Welcome to the community hub built on top of the Viorel Moldovan Wikipedia article.
Here, you can discuss, collect, and organize anything related to Viorel Moldovan. The
purpose of the hub is to connect p...
Moldovan was born on 8 July 1972 in Bistrița, Romania, and began playing junior-level football at local club Gloria.[1][2] He started his senior career by playing for Gloria during the 1988–89 Divizia B season.[1][3] In the following season he helped the team earn promotion to Divizia A, making his debut in the competition on 21 October 1990 in a 1–0 home loss to Petrolul Ploiești.[1]
In 1993 he went to play for Dinamo București where he made his debut in European competitions, scoring a double in the 4–3 aggregate loss to Cagliari in the first round of the 1993–94 UEFA Cup.[1][2][4]
In the following season he played for Grasshoppers, scoring a goal on his debut in a 1–1 draw against Sion.[10] Until the end of the season, he netted a personal record of 27 goals, including two hat-tricks in victories against Young Boys and Lausanne-Sport, being again the top-scorer of the season and the Foreigner of the Year.[1][2][8][9][10] In the same season Moldovan scored a goal which helped the club eliminate Slavia Prague in the 1996–97 Champions League qualifying round, reaching the group stage where he made five appearances, scoring a brace in a 3–1 victory against Auxerre.[1][11] For the way he played in 1996, Moldovan was placed third in the ranking for the Romanian Footballer of the Year award.[12] In the next season he netted two hat-tricks in two wins against his former club, Neuchâtel Xamax and Servette respectively.[1][13] He scored 17 league goals until the end of the first half of the season, and though he left afterwards, the team managed to win the title without him.[1][13] During his spell with The Hoppers, Moldovan also scored three goals which helped the team earn two victories in the Zurich derby against FC Zürich.[10][13]
His next spell was at Fenerbahçe, making his Turkish First Football League debut on 7 August 1998 when coach Joachim Löw used him the entire match in a 0–0 draw against Dardanelspor.[1][2][17][18] In the following round he netted his first goals, managing a double in a 3–0 victory against Gençlerbirliği.[17] He scored a total of 15 goals until the end of the season, including a hat-trick in a 6–0 win over Adanaspor.[1][17] Moldovan also scored a goal in a 1–0 victory against Parma from the first round of the 1998–99 UEFA Cup, however the qualification was lost as the Italians defeated them with 3–1 in the second leg.[1][19] He started the 1999–2000 season by scoring a goal in a 4–1 away win over İstanbulspor, netting a total of 18 goals in that season, including another hat-trick in another victory against Adanaspor.[1][20]
Afterwards he joined Nantes which paid €5 million to Fenerbahçe for his transfer, and Moldovan earned there the nickname Moldo-but thanks to his goalscoring ability.[1][2][21][22] He made his debut in the French Division 1 on 19 August 2000 when coach Raynald Denoueix sent him in the 71st minute to replace Olivier Monterrubio, managing to score the victory goal in the 90th minute of the 3–2 win over Marseille.[23][24] Until the end of the season, he netted 11 goals in 23 matches which helped the club win the championship.[1][23][22][25][26] In the same season, The Canaries participated in the UEFA Cup, Moldovan helping the club eliminate Kryvbas and Lausanne-Sport, netting a hat-trick against the first and scoring two goals against the latter, reaching the round of 16 where they were defeated by Porto.[1][27] He started the following season by winning the Trophée des Champions, coach Denoueix using him as a starter in the 4–1 win over Strasbourg.[28] He then played in three games in the 2001–02 Champions League second group stage, scoring two goals in two 1–1 draws against Manchester United and Boavista.[1][29]
Afterwards he went back to Nantes, scoring 11 goals in 12 league appearances in the second half of the 2003–04 season, including two doubles in victories against Nice and rivalsRennes and a hat-trick in 3–2 win over Montpellier.[1][22][30] In the same season, the team reached the 2004 Coupe de la Ligue final, Moldovan being used as a starter by coach Loïc Amisse in the loss at the penalty shoot-out to Sochaux in which he netted his spot kick.[1][31]
He returned to Switzerland when he signed with Servette, making his debut for the team on 20 July 2004 as coach Marco Schällibaum used him the entire match in a 3–0 away loss to FC Thun.[1][2][30][32][33] Moldovan scored his first goal in a 1–1 draw against Schaffhausen.[32] On 5 December 2004 he played his last game in the Swiss league when he also scored in Servette's 4–1 away win over Schaffhausen, having a total of 96 matches with 66 goals netted in the competition.[1][32]
In 2005, Moldovan returned to Romania, signing with Politehnica Timișoara, and coach Cosmin Olăroiu gave him his debut on 11 March when he scored in the 3–0 victory against CFR Cluj.[1][2][34][35] In the following game, he netted the victory goal from a penalty in the 2–1 win over Național București.[34] For the next season, coach Olăroiu named him the team's captain.[36] On 10 September 2005 he scored a brace in a 4–0 win over his former team Gloria Bistrița.[37]
In early 2006 he was transferred from Politehnica to Rapid București.[1][2][38] Moldovan helped the club eliminate Hamburg and reach the quarter-finals of the 2005–06 UEFA Cup where he scored his side's only goal against rivalsSteaua București as they were eliminated on the away goal rule after a 1–1 on aggregate.[1][39] On 12 April 2006 he scored a brace in a 3–0 win in a derby against Dinamo București.[40] At the end of the season, the club won the Cupa României, coach Răzvan Lucescu sending him in the 55th minute to replace Daniel Pancu in the 1–0 victory against Național București in the final.[1][41]
