Lucian Sânmartean
Encyclopedia
Lucian Iulian Sânmărtean (born 13 March 1980), is an Romania
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 professional Association football player who plays for Romanian 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"...

 club SC Vaslui. Although he is right footed, he plays on the left side. He is regarded for his exceptional passes, as well for his exceptional dribbling ability. Sânmărtean is also regarded by coach Ioan Sabău
Ioan Sabau
Ioan Ovidiu Sabău is a former Romanian football midfielder, who was born in Câmpia-Turzii and debuted in Divizia A with U Cluj in 1986. He is currently manager of FCM Târgu Mureş....

 as Romania's most talented player, since Hagi
Gheorghe Hagi
Gheorghe Hagi is a former Romanian footballer. He was famous for his passing, close control, long shots and was regarded as one of the best attacking midfielders in Europe during the 1980s and 1990s and is considered the greatest Romanian footballer of all time...

. He won his three Romania caps while playing for Gloria Bistriţa
Gloria Bistrita
Gloria Bistriţa is a Romanian professional football club from Bistriţa, Bistriţa-Năsăud County.-History:The club was founded on July 6, 1922 and among the founding staff members there were: Simion Sbârcea as the club's president, Teofil Moldovan as the club's secretary, Ion Bota, Dumitru Hara,...

. However, after almost eight years he was recalled for the national team
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...

.

Club career

Born in Bistriţa
Bistrita
Bistrița is the capital city of Bistriţa-Năsăud County, Transylvania, Romania. It is situated on the Bistriţa River. The city has a population of approximately 80,000 inhabitants, and it administers six villages: Ghinda, Sărata, Sigmir, Slătiniţa, Unirea and Viişoara.-History:The earliest sign of...

, Sânmărtean started out playing for hometown, after he was noticed by Constantin Sava. He joined the Vampires' youth academy at the age of six.

Gloria Bistriţa

Sânmărtean made his Gloria Bistriţa first-team debut on 24 April 1999 in a 3-1 win against FC Onesti as a substitute. He immediately established himself as one of the most talented young players in Romania. He helped his team, winning the last League Cup
Cupa Ligii
Cupa Ligii was a Romanian football cup created in 1998 to shorten the break between the end of the league season and the start of a major international competition. Managed by the Romanian professional football league, it was only played in 1998 and 2000. Only teams from the Romanian top division...

 ever in 2000, scoring in the penalty shootout. He also helped his team finishing 3rd in Divizia A, highest rank ever, for Gloria Bistriţa
Gloria Bistrita
Gloria Bistriţa is a Romanian professional football club from Bistriţa, Bistriţa-Năsăud County.-History:The club was founded on July 6, 1922 and among the founding staff members there were: Simion Sbârcea as the club's president, Teofil Moldovan as the club's secretary, Ion Bota, Dumitru Hara,...

.

On 7 January 2003, the 23-year-old, was seen as a straight replacement for former Rapid captain Constantin Schumacher after his departure, media reports suggesting a fee of €250,000 being paid for Sânmărtean. Sânmărtean joined Rapid at their winter training camp in Antalya, Turkey, but for reasons which seemed mysterious at the time, was prevented from playing more than 60 minutes of Rapid's friendly fixtures. On 2 February, he has been diagnosed as suffering from type B and type D hepatitis at the Sports Medicine Institute in Bucharest. However, after his return in Bistriţa, his medical file came clean, the disease being invented, to cover the money disagreement between the two chairmans.

