Cristian Ganea

Cristian George Ganea (Romanian pronunciation: [kristiˈan ˈdʒe̯ordʒe ˈgane̯a]; born 24 May 1992) is a Romanian professional footballer who plays as a left-back for Liga I club FCSB.

Not to be confused with George Ganea.

Cristian Ganea
Personal information
Full name Cristian George Ganea
Date of birth (1992-05-24) 24 May 1992
Place of birth Bistrița, Romania
Height 1.76 m (5 ft 9 in)
Position(s) Left-back
Team information
Current team
 FCSB
Number 24
Youth career
Școala de Fotbal Inter Viișoara
Basconia
CD Indartsu
2010–2011 Mallorca
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2011–2013 Mallorca B 0 (0)
2011–2012 → Santanyí (loan) 53 (20)
2013 FCM Târgu Mureș 10 (2)
2013–2014 Universitatea Craiova 29 (5)
2014–2015 Săgeata Năvodari 14 (3)
2015 FC Brașov 16 (2)
2015–2018 Viitorul Constanța 94 (8)
2018–2020 Athletic Bilbao 1 (0)
2019 → Numancia (loan) 17 (0)
2020 → Viitorul Constanța (loan) 10 (1)
2020–2022 Aris 52 (1)
2022–2023 Panathinaikos 9 (0)
2023– FCSB 2 (0)
International career‡
2010–2011 Basque Country U18 4 (0)
2017– Romania 8 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 22 October 2023
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 2 June 2021

After emerging through the Spanish football system, Ganea returned to Romania at age 21 and moved around several teams before settling at Viitorul Constanța. He won the national title in 2016–17 season with the latter, which prompted a transfer to Athletic Bilbao in 2018. He only made one La Liga appearance, serving loan spells at Numancia and back at Viitorul before being released and signing for Greek club Aris Thessaloniki in 2020.

Internationally, Ganea made his full debut for Romania in June 2017, in a 3–2 friendly victory over Chile.

Club career

Early career

Ganea moved from Romania to Spain with his family while still a minor.[1] He grew up in Basauri south of Bilbao where his relatives still live, and spent several years playing with local clubs.[2][3]

In 2010, Ganea signed for RCD Mallorca.[2][3] After a year with their youth teams, he was assigned to the reserve squad, but was then loaned to local fourth-tier club CD Santanyí[3] for one and a half seasons, during which he played regularly.[4]

Return to Romania / Viitorul Constanța

In January 2013, Ganea returned to his country of birth[2] to sign for second division club FCM Târgu Mureș.[3] That summer he moved on to CS Universitatea Craiova in the same league, helping them to earn promotion in his sole campaign in Oltenia.

Ganea then transferred to Săgeata Năvodari, staying in the Liga II and this time enduring an administrative relegation as his club were deducted 42 points for unpaid debts and subsequently dissolved during mid-season.[5] Ganea signed with FC Brașov for the latter part of the 2014–15 Liga I, but they too suffered relegation and experienced severe financial problems.[6]

In the summer of 2015, Ganea moved to Viitorul Constanța,[2] owned and coached by former Romanian international Gheorghe Hagi. In the 2015–16 season, the club finished fifth and qualified for the UEFA Europa League. The following campaign, he helped Viitorul win the Romanian league title[3] for the first time in their short history.[7] Ganea was a regular during both seasons, with 58 league starts. He also played in the club's early exits from the qualifying rounds of both the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League.

Athletic Bilbao

On 15 January 2018, Athletic Bilbao announced the signing of Ganea on a three-year contract with the option of another year, with the player due to join the squad in the summer; he was deemed eligible to join under their signing policy due to his time developing as a young player in the Basque region.[8][2][3] Almost as soon as he arrived in Bilbao, the club signed Yuri Berchiche, who was immediately installed as first choice in the left back position, with the previous regular Mikel Balenziaga also still part of the squad and ahead in the queue for selection.

