship in 2000 and the Romanian CupRomanian Cup
The Cupa României is a football competition which was held annually since 1933-34, except during the World War II. It is the country's main cup competition, and it is open to all clubs affiliated with FRF and the county football associations regardless of the league they belong to...
in 2000 and again in 2001.
Mihalcea started the 2001 season for Dinamo Bucharest in excellent form, scoring 11 goals in 14 league matches, and earned 5th place in the competition for the 2001 Romanian Footballer of the Year
Romanian Footballer of the Year
The Romanian Footballer of the Year award is given to the best Romanian football player. It was started in 1966, by Gazeta Sporturilor.-Players of the year :-References:*...
award. This performance attracted the interest of Italian Serie B
Serie B
Serie B, currently named Serie bwin due to sponsorship reasons, is the second-highest division in the Italian football league system after the Serie A. It is contested by 22 teams and organized by the Lega Serie B since July 2010, after the split of Lega Calcio that previously took care of both the...
side Genoa 1893, and Mihalcea signed for the club in January 2002. The following season Mihalcea scored 9 goals in Serie B and was Genoa's leading goalscorer for the campaign. In summer 2003, he was sold to fellow Serie B club Hellas Verona and enjoyed another good season scoring 5 goals in 20 league matches for his new club.
After the experience in Italy, a return to Dinamo Bucharest in 2004 was disappointing, with Mihalcea struggling for goals as the team narrowly missed out on the Romanian championship. They saved the season and managed, with Mihalcea one of the team's captains, to win the Romanian Cup
Romanian Cup
The Cupa României is a football competition which was held annually since 1933-34, except during the World War II. It is the country's main cup competition, and it is open to all clubs affiliated with FRF and the county football associations regardless of the league they belong to...
. He scored only one goal that season, against Sportul Studenţesc
Sportul Studentesc
Sportul Studenţesc is a Romanian football club that was established in 1916 . The Bucharest club has won the Balkans Cup once and its best result in the Romanian league is a 2nd place in 1986...
.
Mihalcea was sold again at the end of that season, in the summer of 2005, this time to South-Korean club Chunnam Dragons
Chunnam Dragons
Chunnam Dragons is a football club founded in 1995 in the Korean city of Gwangyang, which joined the K-League for the 1995 season at the same time as Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, their Jeolla province rivals.-History:...
, but he only played 5 games without scoring there and because he could not adapt to the Asian style of life and football he came back home. He was free of contract for about 2 months and trained alone in Bucharest
Bucharest
Bucharest is the capital municipality, cultural, industrial, and financial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the Dâmbovița River....
, at his ex-team Dinamo Bucharest's stadium. At the beginning of March 2006 he signed a 3 month contract with Romanian side FC Vaslui
FC Vaslui
FC Vaslui is a professional football club from Vaslui, Romania. The club plays in Liga I and was founded in 2002. The best league finishes were achieved in the 2009–10 and 2010–11 seasons, when they managed to end up third. Since foundation, they finished each season in a higher rank than in the...
. At this point he was no longer in the attention of the Romanian national football team.
In the summer of 2006, Mihalcea moved to Cypriot side Aris Limassol in an attempt to resurrect his career. He started by scoring 16 goals in 24 matches, more than he had scored in the last 5 years! He continued his consistent good form by scoring 12 goals in 25 matches in the next season. Following the relegation of Aris in the Cypriot second division
Cypriot Second Division
- Structure :Fourteen clubs compete in the league, playing each other twice, once at home and once away for a total of 26 games per team. The topthree clubs are promoted to the first division and the bottom three are relegated to the third division.- Teams :...
, AEL Limassol
AEL Limassol
Athlitiki Enosi Lemesou , commonly known as AEL Limassol , is a Greek Cypriot multisport club based in the city of Limassol, the port of Cyprus....
showed interest in the striker and transferred him in the summer of 2008. After Aris returned to Cypriot first division
Cypriot First Division
The Cypriot Championship First Division is the top tier football league competition in Cyprus. As of 2007 it is sponsored by Marfin Popular Bank and is hence officially known as Marfin Laiki League .-Format:...
, Mihalcea came back, and scored 8 goals in 28 matches in the 2009-2010 season, also being named captain of the team. He was very respected at Aris for being one of its best scorers.
In the summer of 2010 he signed with Liga I
Liga I
Liga I, or in full, due to sponsorship reasons, Liga I Bergenbier, is the top division of the Romanian football league system. Before the 2006/2007 season, it was called Divizia A, but the name had to be changed following the discovery that someone else had registered the trademark "Divizia A"...
team Astra Ploieşti
FC Astra Ploieşti
Fotbal Club Astra Ploieşti is a Romanian professional football club from Ploieşti, Prahova County, Romania. They were founded in 1934 and spent their vast majority in the lower leagues, but are currently playing in the country's top league, Liga I, after obtaining the promotion in 2009.The...
, coming there as a free agent
Free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....
because his contract in Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
had ended.. In the winter of 2010 he moved to the league winning side Unirea Urziceni.
Mihalcea's international career with Romania has not lived up to his early promise, as he played 10 times for the Romanian under-21 team
Romania national under-21 football team
The Romania national under-21 football team is the national under-21 football team of Romania and is controlled by the Romanian Football Federation. The team competes in the European Under-21 Football Championship, held every two years....
, scoring 3 goals, and was tipped to be a star of the future by Ilie Dumitrescu
Ilie Dumitrescu
Ilie Dumitrescu is a former Romanian football player and current coach, he last managed Steaua Bucureşti. A tricky forward, he shot to fame when his frontline partnership with Gheorghe Hagi and Florin Răducioiu led the Romania national football team to the 1994 FIFA World Cup quarterfinal,...
. He was promoted to the Romanian international squad in 1998 but failed to score in 16 appearances and was overlooked for the European Championships in 2000 and last capped by Romania in 2003.
Club honours
- Romanian First Division Championship:
- 2000
- Romanian CupRomanian CupThe Cupa României is a football competition which was held annually since 1933-34, except during the World War II. It is the country's main cup competition, and it is open to all clubs affiliated with FRF and the county football associations regardless of the league they belong to...
:- 2000, 2001, 2005