Daniel Niculae

Daniel George Niculae (Romanian pronunciation: [daniˈel ˈd͡ʒe̯ord͡ʒe nikuˈla.e]; born 6 October 1982) is a Romanian professional footballer who last played for Rapid București mainly as a striker.

Daniel Niculae
Niculae with Romania in 2012
Personal information
Full name Daniel George Niculae
Date of birth (1982-10-06) 6 October 1982
Place of birth Bucharest, Romania
Height 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Playing position(s) Forward
Youth career
1996–2001 Rapid București
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2001–2006 Rapid București 107 (33)
2006–2010 Auxerre 130 (19)
2010–2012 Monaco 17 (4)
2011–2012 → Nancy (loan) 31 (6)
2012–2013 Kuban Krasnodar 11 (2)
2014–2015 Rapid București 29 (10)
2015–2017 Astra Giurgiu 41 (8)
2017–2018 Rapid București 31 (40)
Total 397 (122)
National team‡
2003–2012 Romania 39 (9)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 17 January 2018
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 30 October 2017

He has made 39 appearances for Romania since his debut in 2003.[1]

Club career

Rapid București

Daniel "Nico" Niculae started his professional career at Rapid București in 2000. Despite a period playing for the B team in 2001, Nico proved he is one of the most gifted players of the club, and helped his club to win the championship in the 2002–03 season – his first as a first-team regular.

Niculae was Rapid's leading scorer in the 2004–05 season, with 14 goals – the third highest total in Romania's Liga 1.

In the 2005–06 UEFA Cup campaign, he and Mugurel Buga formed one of the most powerful striker pairs of the competition, with Niculae scoring 8 goals, as Rapid reached the Quarter-Finals of the competition. The season also saw Rapid claim the 2006 Romanian Cup, with Niculae scoring the winning goal in the first minute of extra-time, against Național București.

Auxerre

Niculae was transferred to French club AJ Auxerre in the summer of 2006, for €3.3 million. His first season with the club saw him score 4 goals in the UEFA Cup, but he struggled for goals in Ligue 1. However, the following season his form improved, as he scored 11 goals to help keep the club in Ligue 1.

The 2008–09 season was one to forget for Niculae. He was deeply affected by the loss of his father, and despite threatening to score on several occasions, he failed to find the net in 32 games.

Things got back on track in 2009–10 however. Jean Fernandez initially wanted to loan out Niculae for the season, but the latest signing Alexandre Licata was ruled out for most of the season with a serious ankle injury. Daniel Niculae found a new role in the Auxerre side, as a creator of goals rather than a scorer of them. As of April 2010, he lies third in the table for assists in Ligue 1 with a total of 8. He has a brilliant entente with Polish goalscorer Ireneusz Jeleń and has helped the Burgundian side to reach second in the table and to thus push for the Champions League places.

Monaco

After the expiration of his contract with AJ Auxerre on 15 June 2010, Niculae signed a three-year-deal with Ligue 1 rivals AS Monaco.[2]

On 31 August 2011, Niculae signed for French side AS Nancy on a season-long loan. In a game against his former club, AJ Auxerre, on 30 January 2012, Nicuale scored a double giving his team the win.[3] Although, before the game started, Auxerre's supporters booed him, at the end he got a standing ovation for his impressive performance.[4]

Kuban Krasnodar

On 6 June 2012, he joined the Russian club Kuban Krasnodar, on a two-year contract. Here he will be coached by Yuri Krasnozhan.[5]

International career

Niculae won his first international cap for Romania in 2003, but did not become a regular squad member until the 2005–06 season.[1]

He was selected for Romania's Euro 2008 squad, and started his country's first two matches. He came on as a substitute for their final group game against the Netherlands, but could not help Romania to a win, which would have taken the country into the Quarter-Finals.[1][6]

Other than the fact that they share birthplace, he has no connection with namesake and fellow international Marius Niculae.

Career statistics

International goals
Source:[1][6]
#DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
116 November 2005Steaua, Bucharest, Romania Nigeria1–03–0Friendly
226 May 2006Soldier Field, Chicago, United States Northern Ireland2–02–0Friendly
321 November 2007Lia Manoliu, Bucharest, Romania Albania3–06–1UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying
421 November 2007Lia Manoliu, Bucharest, Romania Albania4–06–1UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying
526 March 2008Steaua, Bucharest, Romania Russia2–03–0Friendly
614 November 2009Polish Army Stadium, Warsaw, Poland Poland1–01–0Friendly
729 May 2010Ukraina Stadium, Lviv, Ukraine Ukraine2–12–3Friendly
85 June 2010Sankt Veit an der Glan, Carinthia, Austria Honduras1–03–0Friendly
911 November 2011Stade Maurice Dufrasne, Liège, Belgium Belgium1–21–2Friendly

Honours

Club

Rapid București

Astra Giurgiu

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References
  1. "Daniel Niculae". European Football. Retrieved 13 November 2019.
  2. Daniel Niculae s’engage avec l’AS Monaco FC Archived 26 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  3. Niculae dubla
  4. Niculae aplaudat
  5. "Niculae becomes Kuban". Archived from the original on 9 July 2012. Retrieved 6 July 2012.
  6. Daniel Niculae at National-Football-Teams.com
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