Bogdan Stelea
Encyclopedia
Bogdan Gheorghe Stelea is a retired Romania
n footballer who played as a goalkeeper.
Having played professionally into his 40's, he played for all three major first division
clubs in his country's capital, and also spent a vast part of his career in Spain
, mainly with Salamanca
.
games as the capital
side won the national championship, but signed late in 1991 with RCD Mallorca
, for $
650.000. After two seasons in Spain
, with relegation in his first, as last, he joined Belgium's Standard Liège
but, unsettled, quickly returned home, with FC Rapid Bucureşti.
After one season in Turkey
with Samsunspor
, Stelea returned again to his country and joined FC Steaua Bucureşti, the defending champions; in his two-year spell, the side renewed its domestic supremacy and participated in the UEFA Champions League
, with the player contributing significantly.
In 1997, Stelea was transferred to UD Salamanca
, where he lived his most steady period, remaining with the team seven years, only puncutated by a small loan spell with Rapid. He amassed over 200 overall appearances for the club, mainly in the second division
, but spent his first two seasons in La Liga
, playing 63 matches.
After a second spell with Dinamo, Stelea started 2005–06 with Greek
side Akratitos FC. Unsettled again, he returned to Romania, with FC Oţelul Galaţi
, but didn't play any matches there because of a bad injury. The following season, he moved to FC Unirea Urziceni at the recommendation of new coach and former national teammate Dan Petrescu
. He gradually and eventually became first-choice and, in 2007–08, at the age of 40, was still one of the best goalkeepers in the country.
Stelea finally ended his long career at the end of the 2008–09 season, helping modest FC Braşov
to a comfortable 9th place. He was almost 42 years of age.
in 1988 against Israel
, and represented his country at the 1990
, 1994
and 1998
FIFA World Cup
s, as well as UEFA Euro 1996 and Euro 2000, totalling 12 matches in final stages.
He was capped 91 times, the last against Slovakia
in 2005. Four years later, he rejoined the national side, as assistant coach.
|1986/87||rowspan="6"|Dinamo Bucureşti||rowspan="6"|Liga I
||1||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|1987/88||9||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|1988/89||29||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|1989/90||22||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|1990/91||26||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|1991/92||11||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|1991/92||rowspan="2"|Mallorca
||La Liga
||27||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|1992/93||Segunda División
||25||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|1993/94||Standard Liège
||Belgian Pro League||3||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|1994/95||Rapid Bucureşti||Liga I
||13||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|1994/95||Samsunspor
||Süper Lig||31||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|1995/96||rowspan="2"|Steaua Bucureşti||rowspan="2"|Liga I
||25||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|1996/97||32||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|1997/98||rowspan="5"|Salamanca
||rowspan="2"|La Liga
||30||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|1998/99||33||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|1999/00||rowspan="3"|Segunda División
||28||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|2000/01||14||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|2001/02||3||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|2001/02||Rapid Bucureşti||Liga I
||10||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|2002/03||rowspan="2"|Salamanca
||rowspan="2"|Segunda División
||36||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|2003/04||38||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|2004/05||Dinamo Bucureşti||Liga I
||13||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|2005/06||Akratitos||Super League Greece
||14||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|2005/06||Oţelul Galaţi
||Liga I
||0||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|2006/07||rowspan="2"|Unirea Urziceni||rowspan="2"|Liga I
||9||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|2007/08||28||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|2008/09||Braşov
||Liga I
||23||0||||||||||||||||
251||0||||||||||||||||
234||0||||||||||||||||
3||0||||||||||||||||
31||0||||||||||||||||
14||0||||||||||||||||
533||0||||||||||||||||
|}
|1988||1||0
|-
|1989||1||0
|-
|1990||4||0
|-
|1991||1||0
|-
|1992||6||0
|-
|1993||1||0
|-
|1994||11||0
|-
|1995||6||0
|-
|1996||6||0
|-
|1997||7||0
|-
|1998||12||0
|-
|1999||7||0
|-
|2000||9||0
|-
|2001||8||0
|-
|2002||4||0
|-
|2003||2||0
|-
|2004||4||0
|-
|2005||1||0
|-
!Total||91||0
|}
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
n footballer who played as a goalkeeper.
Having played professionally into his 40's, he played for all three major first division
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"...
clubs in his country's capital, and also spent a vast part of his career in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, mainly with Salamanca
UD Salamanca
Unión Deportiva Salamanca, S.A.D. is a Spanish football team based in Salamanca, in the autonomous community of Castile and León. Founded on 16 March 1923, it currently plays in Segunda División B – Group 2....
.
Club career
Stelea started playing football at hometown's FC Dinamo Bucureşti, being the club's undisputed starter by 1988. In the 1991–92 season, he still appeared in 11 Liga ILiga 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"...
games as the capital
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....
side won the national championship, but signed late in 1991 with RCD Mallorca
RCD Mallorca
Real Club Deportivo Mallorca is a Spanish football team based on Palma, Majorca, in the Balearic Islands. Founded on 5 March 1916, the team currently plays in the Spanish first division, holding home games at Son Moix....