Ganea made his debut for the club on 28 November 2018 in a Copa del Rey game against Huesca, coming on as a substitute in the 73rd minute.[9][10] Five days later he made his La Liga debut in a 0–3 loss to Levante, but was stretchered off with a torso injury early in the second half of the match and replaced by habitual starter Markel Susaeta.[11] After recovering from the injury, on 9 January 2019 Ganea was loaned to Segunda División side Numancia until June.[12]

After playing regularly in Soria he returned to Athletic Bilbao, but was again afflicted by injuries and made no further appearances before being loaned again, this time back to his former club Viitorul Constanța, in January 2020.[13] The season in Romania was soon postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and Ganea's loan spell expired before all fixtures were completed; he went back to Spain in July 2020 with a possibility of participating in Athletic's final few matches, which had also been delayed due to the pandemic,[14] but was not named in any match squads before the end of the campaign. On 11 August 2020, Ganea's contract with Athletic was terminated.[15]

Aris

On 14 August 2020, he joined Super League Greece side Aris on a two-year contract.[16] On 28 February 2021, he scored his first goal for the club with an exquisite shot in a comfortable 3–0 home win against Atromitos.[17]

International career

Ganea was called up to the Basque Country national under-18 team.[3]

He made his full debut for Romania on 13 June 2017 in a friendly against Chile.[18]

Personal life

Ganea does not hold Spanish citizenship yet. He regarded the Basques as "extraordinary people, with common sense and welcoming." He also praised the Basque Country, saying it's the cleanest and quietest in Spain and that its streets and infrastructure generally do not have a correspondent across the country.[19]

Career statistics

Club
As of match played 22 October 2023[20]
Club Season League National Cup League Cup Continental Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Santanyí (loan) 2011–12 Tercera División 3317————3317
2012–13 203————203
Total 5320————5320
FCM Târgu Mureș 2012–13 Liga II 102————102
Universitatea Craiova 2013–14 Liga II 29520———315
Săgeata Năvodari 2014–15 Liga II 14320———163
FC Brașov 2014–15 Liga I 162————162
Viitorul Constanța 2015–16 Liga I 3433110——384
2016–17 260100010—280
2017–18 34510—3110396
Total 9485110411010510
Athletic Bilbao 2018–19 La Liga 1010———20
Numancia (loan) 2018–19 Segunda División 170————170
Viitorul Constanța (loan) 2019–20 Liga I 101————101
Aris 2020–21 Super League Greece 22120—10—251
2021–22 30 0 3 0 — 1 0 — 34 0
Total 52150—20—591
Panathinaikos 2022–23 Super League Greece 9000—10—100
FCSB 2023–24 Liga I 2010———30
Career total 3074216110711033244

International
As of 2 June 2021[21]
National teamYearAppsGoals
Romania
201750
202020
202110
Total80

Honours

Universitatea Craiova

Viitorul Constanța[20]

References
  1. "El Athletic Club de Bilbao ficha a Cristian Ganea". Goal (in Spanish). 15 January 2018.
  2. "El Athletic ficha al internacional rumano Cristian Ganea" [Athletic sign the Romanian international Cristian Ganea]. El Mundo (in Spanish). 15 January 2018. Retrieved 15 January 2018.
  3. "El Athletic ficha a Cristian Ganea, el primer rumano de su historia" [Athletic sign Cristian Ganea, the first Romanian in their history]. ABC (in Spanish). 15 January 2018. Retrieved 15 January 2018.
  4. "Ganea: Cristian George Ganea" (in Spanish). La Preferente. 16 January 2018.
  5. "Farul porneşte de pe locul 3 în play-out. ACS Berceni are cele mai mari emoţii la retrogradare" [Farul start from 3rd place in the play-out. ACS Berceni has the greatest emotions in relegation.] (in Romanian). Liga 2. 28 March 2015. Retrieved 16 January 2018.
  6. "S-a terminat. FC Braşov a retrogradat!" [It's over. FC Braşov relegated!] (in Romanian). Monitorul Expres. 28 May 2015. Retrieved 16 January 2018.
  7. "Bucurie fără margini la Ovidiu! Hagi și căpitanul Benzar au ridicat trofeul. Sărbătoare şi la vestiar" [Boundless joy at Ovidiu! Hagi and captain Benzar lifted the trophy. Party in the changing room too] (in Romanian). Digi Sport. 13 May 2017. Retrieved 16 January 2018.
  8. "Cristian Ganea: Initial agreement with FC Viitorul". Athletic Bilbao. 15 January 2018. Retrieved 15 January 2018.
  9. Velasco, Juanma (28 November 2018). "Por fin debuta Ganea, el rumano del Athletic: "Han sido tres meses muy largos" [At last, Ganea, the Romanian of Athletic, debuted: "It has been three very long months"]. Marca (in Spanish). Retrieved 29 November 2018.
  10. "Athletic Club vs. Huesca 4–0". Soccerway.com. 28 November 2018. Retrieved 29 November 2018.
  11. "The alarms go off". Athletic Bilbao. 3 December 2018. Retrieved 4 December 2018.
  12. "Cristian Ganea on-loan". