FC Otelul Galati
Encyclopedia
Fotbal Club Oțelul Galați (ot͡selul ɡaˈlat͡sʲ, approximately "OATS-el-ool ge-LETS"; meaning "Galați Steel") is a Romania
n 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 consequently qualified for the UEFA Champions League
for the first time. On August 25 they were drawn in Group C of the Group Stage and will meet Manchester United, Benfica and FC Basel
.
Oţelul plays in red, white and blue, and are currently managed by former Romania
international Dorinel Munteanu
.
were the prominent club, Oţelul emerged as the main footballing force of the region. The club was first promoted to the Divizia A in 1986 and in 1988 made its debut in the UEFA Cup with a 1–0 victory against Italian side Juventus
. The club reached the 2004 final
of the Romanian Cup but lost against Dinamo Bucureşti
.
Oţelul has 23 seasons of Liga I
football to date and ranks 16th in the Liga I All-time table. It also is the 2nd best Moldovan
team in this ranking, being surpassed only by FCM Bacău
.
They clinched their first Liga I
title on 15 May 2011 following a 2–1 victory over Politehnica Timişoara
, qualifying for the group stage of the 2011–12 UEFA Champions League
, their debut in this competition. They will play Manchester United
, Benfica and Basel
in the group stage.
:
Liga II
:
Liga III
:
Cupa României:
Supercupa României:
Montenegro 12 Branko Grahovac
Nigeria 
Kingdom of Romania 15 John Ibeh
Zhivko Zhelev
Bogdan Andone
Gabriel Boştină
Alexandru Bourceanu
Florin Cernat
Cornel Cernea
Sorin Ghionea
Mihai Guriţă
Victoraş Iacob
Viorel Ion
Emil Gabriel Jula
Cristian Munteanu
Valentin Ştefan János Székely
Viorel Tănase
Cătălin Tofan
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 football club based in Galați
Galati
Galați is a city and municipality in Romania, the capital of Galați County. Located in the historical region of Moldavia, in the close vicinity of Brăila, Galați is the largest port and sea port on the Danube River and the second largest Romanian port....
. They have spent the majority of the last few decades in the top 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"...
, 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 consequently qualified for 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...
for the first time. On August 25 they were drawn in Group C of the Group Stage and will meet Manchester United, Benfica and FC Basel
FC Basel
Fussball Club Basel 1893, widely known as FC Basel is a Swiss football club based in Basel. They are one of the most successful clubs in Swiss football, having won the Swiss Super League 14 times, the third most for any Swiss club. They were most successful in the late 1960s and 1970s, winning the...
.
Oţelul plays in red, white and blue, and are currently managed by former Romania
Romania 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...
international Dorinel Munteanu
Dorinel Munteanu
Dorinel Ionel Munteanu is a Romanian former football midfielder, and current manager of Oţelul Galaţi.-Club career:Munteanu started to play football for Metalul Bocşa, a team which offered him the first chance to play in Divizia B in 1986...
.
History
The club was formed in 1964. After a brief period in which their town rivals DunăreaFCM Dunarea Galati
Dunărea Galaţi is a Romanian professional football club from Galaţi, Galaţi county, south-east Romania, founded in 1970.They currently play in Liga II, Seria I in the 2008-2009 season after finishing 7th in Liga II, Seria I in the 2007-2008 season....
were the prominent club, Oţelul emerged as the main footballing force of the region. The club was first promoted to the Divizia A in 1986 and in 1988 made its debut in the UEFA Cup with a 1–0 victory against Italian side Juventus
Juventus F.C.
Juventus Football Club S.p.A. , commonly referred to as Juventus and colloquially as Juve , are a professional Italian association football club based in Turin, Piedmont...
. The club reached the 2004 final
2004 Cupa României Final
The 2004 Cupa României Final was the 66th final of Romania's most prestigious cup competition. The final was played at the Stadionul Cotroceni in Bucharest on 6 June 2004 and was contested between Divizia A sides Dinamo Bucureşti and Oţelul Galaţi. The cup was won by Dinamo.-Match details :-Route...
of the Romanian Cup but lost against Dinamo Bucureşti
Dinamo Bucuresti
Fotbal Club Dinamo Bucureşti is a Romanian professional football club based in Bucharest. Dinamo is one of the two most successful football teams in Romania, having won 18 Romanian Liga I titles, 12 Romanian Cups and 1 Romanian Supercup....
.
Oţelul has 23 seasons of 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"...
football to date and ranks 16th in the Liga I All-time table. It also is the 2nd best Moldovan
Moldavia
Moldavia is a geographic and historical region and former principality in Eastern Europe, corresponding to the territory between the Eastern Carpathians and the Dniester river...
team in this ranking, being surpassed only by FCM Bacău
FCM Bacau
FCM Bacău is a Romanian football club, founded in 1950, currently playing in the Liga II. It's the best placed Moldovan team in the Liga I All-Time Table, ranking 9th with 42 seasons played.-History:...
.
They clinched their first 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"...
title on 15 May 2011 following a 2–1 victory over Politehnica Timişoara
FC Politehnica Timişoara
Fotbal Club Politehnica Timişoara is a Romanian football club which was established in 1921 and is currently playing in Romania's second league, Liga II...
, qualifying for the group stage of the 2011–12 UEFA Champions League
2011–12 UEFA Champions League
The 2011–12 UEFA Champions League is the 57th season of the European Cup, Europe's premier football tournament, and the 20th season in its current Champions League format. The final venue will be the Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany...
, their debut in this competition. They will play Manchester United
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
, Benfica and Basel
FC Basel
Fussball Club Basel 1893, widely known as FC Basel is a Swiss football club based in Basel. They are one of the most successful clubs in Swiss football, having won the Swiss Super League 14 times, the third most for any Swiss club. They were most successful in the late 1960s and 1970s, winning the...
in the group stage.
