Cristian Săpunaru

Ionuț Cristian Săpunaru (born 5 April 1984) is a Romanian professional footballer who plays for Turkish club Kayserispor mainly as a central defender. He can also be deployed as a right back or a defensive midfielder.

Cristian Săpunaru

Săpunaru captaining Romania in March 2019
Personal information
Full name	Ionuț Cristian Săpunaru
Date of birth	(1984-04-05) 5 April 1984
Place of birth	Bucharest, Romania
Height	1.87 m (6 ft 2 in)
Playing position(s)	Defender / Defensive midfielder
Club information
Current team	Kayserispor
Number	84
Youth career
1990–2002	Național București
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2002–2006	Național București	34	(3)
2003–2004	→ Callatis Mangalia (loan)	10	(0)
2006–2008	Rapid București	51	(3)
2008–2012	Porto	67	(3)
2010	→ Rapid București (loan)	10	(3)
2012–2013	Zaragoza	29	(2)
2013–2014	Elche	8	(1)
2015	Rapid București	13	(4)
2015–2016	Pandurii	22	(5)
2016–2017	Astra Giurgiu	32	(8)
2017–2019	Kayserispor	59	(2)
2019	Denizlispor	14	(0)
2020–	Kayserispor	4	(1)
National team^‡
2006	Romania U21	3	(0)
2008–2019	Romania	36	(0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 28 December 2019 ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 10 June 2019

He began his senior career in 2002 with Național București, and went on to make a name for himself at Rapid București. In 2008, he signed with Porto in Portugal where he won ten major honours over the course of four years, including the 2011 Europa League. After two additional seasons in Spain playing for Zaragoza and Elche, he returned to his native country in 2015.

A full international for Romania since 2008, Săpunaru represented the nation in two European Championships.

Club career

Early years / Porto

Săpunaru was born in Bucharest. A product of FC Național București, joining its youth system at the age of only 6, Săpunaru signed with FC Rapid București in July 2006. In the summer of 2008, he was sold for €2.5 million to FC Porto as a replacement for Chelsea-bound José Bosingwa and signed a five-year contract[1] with the Primeira Liga club owning 50% of the player's rights – Romanian sources indicated the price was actually €6 million plus two players.[2]

During his debut campaign, Săpunaru was first-choice right-back as the northerners achieved a double, and scored his first goal in a 1–2 away loss against C.D. Nacional for the League Cup.[3] In early February 2010, he was suspended in Portugal – as his teammate Hulk – following incidents during a 0–1 league defeat at S.L. Benfica, so he returned to his country for a five-month loan and moved to former side Rapid;[4] he did not manage to be played regularly at Porto during that time but, following his return for 2010–11, became a very important first-team unit as they won three major titles, appearing in 40 official games in the process.

On 17 February 2014, Săpunaru was condemned to pay a €90,000 fine for his participation in the assault of two stewards at the Estádio da Luz on 20 December 2009.[5][6][7]

Săpunaru training with Porto in 2011

Zaragoza

On 31 August 2012, Săpunaru signed a one-year contract with La Liga club Real Zaragoza.[8] He made his official debut on 16 September, playing the full 90 minutes in a 0–2 loss at Real Sociedad.[9]

In his first season in Aragon, Săpunaru started but also suffered team relegation. He also entered his name in the competition's history books, after breaking the record for the most bookings in a single campaign (19 yellow cards and one red).[10]

Elche

After initially hesitating because of the requests of his partner,[11] Săpunaru signed a one-year deal at fellow league team Elche CF on 25 July 2013.[12] He totalled only nine appearances in his only campaign and was also sent off twice, while his sole goal opened a 1–2 loss at Valencian Community neighbours Levante UD on 13 December.[13]

Elche could not support Săpunaru's €1 million wage demands,[14] and released him on 21 August 2014.[15] In October 2015, he took the club to court for the wages remaining in his contract.[16]

Return to Romania

After four months back at Rapid, Săpunaru signed a season-long deal at CS Pandurii Târgu Jiu on 6 September 2015, including a clause that he could leave instantly if a foreign club wanted him.[17] The following 21 July, he put pen to paper to a two-year contract with fellow league side FC Astra Giurgiu.[18]

Kayserispor

On 1 July 2017, it was announced that Săpunaru signed a two-year deal with Turkish Süper Lig team Kayserispor.[19] In January 2020 he returned back to the city from Capadocia for six months.

Denizlispor

Begin 2019-20 season he signed for Denizlispor. He played in 15 competitive games before returning back to his former red-yellow side Kayserispor.