Panathinaikos

On 16 July 2003, Panathinaikos FC have confirmed the €900,000 signing of Romanian international playmaker. The former Romania Under-21 captain signed a three-year contract with the option of a further two years with the Athens club. Sânmărtean became the fifth Romanian at Panathinaikos, after Doru Nicolae, Dănuţ Lupu, Erik Lincar and Dumitru Miţu. He made his debut for the Greek team, on 24 August in a 1-0 win against Skoda Xanthi. His first goal came in the Greek Cup, on 17 December against OFI Crete. On 14 March, he scored his first and only goal in the Alpha Ethniki, against Panionis. In his first season he won the championship, and the Greek fans called him "Sânmărtean - The little magician". Later he had a conflict with Alberto Malesani
Alberto Malesani
Alberto Malesani is an Italian association football manager, currently in charge of Genoa.-Early career and breakthrough at Chievo:...

 and after no matches in more than two years, Sânmărtean has bought out the remainder of his Panathinaikos deal in December 2006.

Utrecht

On 15 February 2007, Utrecht signed Sânmărtean on a short-term contract with the option of a further two years with the Eredivisie club. The Romanian has been expected to undergo a trial with AZ Alkmaar, but he opted for Utrecht. On completion of the deal, then Utrecht technical director Piet Buter
Piet Buter
Piet Buter is a soccer coach from Haarlem, Netherlands. After a number of coaching positions and a spell as technical director of FC Utrecht, he was assistant coach to the Iran national football team.-Life and early career:...

 said of Sânmărtean: "We got ourselves a gold mine. He is a Champions League player, I don't think we'll be able to keep him too long to our team." On 26 March, Sânmărtean made his unofficial debut, in the David Di Tomasso Memorial, against AS Monaco, being handed the no. 12 shirt. On 8 April, he was in the startup team against Willem II, counting his Eredivisie debut. On 31 August 2008, Utrecht and Sânmărtean decided to end their cooperation, because of his injuries.

Return to Gloria Bistriţa

After he became a free agent, Sânmărtean started training himself in Bistriţa. On 8 January 2009, Sânmărtean began training with Gloria Bistriţa's first team and on 25 February, he signed a short-term contract with his former team. He made his first appearance in his second spell for the club in a league match against Rapid Bucureşti on 1 March, coming on as a substitute and being handed the no. 10 shirt. On 10 April, Sânmărtean assisted Gloria's first, in a 2-2 draw against CFR Cluj. It was his first assist, since his return to Gloria. On 23 May, he played his 100 match in Liga I for Gloria Bistriţa. In July, Steaua expressed its interest in the Romanian playmaker, but the disagreement over the player's wage, persuaded Sânmărtean to extend his contract with Gloria.

On 19 September, Sânmărtean scored his first goal since December 2004, in a league match against Ceahlăul Piatra Neamţ. Following Florin Halagian's appointment, Sânmărtean was given the captain's armband. On 4 October, he obtained his first point since his captain appointment, leading his team to a 1-1 draw against Steaua Bucuresti. On 3 December, following a conflict with the team's manager Halagian, Gloria Bistriţa released Sânmărtean.

Vaslui

Shortly after, Sânmărtean signed a two-and-a-half-year contract with the Moldavian team, SC Vaslui. On 11 February, Vaslui signed Sânmărtean's brother, Dinu Sânmărtean. On 21 February, he made his league debut for Vaslui, against Gaz Metan Mediaş, being handed the no. 18 shirt. On 18 March, he provided his first assist for Vaslui, assisting Carlo Costly for 2-1 against Poli Iaşi, from a corner kick. Four days later, he played for 19 minutes for the first time alongside his brother for Vaslui, Dinu coming in as a substitute for Hugo Luz in the 53rd minute, and Sânmărtean being substitute out in the 72nd minute. On 15 April, he scored for the first time for his new team, against FC Braşov in the Romanian Cup, scoring Vaslui's third from a 27-yard free kick. Vaslui went to win 4-0, and secured a spot in the Romanian Cup Final. He helped his team finishing third in Liga I, highest rank ever for Vaslui. On 26 May, he was in the startup team against CFR Cluj, in the Romanian Cup final, but he was substituted at the half time, due to a minor injury. Vaslui eventually lost the cup, at the penalty shootout. The 2009-10 campaign, represented Sânmărtean's first season, from the past six years, without any major injury.

