Viorel Moldovan
Viorel Dinu Moldovan is a Romanian football manager and former player.
A former striker, Moldovan's most successful career years were playing for Neuchâtel Xamax and Grasshoppers from 1996 to 1998 in Switzerland, for Fenerbahçe between 1998 and 2000 and for Nantes from 2000 until 2004. He was a key player when Nantes won the French Division 1 in 2001. He represented Romania in two editions of the World Cup, those held in the United States in 1994 and France in 1998, as well as two European Championships in 1996 and 2000.
Club career
Gloria Bistrița and Dinamo București
Moldovan was born on 8 July 1972 in Bistrița, Romania and began playing junior-level football at local club Gloria. He started his senior career by playing for Gloria during the 1988–89 Divizia B season. In the following season he helped the team earn promotion to Divizia A. Subsequently, he made his debut in the competition on 21 October 1990 under coach Remus Vlad in a 1–0 home loss to Petrolul Ploiești.In 1993 he went to play for Dinamo București. There, 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.
Neuchâtel Xamax and Grasshoppers
In 1995, Moldovan went to play for Neuchâtel Xamax, making his Nationalliga A debut on 29 July under coach Gilbert Gress in a 1–0 home win over Basel. In the next round he netted his first goals in the competition, managing a brace in a 3–0 victory against Lugano. Until the end of his first season, he netted 19 goals which earned him the top-scorer of the season title alongside Lugano's Petar Aleksandrov, also being named the league's Foreigner of the Year.In the following season he played for Grasshoppers, scoring a goal on his debut in a 1–1 draw against Sion. 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. 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. For the way he played in 1996, Moldovan was placed third in the ranking for the Romanian Footballer of the Year award. In the next season he netted two hat-tricks in two wins against his former club, Neuchâtel Xamax and Servette respectively. 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. 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.
Coventry City
In 1998, Coventry City paid 10 million Swiss francs to Grasshoppers for Moldovan's transfer. He made his Premier League debut on 10 January 1998 when coach Gordon Strachan sent him in the 58th minute to replace John Salako in a 3–1 away loss to Chelsea. During his brief spell in England he scored twice, first the winner against local rivals Aston Villa in the FA Cup and then another in a 3–0 league win against Crystal Palace, also having a goal disallowed in that same game. He had a hard time earning his place in the team, as the first options for the offence were Dion Dublin and Darren Huckerby.Fenerbahçe
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. In the following round he netted his first goals, managing a double in a 3–0 victory against Gençlerbirliği. He scored a total of 15 goals until the end of the season, including a hat-trick in a 6–0 win over Adanaspor. 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. 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.Nantes and Al-Wahda
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. 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. Until the end of the season, he netted 11 goals in 23 matches which helped the club win the championship. 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. 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. 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.In 2003, coach Rolland Courbis convinced him to sign with Al-Wahda. However, Moldovan made only one appearance in the UAE Football League, claiming he couldn't adapt due to the hot climate.
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 rivals Rennes and a hat-trick in 3–2 win over Montpellier. 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.
Servette
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. Moldovan scored his first goal in a 1–1 draw against Schaffhausen. 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, totaling 96 matches with 66 goals in the competition.Politehnica Timișoara and Rapid București
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. In the following game, he netted the victory goal from a penalty in the 2–1 win over Național București. For the next season, coach Olăroiu named him the team's captain. On 10 September 2005 he scored a brace in a 4–0 win over his former team Gloria Bistrița.In early 2006 he was transferred from Politehnica to Rapid București. 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 rivals Steaua București as they were eliminated on the away goal rule after a 1–1 on aggregate. On 12 April 2006 he scored a brace in a 3–0 win in a derby against Dinamo București. 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.
Afterwards he wanted to retire but Lucescu convinced him to play for one more season. He then netted a goal which helped The Railwaymen eliminate Nacional and reach the group stage of the 2006–07 UEFA Cup. There, Moldovan would make his last four appearances in European competitions in which he accumulated a total of 43 matches and 19 goals scored. He netted seven league goals during his last season of activity, including two doubles in victories against FC Vaslui and Gloria Bistrița. On 23 May 2007, Moldovan played his last game in the Romanian top-league which ended with a 4–0 loss to Național București, totaling 196 appearances with 55 goals in the competition. 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.