Domestic
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"...
:
- Winners (1): 2010–112010–11 Liga IThe 2010–11 Liga I was the ninety-third season of the top-level football league of Romania. The season commenced on 23 July 2010 and ended on 21 May 2011. A winter break where no matches were played was held between December 11, 2010 and February 18, 2011...
Liga II
Liga II
Liga II is the second tier league of the Romanian football league system. The league acquired this name in the 2006-07, being previously called Divizia B....
:
- Winners (2): 1985–86, 1990–911990–91 Divizia BThe Divizia B 1990–91 season was the 51st season of Divizia B, the second tier of the Romanian football league system.The winner of each series of the Divizia B was promoted to the Divizia A.-Seria I:#Oţelul Galaţi 47p...
Liga III
Liga III
Liga III is the third level of the Romanian football league system. Its name was changed from Divizia C into Liga III before the start of the 2006-07 season.-Relegation:...
:
- Winners (2): 1967–68, 1980–81
- Runners-up (1): 1972–73
Cupa României:
- Runners-up (1): 2003–042004 Cupa României FinalThe 2004 Cupa României Final was the 66th final of Romania's most prestigious cup competition. The final was played at the Stadionul Cotroceni in Bucharest on 6 June 2004 and was contested between Divizia A sides Dinamo Bucureşti and Oţelul Galaţi. The cup was won by Dinamo.-Match details :-Route...
Supercupa României:
- Winners (1): 20112011 Supercupa României-Match details:-External links:...
European record
| Competition | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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... / European Cup 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... |
1 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 10 | – 7 |
| UEFA Europa League / UEFA Cup | 5 | 14 | 5 | 3 | 6 | 18 | 21 | – 3 |
| UEFA Intertoto Cup UEFA Intertoto Cup The UEFA Intertoto Cup, also abbreviated as UI Cup and originally called the International Football Cup, was a summer football competition for European clubs that had not qualified for one of the two major UEFA competitions, the Champions League and the UEFA Cup. The competition was discontinued... |
1 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 2 | |
| Total | 7 | 20 | 8 | 4 | 8 | 26 | 26 | 0 |
First team
As of 31 August 2011On loan
Players with dual nationality
Montenegro 12 Branko GrahovacBranko Grahovac
Branko Grahovac is a Bosnian football goalkeeper who plays for Liga I club Oţelul Galaţi.-Career:...
Nigeria Kingdom of Romania 15 John IbehNotable former players
Stoyan KolevStoyan Kolev
Stoyan Kolev is a Bulgarian football player. He is a reliable goalkeeper who currently plays for PFC Chernomorets Burgas....
Zhivko Zhelev
Zhivko Zhelev
Zhivko Zhelev is a Bulgarian football defender, currently playing for Slavia Sofia.-Litex:Zhelev joined Litex Lovech quite young but fought hard to get a place in the first team. He formed a formidable duet with ex-Bulgarian national defender Rosen Kirilov...
Bogdan Andone
Bogdan Andone
Bogdan Andone is a Romanian football midfielderHe spent most of his career in Romanian first division, then moved to Hungary and Cyprus...
Gabriel Boştină
Gabriel Bostina
Gabriel Boştină, , is a Romanian football player. He is a midfielder playing for Universitatea Cluj in the Romanian First League Liga I.-Club career:...
Alexandru Bourceanu
Alexandru Bourceanu
Alexandru Bourceanu is a Romanian footballer who plays for Steaua Bucureşti.-External links:* at romaniansoccer.ro...
Florin Cernat
Florin Cernat
Florin Lucian Cernat is a Romanian football midfielder and playmaker. He is known for his excellent passing play, great vision on field, and highly precise free-kicks and dribbling.- Dinamo Bucharest :...
Cornel Cernea
Cornel Cernea
Cornel Cernea is a Romanian football goalkeeper. He is currently under contract with the Romanian club Victoria Brăneşti.-Club career:...
Sorin Ghionea
Sorin Ghionea
Sorin Ghionea , is a Romanian footballer who plays for FCM Târgu Mureş.-Oţelul Galaţi:At the age of 12, Ghionea was sent to Oţelul Galaţi football club by his teacher, Tică Ploieşteanu. The second day he was hand-picked by the coach and played there for 2 years...
Mihai Guriţă
Mihai Gurita
Mihai Guriţă is a retired Romanian footballer.-External links:*...
Victoraş Iacob
Victoras Iacob
Victoraş Constantin Iacob is a Romanian professional footballer who currently plays for Aris Thessaloniki in the Greek Super League.-Rocar Bucureşti:...
Viorel Ion
Viorel Ion
Viorel Ion is a Romanian football player. He was player-manager of Gloria Buzău, which he helped promote to Liga I during the 2006-07 season...
Emil Gabriel Jula
Emil Gabriel Jula
Emil Gabriel Jula is a Romanian footballer who plays as a striker for German club MSV Duisburg.-Universitatea Cluj:...
Cristian Munteanu
Cristian Munteanu
Cristian Munteanu is a former Romanian football goalkeeper.-External links:*...
Valentin Ştefan János Székely
János Székely (footballer)
János József Székely is a Romanian footballer who is currently under contract with Volga Nizhny Novgorod. He plays mainly as right winger.-Career:...
Viorel Tănase
Viorel Tanase
Viorel Tănase is a retired Romanian football player, currently managing the first team of FCM Dunarea Galati, Dunarea Galati.-External links:*...
Cătălin Tofan
Cătălin Tofan
Cătălin Tofan is a retired Romanian football player. His only senior club was Oţelul Galaţi. After his retirement he was appointed as an executive at the club, position he quit in January 2010 .-External links:*...