International career

Săpunaru made his debut for the Romania national team on 31 May 2008 against Montenegro, and was selected to the nation's squad at UEFA Euro 2008, although he did not play in the final stages. From June 2011 to November 2015, he did not appear in any games for his country due to a conflict with manager Victor Pițurcă.[20][21]

On 17 May 2016, Săpunaru was picked by manager Anghel Iordănescu for his Euro 2016 squad.[22] He started at right-back in the group stage opener, a 1–2 loss against the hosts France.[23] In September 2019, after amassing 36 caps over the course of eleven years, Săpunaru announced his retirement from the national team.

Career statistics

Club

As of 24 January 2020[24][25]

Club statistics

Club	Season	League		Cup		Europe		Total
		Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Național București
	2002–03	4	0	0	0	0	0	4	0
	2003–04	1	0	2	0	0	0	3	0
Callatis Mangalia
	2003–04	10	0	0	0	0	0	10	0
	Total	10	0	0	0	0	0	10	0
Național București
	2004–05	6	0	2	0	0	0	8	0
	2005–06	23	3	5	0	0	0	28	3
	Total	34	3	9	0	0	0	43	3
Rapid București
	2006–07	19	1	3	0	6	0	28	1
	2007–08	32	2	2	0	2	0	36	2
	Total	51	3	5	0	8	0	64	3
Porto
	2008–09	17	0	7	1	8	0	25	0
	2009–10	5	0	0	0	4	0	9	0
Rapid București
	2009–10	10	3	0	0	0	0	10	3
	Total	10	3	0	0	0	0	10	3
Porto
	2010–11	19	0	9	0	13	0	41	0
	2011–12	15	2	2	0	3	0	20	2
	Total	56	2	18	1	28	0	102	3
Zaragoza
	2012–13	29	2	6	0	0	0	35	2
	Total	29	2	6	0	0	0	35	2
Elche
	2013–14	8	1	1	0	0	0	9	1
	Total	8	1	1	0	0	0	9	1
Rapid București
	2014–15	13	4	0	0	0	0	13	4
	Total	13	4	0	0	0	0	13	4
Pandurii
	2015–16	22	5	2	1	0	0	22	6
	Total	22	5	2	1	0	0	24	6
Astra
	2016–17	32	8	5	1	12	1	49	10
	Total	32	8	5	1	12	1	49	10
Kayserispor
	2017–18	28	0	5	0	0	0	33	0
	2018–19	31	2	3	1	0	0	34	3
	Total	59	2	8	1	0	0	67	3
Denizlispor
	2019–20	14	0	1	0	0	0	15	0
	Total	15	0	1	0	0	0	15	0
Kayserispor
	2019–20	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
	Total	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Career total		338	29	55	4	48	1	441	38

International

As of 10 June 2019[26]

National team	Year	Apps	Goals
Romania
	2008	3	0
	2009	3	0
	2010	1	0
	2011	2	0
	2012	0	0
	2013	0	0
	2014	0	0
	2015	1	0
	2016	10	0
	2017	3	0
	2018	10	0
	2019	3	0
Total		36	0

Honours

Club

Rapid București

• Cupa României: 2006–07
• Supercupa României: 2007

Porto

• Primeira Liga: 2008–09, 2010–11, 2011–12
• Taça de Portugal: 2008–09, 2009–10, 2010–11
• Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira: 2010, 2011
• UEFA Europa League: 2010–11
• UEFA Super Cup: Runner-up 2011

