Andrei Mărgăritescu

Andrei Mărgăritescu
Mărgăritescu playing for FC Terek in 2009
Personal information
Full name Andrei Silviu Mărgăritescu
Date of birth (1980-01-01) 1 January 1980 (age 44)
Place of birth Pitești, Romania
Height 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Position(s) Defensive midfielder
Youth career
Argeș Pitești
0000–1999 Rapid București
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1999–2002 Rapid București 11 (0)
2000–2002 → Tractorul Brașov (loan) 51 (7)
2002–2003 Olimpia Satu Mare 25 (0)
2003–2004 Unirea Focșani 25 (3)
2004–2008 Dinamo București 106 (5)
2008–2009 Terek Grozny 33 (0)
2010–2011 Dinamo București 23 (0)
2011–2013 Mioveni 21 (0)
2014 Atletic Bradu 16 (0)
2014–2015 Urban Titu 1 (0)
2015 SCM Pitești
Total 312 (15)
International career
2006–2007 Romania 3 (0)
Managerial career
2023–2024 Mioveni (assistant)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Andrei Silviu Margaritescu (born 1 January 1980) is a former Romanian professional footballer.[1]

Club career

Andrei Mărgăritescu, nicknamed China was born in Pitești on 1 January 1980, starting to play junior level football at local club, Argeș where he worked with coach Cristian Gheorghe.[2][3][4][5] He made his Divizia A debut at age 19 on 2 November 1999, playing for Rapid București under coach Mircea Lucescu in a 2–1 victory against FC Brașov.[2][6] After taking a red card in a game against Steaua București, Mircea Lucescu gave him to wear the captain armband in the following game in order to make him more responsible and less aggressive in his play.[6]

After only one season at Rapid, Mărgăritescu went to play four seasons in Divizia B for Tractorul Brașov, Olimpia Satu Mare and Unirea Focșani, after which he returned to Divizia A football as he was signed by Dinamo București where he was recommended by Mircea Lucescu and a coach from his youth career, Ionuț Chirilă.[2][3][6] With The Red Dogs he managed to win the only three trophies of his career, the first two being under the guidance of coach Ioan Andone, firstly the 2004–05 Cupa României when he played all the minutes of the 1–0 victory against Farul Constanța from the final and the second being the 2005 Supercupa României when he played the whole game in the 3–2 victory against rivals Steaua București which helped the team earn for the first time in its history a Supercupa României, also Andone used him in 7 games from the 2005–06 UEFA Cup campaign when the team eliminated Everton with a historical 5–2 on aggregate, reaching the group stage.[2][3][7][8][9][10] Afterwards he helped Dinamo win the 2006–07 Liga I title, being used by coach Mircea Rednic in 31 games in which he scored one goal, also in the same season he helped the team reach sixteenths-finals of the UEFA Cup where they were eliminated with 3–1 on aggregate by Benfica, playing 11 games in the campaign.[2][3][11]

In 2008, Mărgăritescu went to play alongside fellow Romanians Florentin Petre and Daniel Pancu in the Russian Premier League for Terek Grozny.[2][12][13] He returned to Dinamo in 2009, where he would stay for one year and a half.[2][4][6] In the 2011–12 season spent at Mioveni, he played his last Divizia A matches, a competition in which he has a total of 156 matches played and four goals scored, he also has a total 29 games played without scoring in European competitions.[2] Mărgăritescu spent the last years of his career playing in the Romanian lower leagues at Mioveni, Atletic Bradu, Urban Titu and SCM Pitești.[2]

International career

Andrei Mărgăritescu played three matches for Romania at the Euro 2008 qualifiers, under coach Victor Pițurcă.[14] He made his debut when he came as a substitute and replaced Laurențiu Roșu in the 90th minute of a 2–0 away victory against Albania.[14][15] His second game was a 2–0 away victory against Luxembourg and his final game was the second leg against Albania, a 6–1 home victory.[14][16][17]

On 25 March 2008, he was decorated by the president of Romania, Traian Băsescu, for his performance in the UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying Group G, where Romania managed to qualify to UEFA Euro 2008 Group C. He received Medalia "Meritul Sportiv" – ("The Sportive Merit" Medal) class III.[18][19]

International stats

Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
Romania 2006 1 0
2007 2 0
Total 3 0

Controversy

On 27 June 2014, Mărgăritescu received a three-year suspended sentence for buying a car while knowing it was stolen.[6][20]