The 2010-11 season started with Vaslui's failed attempt to qualify for the first time in Europa League's Group Stages after being defeated 0-2 by French side Lille OSC
Lille OSC
LOSC Lille Métropole is a French association football club based in Lille. The club was founded in 1944 as a result of a merger and currently play in Ligue 1, the first division of French football. Lille plays its home matches at the Stade Lille-Metropole in nearby Villeneuve-d'Ascq. In 2012, the...

 in the play-off stage. On 23 September, he received his first red card since his arrival in Vaslui, in a cup match against ALRO Slatina. He scored his first league goal, with a close range shot against CFR Cluj. His second goal came on 1 April 2011, in a 2-0 win against Unirea Urziceni. He scored Vaslui's first with a 17-yard shot just outside the box, maintaining his team in the title chase. On 15 May, he captained Vaslui for the first time, leading his team to a 4-2 win in a league match against Sportul Studenţesc. In his second year in Vaslui, he managed to finish third in Liga I, for the second year in a row. Sânmărtean was the top assister in Liga I, providing 10 assists for his team.

Although he missed the entire pre-season due to a injury, he was in the startup team against Rapid Bucureşti, in Vaslui's opening match. On 18 August, in the 2-0 victory against Sparta Prague, he created the first goal and assisted the second, leading his team to a historical qualification in Europa League's Group Stages. On 11 September, Sânmărtean scored Vaslui's third in a 3-1 home league victory over Dinamo Bucuresti. On 18 November, Sânmărtean signed a new three-year contract with SC Vaslui.

International career

The former Romania U-21
Romania national under-21 football team
The Romania national under-21 football team is the national under-21 football team of Romania and is controlled by the Romanian Football Federation. The team competes in the European Under-21 Football Championship, held every two years....

 captain, earned his first cap in an exhibition match against Croatia
Croatia national football team
The Croatia national football team represents Croatia in international football. The team is controlled by the Croatian Football Federation, the governing body for football in the country, and has been managed since 2006 by former player Slaven Bilić...

 on 20 November 2002. Because of the hepatitis rumours he lost for a few months the national team, but he was recalled for the friendly against Lithuania
Lithuania national football team
The national football team of Lithuania is under the auspices of the Lithuanian Football Federation. It played its first match in 1923. In 1940, Lithuania was occupied by the Soviet Union; the country regained its independence in 1990 and played their first match as a new nation against Georgia on...

. On 23 May 2011, he was recalled for the Euro 2012 qualifying
UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying Group D
This page shows the standings and results for Group D of the UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying tournament.- Standings :- Results and fixtures :Group D fixtures were negotiated between the participants at a meeting in Luxembourg on 19 February 2010....

 match against Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina national football team
The Bosnia and Herzegovina national football team is the national football team of Bosnia and Herzegovina, governed by the Football Association of Bosnia and Herzegovina...

. However, following Victor Piturca
Victor Piturca
Victor Piţurcă is a Romanian football manager and former player.-Club career:Piţurcă was one of the prolific strikers of Steaua Bucureşti, being one of the team's top scorers – he scored 137 goals in 174 league games...

's appointment as Romanian national team's coach, Sânmărtean was not called for the friendly against San Marino
San Marino national football team
The San Marino national football team is the national football team of San Marino, controlled by the San Marino Football Federation...

