Florin Răducioiu


Florin Valeriu Răducioiu is a Romanian former professional footballer who played as a striker, currently television pundit for Orange Sport.
He is known as Big Five (association football)#List of players to have played [the Big Five Leagues|the first footballer to play and score at least one goal in each of the Big Five leagues].
He played for Romania at the 1990 World Cup, the 1994 World Cup and Euro 1996.

Club career

Dinamo București

Răducioiu, nicknamed Minunea blondă, was born on 17 March 1970 in Bucharest, Romania and began playing junior-level football in 1978 at local club Dinamo București|Dinamo] where he worked with Iosif Varga. Coach Mircea Lucescu gave 16-year old Răducioiu his Divizia A debut on 10 May 1986 in a 2–1 home victory against Politehnica Timișoara. His first performance was playing five games and scoring one goal against Kuusysi Lahti in the 1988–89 European Cup Winners' Cup, reaching the quarter-finals where they were eliminated on the away goals rule after 1–1 on aggregate by Sampdoria.
In the following season, Dinamo won The Double with Răducioiu playing 24 Divizia A games in which he scored 14 goals, including one in a 2–2 draw against rivals Steaua București. He also scored a hat-trick in the 6–4 victory against them in the 1990 [Cupa României final|Cupa României final]. Additionally, he appeared in eight matches in the 1989–90 [UEFA Cup Winners' Cup|1989–90 European Cup Winners' Cup] campaign, scoring once against Panathinaikos and three times against Partizan Belgrade, reaching the semi-finals where they were eliminated 2–0 on aggregate by Anderlecht. In the 85th minute of the second leg in the semi-final against Anderlecht, Răducioiu received a red card after fighting with an opponent and quarreled with the referee, Lucescu giving him a slap for that. However, he appreciated the coach, praising him years later after he ended his career:"He was my mentor, teacher, everything! Without him, I would never have become a footballer. He believed in me and gave me the opportunity to play. He showed me what football is all about, but I also learned a lot of other things."

Bari

In the summer of 1990, Italian club Bari transferred Răducioiu after paying Dinamo $3 million. He made his Serie A debut on 9 September, as coach Gaetano Salvemini used him as a starter in a 2–0 away loss to Atalanta. One week later he netted his first goal in a 2–1 home victory against Torino. Until the end of the season he scored four more times, netting in two 1–1 draws against Lazio Roma and Sampdoria, then opening the score in a 2–0 win over Pisa and his last goal came in a 5–1 loss to Inter Milan.

Hellas Verona

In 1991, he joined Hellas Verona, making his league debut on 1 September under coach Eugenio Fascetti who used him the entire match in a 1–0 home loss to AS Roma. He scored his first goal for The Mastiffs on 16 November in a 2–1 victory against Genoa. Subsequently, he was unable to score until 11 April 1992 in a 2–1 loss to Torino. These were his only goals in his 30 appearances during this season in which the team was relegated. Years later after ending his career, Răducioiu claimed that his poor performances during this period were influenced by the love relationship he had with fashion model Eugenia "Janine" Ștefan:"I had a nightmare season at Verona, 1991–92. I had fallen head over heels in love with Janine, a famous fashion model of those years. My whole being was connected during that period to this girl I had fallen at matches, during training, the supporters attacked us when we were coming from away games, they also attacked me once. We relegated that season, the fans rightly blamed me, and years later I publicly apologized for my disastrous year's performances".

Brescia

Răducioiu went to play for the 1992–93 season at Mircea Lucescu's "Brescia Romena", as around that period, his fellow Romanians Gheorghe Hagi, Ioan Sabău, Dorin Mateuț and Dănuț Lupu also played for the club. He made his debut on 5 September 1992 in a 0–0 draw against Napoli, two weeks later scoring his first goal in a 1–0 win over Pescara 1936|Pescara], by the end of the year managing a brace in a 2–2 draw against Genoa. In the second half of the season he scored goals in victories over Napoli and Juventus, and in May 1993 he managed two doubles, first in the 2–0 success over Atalanta and then in the 2–2 draw against Udinese. He netted a total of 13 goals, but the team was relegated to Serie B.

AC Milan

After three seasons in Serie A, Răducioiu joined AC Milan, which paid Brescia €2.75 million for his transfer. His first appearance was in the 1993 Supercoppa Italiana when coach Fabio Capello sent him at half-time to replace Marco Simone who had scored the only goal in the victory against Torino. He made his Serie A debut for The Devil on 12 September 1993, closing the score in a 2–0 home win against Atalanta, and on 4 December he netted the only goal in a home victory over Torino. On 11 December, he was used by Capello as a starter in the 3–2 loss to São Paulo in the 1993 Intercontinental Cup. Răducioiu also played two games in the 1993–94 [UEFA Champions League group stage|Champions League group stage], scoring once in a 3–0 win over Porto which was the 300th goal of the club in European competitions. In his single season with Milan he scored only four goals in 14 appearances across all competitions, having to compete for a place in the offence with players such as Jean-Pierre Papin, Daniele Massaro, Dejan Savićević and Marco Simone, but still managed to win the league title and the Champions League. He would describe his opportunity to play for Milan as "a dream come true".

Espanyol and loans

In 1994, Răducioiu went in Spain to play for Espanyol, which paid Milan €2.4 million for his transfer. He made his Primera División debut under coach José Antonio Camacho on 4 September, opening the score in a 4–2 home win over Real Oviedo. One week later he scored again in a 4–0 away victory against Real Valladolid, managing to score nine goals until the end of the season, including a brace in a 2–0 win over Atlético Madrid. For the way he played in 1994, Răducioiu was placed second in the ranking for the Romanian [Footballer of the Year (Gazeta Sporturilor)|Romanian Footballer of the Year] award, only behind Gheorghe Hagi. He started the following season strong by scoring a brace in the first round and one goal in the second in victories against Salamanca and Tenerife respectively, but scored only two more goals in wins against Real Sociedad and Real Oviedo until the end of it.
Having scored his country's only goal in Euro 1996, manager Harry Redknapp signed him for West Ham United in 1996. There, he was teammates with compatriot Ilie Dumitrescu. He made his Premier League debut on 24 August when he replaced Marc Rieper in the 39th minute of a 2–1 home win over Southampton. Most famously, he scored a goal in a 2–2 draw against Manchester United after being criticized by Redknapp for going shopping with his wife at Harvey Nichols on a previous match day, a claim Răducioiu denied. Despite showing promise, he never adapted to the pace and competitive nature of the English game, making no real impact at Upton Park. He scored three goals during his spell with The Hammers, in addition to his goal against Manchester United, he scored against Stockport County in the League Cup and Sunderland in the league. Having fallen out with manager Redknapp at the East London club, he was transferred back to Espanyol after his short underachieving spell, having scored just two goals in the Premier League.
In the second half of the 1996–97 season, Răducioiu scored two doubles for Espanyol, one in a loss to Sporting Gijón and the other in a 2–0 win over Barcelona in the Derbi Barceloní.
In the summer of 1997 he joined VfB Stuttgart. Răducioiu made his Bundesliga debut on 23 August when coach Joachim Löw sent him at half-time to replace Jonathan Akpoborie in a 3–1 away win against MSV Duisburg where he closed the score. He played for them in three games in the early stages of the 1997–98 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup campaign in which Stuttgart reached the 1998 [UEFA Cup Winners' Cup final|final].

Comebacks to Brescia and Dinamo

In 1998, Răducioiu made a comeback at Brescia, this time playing for two years in Serie B. Afterwards he returned to his country at Dinamo, where he stayed only for the first half of the 2000–01 season. Răducioiu scored his only goal during this second spell with The Red Dogs in a 3–2 loss to Petrolul Ploiești. He made his last Divizia A appearance on 24 November 2000 in a 3–2 win over Astra Ploiești, totaling 84 matches with 30 goals in the competition.

AS Monaco and Créteil

In early 2001, Răducioiu went to play for AS Monaco, making his Ligue 1 debut on 13 January against Sedan Ardennes|Sedan] when coach Claude Puel introduced him in the 66th minute to replace the only scorer of the game, Shabani Nonda. He netted for the first time on 3 February in a 6–1 victory over Metz, then on 17 March he opened the score in a 4–3 home win against Troyes AC|Troyes].
He retired in 2004, after a short stint with French Ligue 2 side Créteil.
Răducioiu is the first professional footballer who played and also scored in the top five European leagues.

International career

Early years and 1990 World Cup

Răducioiu played 40 games and scored 21 goals for Romania, making his debut on 25 April 1990 under coach Emerich Jenei in a 4–1 friendly win against Israel, being on the field for the first 58 minutes before he was replaced with Gabi Balint.
Răducioiu was taken by Jenei to be part of the 1990 World Cup squad where he made his debut in the 2–1 victory against the Soviet Union at Stadio San Nicola in Bari, aged 20. Appearing in three games, he finished the tournament without scoring and Romania fell to the Republic of Ireland in the round of 16, in a penalty shootout.
Răducioiu scored his first goal in a 6–0 victory over San Marino in the UEFA [Euro 1992 qualifying Group 2|Euro 1992 qualifiers], only to double his account in the next game in San Marino, as the Romanians won 3–1.