Astra Giurgiu

• Cupa României: Runner-up 2016–17

References

1. Rapid's Săpunaru plumps for Porto; UEFA, 14 July 2008
2. Ce transfer!!! Sapunaru la FC Porto pentru 6 milioane + 2 jucatori (We have a transfer!!! Sapunaru to FC Porto for 6 million + 2 players) Archived 7 October 2011 at the Wayback Machine; Sport Magazin, 9 July 2008 (in Romanian)
3. "Do nevoeiro surgiu um golo de Fidalgo e a vitória do Nacional" [Out from the mist came Fidalgo goal and Nacional win] (in Portuguese). Público. 15 January 2009. Retrieved 24 March 2018.
4. Sapunaru to return on loan to Rapid Bucharest Archived 26 January 2011 at the Wayback Machine; The Romanian Times, 1 February 2010
5. "Futebolistas do FC Porto condenados no caso do túnel da Luz" [FC Porto footballers condemned in tunnel of Luz case] (in Portuguese). Expresso. 17 February 2014. Retrieved 15 September 2014.
6. "FC Porto: jogadores condenados no caso do "túnel da Luz"" [FC Porto: players condemned in the "tunnel of Luz" case] (in Portuguese). Relvado. 17 February 2014. Archived from the original on 15 September 2014. Retrieved 15 September 2014.
7. "Túnel da Luz. Futebolistas condenados a indemnizar "stewards"" [Tunnel of Luz. Footballers condemned to compensate stewards] (in Portuguese). i. 17 February 2014. Retrieved 15 September 2014.
8. "Cristian Sapunaru se une a la plantilla del Real Zaragoza" [Cristian Sapunaru joins Real Zaragoza roster] (in Spanish). Real Zaragoza. 31 August 2012. Retrieved 1 September 2012.
9. "La Real se aprovecha de un inocente Zaragoza" [Real take advantage of innocent Zaragoza] (in Spanish). Marca. 16 September 2012. Retrieved 16 September 2012.
10. "Sapu cel galben » Săpunaru a rămas în istoria Primera Division: a depăşit recordul de cartonaşe galbene" [Sapu the yellow » Săpunaru makes history in Primera Division: yellow cards record broken] (in Romanian). Gazeta Sporturilor. 28 May 2013. Retrieved 31 May 2013.
11. "La dama no es de Elche" [The lady is not from Elche] (in Spanish). Marca. 19 July 2013. Retrieved 12 June 2016.
12. "El defensa rumano Sapunaru ficha por el Elche" [Romanian defender Săpunaru signs for Elche] (in Spanish). La Liga. 25 July 2013. Retrieved 12 June 2016.
13. "Late joy for Levante". Sky Sports. 13 December 2013. Retrieved 12 June 2016.
14. "Elche looking to offload Cristian Sapunaru due to high wage demands". Inside Spanish Football. 30 June 2014. Archived from the original on 13 August 2016. Retrieved 12 June 2016.
15. "Elche announce Sapunaru departure". Inside Spanish Football. 21 August 2014. Archived from the original on 13 August 2016. Retrieved 12 June 2016.
16. "Sapunaru suspende el juicio y negociará su despido con el Elche" [Săpunaru suspends judgement and will negotiate his dismissal with Elche] (in Spanish). Diario Información. 12 October 2015. Retrieved 12 June 2016.
17. "Cristi Săpunaru a semnat cu Pandurii! Clauză specială în contractul valabil un sezon" [Cristi Săpunaru signed for Pandurii! Special clause in season-long contract] (in Romanian). Digi Sport. 6 September 2015. Retrieved 12 June 2016.
18. "Săpunaru – astrist cu acte!" [Săpunaru – astrist in action!] (in Romanian). FC Astra Giurgiu. 21 July 2016. Retrieved 22 July 2016.
19. "Kayserispor, Sapunaru ile anlaştı" [Kayserispor, agreement with Sapunaru] (in Turkish). Fanatik. 1 July 2017. Retrieved 3 July 2017.
20. "Veste bună pentru Iordănescu. Un jucător tras pe linie moartă de Pițurcă e gata să revină la națională" [Good news for Iordănescu. A player that was kicked by Pițurcă is ready to return to the national team] (in Romanian). Stiridesport. 7 March 2015. Retrieved 10 June 2016.
21. "VIDEO EXCLUSIV A fost ignorat de Pițurcă, acum rupe tăcerea: "Dacă ne întâlnim, îl ocolesc, sau mă ocolește el"" [EXCLUSIV VIDEO He was ignored by Pițurcă, now he breaks the silence: "If we meet, I avoid him, or he avoids me"] (in Romanian). Digi Sport. 7 October 2015. Retrieved 10 June 2016.
22. "Romania Euro 2016 squad". The Daily Telegraph. 17 May 2016. Retrieved 10 June 2016.
23. "Dimitri Payet nets superb late winner for France vs. Romania". ESPN FC. 10 June 2016. Retrieved 10 June 2016.
24. "C. Săpunaru". Soccerway. Retrieved 26 February 2014.
25. "Cristian Sapunaru". Footballdatabase. Retrieved 16 February 2015.
26. "Cristian Săpunaru". EU-football.info. Retrieved 25 March 2018.

External links

• Cristian Săpunaru at RomanianSoccer.ro (in Romanian) and StatisticsFootball.com
• Cristian Săpunaru at ForaDeJogo
• Cristian Săpunaru at BDFutbol
• Cristian Săpunaru at National-Football-Teams.com
• Cristian Săpunaru at WorldFootball.net
• Cristian Săpunaru – FIFA competition record
• Cristian Săpunaru – UEFA competition record