, for $
Dollar sign
The dollar or peso sign is a symbol primarily used to indicate the various peso and dollar units of currency around the world.- Origin :...
650.000. After two seasons in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, with relegation in his first, as last, he joined Belgium's Standard Liège
Standard Liège
Royal Standard de Liège, commonly referred to as Standard Liège Royal Standard de Liège, commonly referred to as Standard Liège Royal Standard de Liège, commonly referred to as Standard Liège (Dutch: Standard Luik [], German: Standard Lüttich , is a Belgian football club from the city of Liège....
but, unsettled, quickly returned home, with FC Rapid Bucureşti.
After one season in Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
with Samsunspor
Samsunspor
Samsunspor is a professional Turkish football club located in the city of Samsun. The club was formed through a merger of five clubs: 19 Mayıs, Akınspor, Fener Gençlik, Samsunspor, and Samsunspor Galatasaray. The club colours are red and white, and they play their home matches at Samsun 19 Mayıs...
, Stelea returned again to his country and joined FC Steaua Bucureşti, the defending champions; in his two-year spell, the side renewed its domestic supremacy and participated in the UEFA Champions League
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
, with the player contributing significantly.
In 1997, Stelea was transferred to UD Salamanca
UD Salamanca
Unión Deportiva Salamanca, S.A.D. is a Spanish football team based in Salamanca, in the autonomous community of Castile and León. Founded on 16 March 1923, it currently plays in Segunda División B – Group 2....
, where he lived his most steady period, remaining with the team seven years, only puncutated by a small loan spell with Rapid. He amassed over 200 overall appearances for the club, mainly in the second division
Segunda División
The Segunda División is the lower tier of the two professional football leagues in Spain. From the season 2008-09 onwards, the name of the league is Liga Adelante.-History:...
, but spent his first two seasons in La Liga
La Liga
The Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...
, playing 63 matches.
After a second spell with Dinamo, Stelea started 2005–06 with Greek
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
side Akratitos FC. Unsettled again, he returned to Romania, with FC Oţelul Galaţi
FC Otelul Galati
Fotbal Club Oțelul Galați is a Romanian football club based in Galați . They have spent the majority of the last few decades in the top division, securing several seasons of European football and enjoying success in the Romanian Cup. They won their first league title in the 2010–2011 season and...
, but didn't play any matches there because of a bad injury. The following season, he moved to FC Unirea Urziceni at the recommendation of new coach and former national teammate Dan Petrescu
Dan Petrescu
Daniel Vasile Petrescu is a Romanian football manager and former player, currently the manager of Kuban Krasnodar in the Russian Premier League....
. He gradually and eventually became first-choice and, in 2007–08, at the age of 40, was still one of the best goalkeepers in the country.
Stelea finally ended his long career at the end of the 2008–09 season, helping modest FC Braşov
FC Brasov
Fotbal Club Brașov is a professional football club based in the city of Brașov, Romania. They were founded in 1936, and since then they have spent 41 season in the top-flight. Brașov kits are yellow-black, and they play their home matches on the Silviu Ploeșteanu stadium.-Early modern football in...
to a comfortable 9th place. He was almost 42 years of age.
International career
Stelea made his debut for the national teamRomania national football team
The Romania national football team is the national football team of Romania and is controlled by the Romanian Football Federation.Romania is one of only four national teams, the other three being Brazil, France, and Belgium, that took part in the first three World Cups.However, after that...
in 1988 against Israel
Israel national football team
The Israel national football team is the national football team of Israel, controlled by the Israel Football Association .Israel National Football is the direct successor of the Eretz Yisrael National Team during British Mandate...
, and represented his country at the 1990
1990 FIFA World Cup
The 1990 FIFA World Cup was the 14th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 8 June to 8 July 1990 in Italy, the second country to host the event twice. Teams representing 116 national football associations from all six populated...
, 1994
1994 FIFA World Cup
The 1994 FIFA World Cup, the 15th staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in nine cities across the United States from June 17 to July 17, 1994. The United States was chosen as the host by FIFA on July 4, 1988...
and 1998
1998 FIFA World Cup
The 1998 FIFA World Cup, the 16th FIFA World Cup, was held in France from 10 June to 12 July 1998. France was chosen as host nation by FIFA on 2 July 1992. The tournament was won by France, who beat Brazil 3-0 in the final...
FIFA World Cup
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
s, as well as UEFA Euro 1996 and Euro 2000, totalling 12 matches in final stages.
He was capped 91 times, the last against Slovakia
Slovakia national football team
The Slovakia national football team represents Slovakia in association football and is controlled by the Slovak Football Association , the governing body for football in Slovakia. Slovakia's home stadium is Štadión Pasienky and their head coach is Vladimír Weiss...
in 2005. Four years later, he rejoined the national side, as assistant coach.