1994 World Cup

The 1994 [FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group 4|1994 World Cup qualifiers] were very successful for Răducioiu, starting with two goals against Czechoslovakia in Košice, even though Romania lost 5–2. An even greater success for Răducioiu would come three months later when in Toftir, he managed to score all four of Romania's goals against the Faroe Islands. Răducioiu also scored a penalty kick and provided an assist for Ilie Dumitrescu in a 2–1 victory against Belgium. In the last group game of the qualifiers, he scored a goal against Wales, finishing a nice team effort after a pass from Ilie Dumitrescu. This late goal, coming in the 83rd minute, earned Romania a 2–1 win and thus the mathematical qualification to the 1994 World Cup. This match is considered by Romanian journalists as the birth of Romania's "Golden Generation". With nine goals scored, Răducioiu was the top-scorer of the 1994 [FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA)|1994 World Cup qualifiers] in the UEFA zone.
In the World Cup finals, Răducioiu scored two goals in the victory against Colombia during the group stage. Coach Anghel Iordănescu could not use him in the historical victory against Argentina in the round of 16 as he was suspended after receiving two yellow cards in the group stage. In the quarterfinal against Sweden, he first equalized Sweden's 0–1 lead in the 88th minute of regular time, taking the game to extra time, then put Romania ahead 2–1 in the first period. Shortly thereafter, Sweden's Stefan Schwarz was sent off after his second yellow card, but even with ten men, Kennet Andersson tied the game in the 115th minute, leading to a shootout. Răducioiu scored Romania's first penalty attempt after Sweden had missed its first, but Romania was eliminated after missing two attempts out of six. Still, Răducioiu's four tournament goals helped Romania to its most successful World Cup campaign ever.
On 11 July 1994, Răducioiu was named Honorary Citizen of Bucharest for "representing Romania brilliantly at the 1994 World Cup in the United States of America".

Euro 1996

During the successful Euro 1996 qualifiers he scored five goals, including a hat-trick against Azerbaijan, being his side's top-scorer. He was used by Iordănescu in all three matches in the final tournament, which was unsuccessful as they lost to France, Bulgaria and Spain. Răducioiu netted the nation's only goal after a pass from Ovidiu Stîngă in the 2–1 loss to the Spanish side.

Retirement

Afterwards, Răducioiu decided to retire from the national team even though he was only 26 years old, a decision he would regret, years later saying in an interview: "Disappointed with the European Championship... I felt that I could no longer be useful to the national team. What nonsense I could think then! I felt like I was probably losing my place in the team and... It was probably wrong, for sure!"
For representing his country at two final tournaments, Răducioiu was decorated by President of Romania Traian Băsescu on 25 March 2008 with the Ordinul "Meritul Sportiv" – class III.

After retirement

In 2005, he had a short spell as a sports agent, then in 2007 he worked as a sporting director for Dinamo București.
In 2012, he was hired by the Romanian Football Federation to be the head coach of Romania's under-15 national team, in the following years working at Romania U16 and Romania U17, teaching players such as Ianis Hagi and Florinel Coman.
In 2017, Răducioiu was hired by Regal Sport București as a technical director, working there with a 15-year-old Radu Drăgușin. In 2022, he worked as a team manager for a few months at Dinamo București.

Personal life

In the early 1990s, Răducioiu dated Romanian fashion model and designer Janine Ștefan. In 1993, he began a relationship with Astrid, an Italian originally from Brescia. They married in 1994 and have two sons, Andrea and Alessandro. The couple divorced in 2018.

Career statistics

International

No.DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
15 December 1990Stadionul Naţional, Bucharest, Romania3–06–0UEFA Euro 1992 qualifying
227 March 1991Stadio Olimpico, Serravalle, San Marino2–13–1UEFA Euro 1992 qualifying
329 November 1992Neo GSZ Stadium, Larnaca, Cyprus2–04–11994 FIFA [World Cup qualification (UEFA)|1994 FIFA World Cup qualification]
42 June 1993Všešportový areál, Košice, Slovakia1–12–51994 FIFA World Cup qualification
52 June 1993Všešportový areál, Košice, Slovakia2–22–51994 FIFA World Cup qualification
68 September 1993Svangaskarð, Toftir, Faroe Islands1–04–01994 FIFA World Cup qualification
78 September 1993Svangaskarð, Toftir, Faroe Islands2–04–01994 FIFA World Cup qualification
88 September 1993Svangaskarð, Toftir, Faroe Islands3–04–01994 FIFA World Cup qualification
98 September 1993Svangaskarð, Toftir, Faroe Islands4–04–01994 FIFA World Cup qualification
1013 October 1993Stadionul Steaua, Bucharest, Romania1–02–11994 FIFA World Cup qualification
1117 November 1993Cardiff Arms Park, Cardiff, Wales2–12–11994 FIFA World Cup qualification
1218 June 1994Rose Bowl, Pasadena, United States1–03–11994 FIFA World Cup
1318 June 1994Rose Bowl, Pasadena, United States3–13–11994 FIFA World Cup
1410 July 1994Stanford Stadium, Stanford, United States1–12–21994 FIFA World Cup
1510 July 1994Stanford Stadium, Stanford, United States2–12–21994 FIFA World Cup
167 September 1994Stadionul Steaua, Bucharest, Romania3–03–0UEFA Euro 1996 qualifying
1729 March 1995Stadionul Steaua, Bucharest, Romania1–12–1UEFA Euro 1996 Qualifying
1826 April 1995Hüseyin Avni Aker Stadium, Trabzon, Turkey1–04–1UEFA Euro 1996 Qualifying
1926 April 1995Hüseyin Avni Aker Stadium, Trabzon, Turkey3–14–1UEFA Euro 1996 Qualifying
2026 April 1995Hüseyin Avni Aker Stadium, Trabzon, Turkey4–14–1UEFA Euro 1996 Qualifying
2118 June 1996Elland Road, Leeds, England1–11–2UEFA Euro 1996

Honours

Dinamo București
AC Milan
VfB Stuttgart
Individual