Afterwards he wanted to retire but Lucescu convinced him to play for one more season.[42] He then netted a goal which helped The Railwaymen eliminate Nacional and reach the group stage of the 2006–07 UEFA Cup.[1][43] There, Moldovan would make his last four appearances in European competitions in which he accumulated a total of 43 matches and 19 goals scored.[1][43] He netted seven league goals during his last season of activity, including two doubles in victories against FC Vaslui and Gloria Bistrița.[1][44] On 23 May 2007, Moldovan played his last game in the Romanian top-league which ended with a 4–0 loss to Național București, having a total of 196 appearances with 55 goals scored in the competition.[1] He ended his career by winning another Cupa României, this time coach Lucescu sending him in the 82nd minute to replace Ionuț Mazilu in Rapid's 2–0 victory against Politehnica Timișoara in the final.[1][45]
Moldovan played 70 matches and scored 25 goals at international level for Romania, making his debut on 22 September 1993 at age 21 under coach Anghel Iordănescu in a 1–0 friendly win over Israel.[46][47][48] He was selected by Iordănescu to be part of the 1994 World Cup squad where the team reached the quarter-finals, but he did not play in any games from the campaign.[49] He scored his first goals for the national team on 24 April 1996, managing a hat-trick in a friendly that ended with a 5–0 victory against Georgia.[46]
Moldovan played in one game in the successful Euro 1996 qualifiers, a 2–0 away win over Slovakia.[46] He was sent as a substitute by Iordănescu in the 1–0 losses to France and Bulgaria during the final tournament, and the team also lost the game against Spain, being unable to progress from their group.[46][50]
During the 1998 World Cup qualifiers, he made eight appearances, scoring two goals in both victories against Liechtenstein, two goals in both wins over Lithuania and a brace in a 4–2 victory against Macedonia.[46] Moldovan was used as a starter by Iordănescu in all four games in the final tournament.[46] In the group stage, Romania earned victories in the first two rounds against Colombia and England, Moldovan scoring once against the latter, thus securing mathematical qualification before the last group match against Tunisia.[51] To celebrate, the team dyed their hair blonde and showed up on the pitch with their new look, Moldovan netting his side's goal in the 1–1 draw against the Tunisians.[46][51] The campaign ended as they were defeated 1–0 by Croatia in the round of 16 after Davor Šuker scored from a penalty.[46][52]
Moldovan played 10 games in the Euro 2000 qualifiers and scored one goal in a 7–0 win over Liechtenstein, his side's goal in the 1–1 draw against rivalsHungary and a double in a 5–1 away victory against Slovakia.[46][53] Coach Emerich Jenei used him as a starter in all four matches during the final tournament, netting a goal in the 1–1 draw against Germany in the group stage.[46][53] In the last group match, against England, he obtained a penalty in the 89th minute from which Ionel Ganea scored the victory goal in the 3–2 win that helped The Tricolours reach the quarter-finals.[46][53] Over there, the campaign ended as they lost 2–0 to Italy.[46][53]
In his final years with the national team, Moldovan played six games and netted once in a 2–1 victory against Lithuania during the 2002 World Cup qualifiers.[46] He then played two matches in the Euro 2004 qualifiers, scoring a brace in a 7–0 win over Luxembourg.[46] His last two appearances were during the Euro 2004 qualifiers, the last one taking place on 30 March 2005 in a 2–1 away victory against Macedonia.[46]
For representing his country at four final tournaments, Moldovan was decorated by then President of Romania, Traian Băsescu on 25 March 2008, with the Ordinul "Meritul Sportiv" – (The Medal of "Sportive Merit") Class III.[54]
After he ended his career, Moldovan started working as a sporting director for Rapid București during the year 2007.[55] Afterwards he went to work for Unirea Urziceni in the same position until 2008.[56][57]
He started his coaching career when he replaced Viorel Hizo at FC Vaslui in November 2008.[2][58][59] However, on 26 May 2009 he resigned from Vaslui after a 4–1 loss to Gloria Buzău which lowered the team's chances of finishing on a place that would grant them participation in an European competition.[58][60] On 28 July 2009, the Italian coach Nicolò Napoli quit FC Brașov and was replaced by Moldovan, who signed a two-year deal.[2][61] After a good start, the team eventually finished the season in 9th place and he left the club.[62] In September 2010, Moldovan was named the coach of Sportul Studențesc but left the club in late October after not managing to earn a single victory in the league during this time.[2][63] From September 2013 until July 2014 he coached Rapid in Liga II, managing to earn promotion to the first league at the end of the season.[2][64]
About two years later, on 26 June 2018 he was named coach of Liga II team, Chindia Târgoviște, managing to promote them to the first league at the end of the season.[69][70] Because by the end of the following season, Chindia was on a relegation place, Moldovan was dismissed by the club.[71] In August 2020, he returned to Liga II football, signing with Petrolul Ploiești, having as an objective to achieve promotion to the first league.[72] In March 2021 he resigned from Petrolul as the team was only in 10th place.[73]
In June 2024 Moldovan was appointed as president of Rapid, a position he held for exactly one year, leaving after the team finished the 2024–25 Liga I season in fifth place.[74]
Georgia
Lithuania
Liechtenstein
North Macedonia
Greece
Belgium
Moldova
England
Tunisia
Germany
Hungary
Slovakia
Netherlands
Slovenia
Luxembourg