, despite his good shape. The Romanian fans started a petition called "Sânmărtean at the National team" on Facebook
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...

 but it had no effect because he was not included in the squad once again. Nevertheless, Lucian was called up for the qualifying matches vs. Belarus and Albania in October 2011.
Scores and results table. Romania's goal tally first:

Statistics

Club Season League Cup Europe Other Total
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Gloria Bistriţa 1998–99 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
1999–00 9 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 12 0
2000–01 26 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 28 2
2001–02 27 3 2 1 1 0 0 0 30 4
2002–03 26 7 1 0 3 0 0 0 30 7
2003–04 0 0 0 0 3 3 0 0 3 3
Total 89 12 8 1 7 3 0 0 104 16
Panathinaikos 2003–04 18 1 4 1 4 0 0 0 26 2
2004–05 6 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 7 1
2005–06 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2006–07 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 24 1 4 1 5 1 0 0 33 3
Utrecht 2006–07 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0
2007–08 14 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 14 0
2008–09 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
Total 17 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 17 0
Gloria Bistriţa 2008–09 11 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 11 0
2009–10
2009–10 Liga I
The 2009–10 Liga I season was the ninety-second since its establishment. Unirea Urziceni were the defending champions.- Teams :Farul Constanţa, Otopeni and Gloria Buzău were relegated at the end of the 2008–09 season after finishing in 16th through 18th place...

15 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 16 1
Total 26 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 27 1
Vaslui 2009–10
FC Vaslui season 2009–10
The 2009–10 season will be the eighth season in FC Vaslui's existence, and its fifth in a row in Liga I. Having finished in the top six last season, FC Vaslui is qualified for the Third qualifying round in Europa League.-Pre-season:...

16 0 3 1 0 0 0 0 19 1
2010–11
SC Vaslui season 2010–11
The 2010–11 season was the ninth season in FC Vaslui's existence, and its sixth in a row in Liga I. Having finished third last season, FC Vaslui is qualified for the play-off round in Europa League.-First-team squad:* T=Total* L=Liga I* C=Cupa României...

29 2 1 0 2 0 0 0 32 2
2011–12
2011–12 FC Vaslui season
The 2011–12 season will be the tenth season in FC Vaslui's existence, and its seventh in a row in Liga I. Though finished third last season, FC Vaslui is qualified for the Third qualifying round in UEFA Champions League, after FC Timişoara's relegation....

14 1 2 0 9 0 0 0 25 1
Total 59 3 6 1 11 0 0 0 76 4
Career Total 215 17 19 3 23 4 0 0 257 24


Statistics accurate as of match played

Panathinaikos

  • Alpha Ethniki
    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...

    • Winner: 2004
      Alpha Ethniki 2003-04
      -League Standings:-Promotion/Relegation Play-Off:Played at a neutral venue , between the 14th-place team in the Alpha Ethniki and the 3rd-place team in the Beta Ethniki.Ergotelis replace Akratitos in Alpha Ethniki...

    • Runner-up: 2005
      Alpha Ethniki 2004-05
      -League standings:* NB:Olympiakos and Panionios originally both had 3 points deducted as punishment for the incidents before their match on Jan 9 but these deductions were cancelled on appeal.- References :* * * *...


  • Greek Cup
    Greek football Cup
    The Greek Football Cup , commonly known as the Greek Cup or for sponsorship reasons the Football Cup OPAP, is a Greek football competition, run by the Hellenic Football Federation....

    • Winner: 2004

Personal life

On 14 April 2010, Sânmărtean married the former athlete Maria Rus. On 27 July 2010 he became a father for the first time. His wife, gave birth to a girl, who they named Natalia.

His elder brother Dinu
Dinu Sânmărtean
Dinu Sânmărtean is a Romanian footballer, currently contracted with Delta Tulcea. His previous club was SC Vaslui, where he was released on 7 July 2010. His older brother, Lucian, is also playing in Liga I, at SC Vaslui.-External links:*...

, is also a professional footballer who plays for Delta Tulcea. They have played together for both Gloria Bistriţa
Gloria Bistrita
Gloria Bistriţa is a Romanian professional football club from Bistriţa, Bistriţa-Năsăud County.-History:The club was founded on July 6, 1922 and among the founding staff members there were: Simion Sbârcea as the club's president, Teofil Moldovan as the club's secretary, Ion Bota, Dumitru Hara,...

 and SC Vaslui.

External links

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