Club
|-|1986/87||rowspan="6"|Dinamo Bucureşti||rowspan="6"|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"...
||1||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|1987/88||9||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|1988/89||29||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|1989/90||22||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|1990/91||26||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|1991/92||11||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|1991/92||rowspan="2"|Mallorca
RCD Mallorca
Real Club Deportivo Mallorca is a Spanish football team based on Palma, Majorca, in the Balearic Islands. Founded on 5 March 1916, the team currently plays in the Spanish first division, holding home games at Son Moix....
||La Liga
La Liga
The Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...
||27||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|1992/93||Segunda División
Segunda División
The Segunda División is the lower tier of the two professional football leagues in Spain. From the season 2008-09 onwards, the name of the league is Liga Adelante.-History:...
||25||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|1993/94||Standard Liège
Standard Liège
Royal Standard de Liège, commonly referred to as Standard Liège Royal Standard de Liège, commonly referred to as Standard Liège Royal Standard de Liège, commonly referred to as Standard Liège (Dutch: Standard Luik [], German: Standard Lüttich , is a Belgian football club from the city of Liège....
||Belgian Pro League||3||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|1994/95||Rapid Bucureşti||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"...
||13||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|1994/95||Samsunspor
Samsunspor
Samsunspor is a professional Turkish football club located in the city of Samsun. The club was formed through a merger of five clubs: 19 Mayıs, Akınspor, Fener Gençlik, Samsunspor, and Samsunspor Galatasaray. The club colours are red and white, and they play their home matches at Samsun 19 Mayıs...
||Süper Lig||31||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|1995/96||rowspan="2"|Steaua Bucureşti||rowspan="2"|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"...
||25||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|1996/97||32||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|1997/98||rowspan="5"|Salamanca
UD Salamanca
Unión Deportiva Salamanca, S.A.D. is a Spanish football team based in Salamanca, in the autonomous community of Castile and León. Founded on 16 March 1923, it currently plays in Segunda División B – Group 2....
||rowspan="2"|La Liga
La Liga
The Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...
||30||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|1998/99||33||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|1999/00||rowspan="3"|Segunda División
Segunda División
The Segunda División is the lower tier of the two professional football leagues in Spain. From the season 2008-09 onwards, the name of the league is Liga Adelante.-History:...
||28||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|2000/01||14||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|2001/02||3||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|2001/02||Rapid Bucureşti||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"...
||10||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|2002/03||rowspan="2"|Salamanca
UD Salamanca
Unión Deportiva Salamanca, S.A.D. is a Spanish football team based in Salamanca, in the autonomous community of Castile and León. Founded on 16 March 1923, it currently plays in Segunda División B – Group 2....
||rowspan="2"|Segunda División
Segunda División
The Segunda División is the lower tier of the two professional football leagues in Spain. From the season 2008-09 onwards, the name of the league is Liga Adelante.-History:...
||36||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|2003/04||38||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|2004/05||Dinamo Bucureşti||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"...
||13||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|2005/06||Akratitos||Super League Greece
Super League Greece
The Superleague Greece is the highest professional football league in Greece. It was formed on July 16, 2006 and replaced Alpha Ethniki at the top of the Greek football league system. The league consists of 16 teams and runs from August to May, with teams playing 30 games each...
||14||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|2005/06||Oţelul Galaţi
FC Otelul Galati
Fotbal Club Oțelul Galați is a Romanian football club based in Galați . They have spent the majority of the last few decades in the top division, securing several seasons of European football and enjoying success in the Romanian Cup. They won their first league title in the 2010–2011 season and...
||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"...
||0||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|2006/07||rowspan="2"|Unirea Urziceni||rowspan="2"|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"...
||9||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|2007/08||28||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|2008/09||Braşov
FC Brasov
Fotbal Club Brașov is a professional football club based in the city of Brașov, Romania. They were founded in 1936, and since then they have spent 41 season in the top-flight. Brașov kits are yellow-black, and they play their home matches on the Silviu Ploeșteanu stadium.-Early modern football in...
||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"...
||23||0||||||||||||||||
251||0||||||||||||||||
234||0||||||||||||||||
3||0||||||||||||||||
31||0||||||||||||||||
14||0||||||||||||||||
533||0||||||||||||||||
|}
International
|-|1988||1||0
|-
|1989||1||0
|-
|1990||4||0
|-
|1991||1||0
|-
|1992||6||0
|-
|1993||1||0
|-
|1994||11||0
|-
|1995||6||0
|-
|1996||6||0
|-
|1997||7||0
|-
|1998||12||0
|-
|1999||7||0
|-
|2000||9||0
|-
|2001||8||0
|-
|2002||4||0
|-
|2003||2||0
|-
|2004||4||0
|-
|2005||1||0
|-
!Total||91||0
|}