Honours

Rapid București

Dinamo București

References

  1. ^ "Andrei Mărgăritescu, transformare uluitoare: "L-am cunoscut pe Dumnezeu! Mi-am pus viața în mâinile Lui. Aveam nevoie de salvare, de mântuire"" [Andrei Mărgăritescu, amazing transformation: "I met God! I put my life in His hands. I needed salvation"] (in Romanian). Prosport.ro. 6 January 2021. Retrieved 11 November 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Andrei Mărgăritescu at RomanianSoccer.ro (in Romanian)
  3. ^ a b c d "VIDEO Un fost campion cu Dinamo în era Borcea se dedică religiei: "Când realizezi că ești ticălos, nenorocit, sărac, orb, gol și ai nevoie de salvare"" [VIDEO A former champion with Dinamo in the Borcea era dedicates himself to religion: "When you realize that you are a villain, a bastard, a poor, blind, naked and in need of salvation"] (in Romanian). Gsp.ro. 6 January 2021. Retrieved 11 November 2021.
  4. ^ a b ""China" a semnat cu Dinamo!" ["China" signed with Dinamo!] (in Romanian). Prosport.ro. 3 December 2009. Retrieved 11 November 2021.
  5. ^ "Pitești: Gheorghe Cristian crețte tinere talente pentru fotbalul mare" [Pitesti: Gheorghe Cristian raises young talents for the big football] (in Romanian). Adevarul.ro. 3 October 2009. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
  6. ^ a b c d e "Superinterviu cu Mărgăritescu: "Procurorii m-au reținut la îmbarcare, ca pe cel mai mare infractor. Nea Ando era în stare de șoc. Mergea după ei și țipa să-mi dea drumul"" [Superinterview with Mărgăritescu:"The prosecutors detained me on board, as the biggest criminal. Nea Ando was in shock. He went after them and shouted to let me go"] (in Romanian). Gsp.ro. 18 January 2021. Retrieved 11 November 2021.
  7. ^ "Romanian Cup – Season 2004–2005". RomanianSoccer. Retrieved 9 September 2023.
  8. ^ "Romanian Super Cup – Season 2005". RomanianSoccer. Retrieved 9 September 2023.
  9. ^ "Dinamo invinge Steaua si castiga Supercupa Romaniei" [Dinamo defeats Steaua and wins the Romanian Supercup] (in Romanian). Hotnews.ro. 2 August 2005. Retrieved 9 September 2023.
  10. ^ "VIDEO 15 ani de la istoricul Dinamo - Everton 5-1. 3 dintre oamenii-cheie au rememorat meciul pentru GSP: "Sincer să fiu, am fost cel mai bun!"" [VIDEO 15 years since the historic Dinamo - Everton 5-1. 3 of the key people recalled the match for GSP:" To be honest, I was the best! "] (in Romanian). Gsp.ro. 16 September 2020. Retrieved 9 September 2023.
  11. ^ "Dinamo - Benfica 1-2" (in Romanian). Hotnews.ro. 22 February 2007. Retrieved 14 September 2022.
  12. ^ "Mărgăritescu și Fl. Petre au debutat pentru Terek" [Mărgăritescu and Fl. Petre made their debut for Terek] (in Romanian). Prosport.ro. 13 July 2008. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
  13. ^ "Vezi cum se bucură managerul lui Pancu, Petre şi Mărgăritescu la succesele lui Terek" [See how Pancu, Petre and Mărgăritescu's manager rejoices at Terek's successes] (in Romanian). Gsp.ro. 18 August 2009. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
  14. ^ a b c "Andrei Mărgăritescu". European Football. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
  15. ^ "Albania - Romania 0:2". European Football. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
  16. ^ "Luxembourg - Romania 0:2". European Football. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
  17. ^ "Romania - Albania 6:1". European Football. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
  18. ^ "DECRET privind conferirea Ordinului și Medaliei Meritul Sportiv" (PDF). Monitorul Oficial al României Nr. 241. 28 March 2008. p. 3. Retrieved 26 August 2016.
  19. ^ "Decorarea unor personalități ale fotbalului românesc". Administrația Prezidențială. 25 March 2008. Archived from the original on 20 September 2022. Retrieved 26 August 2016.
  20. ^ Fostul fotbalist Andrei Mărgăritescu, condamnat trei ani de închisoare cu suspendare, 27 iunie 2014, Otilia Ciocan, Gândul, accesat la 28 iunie 2014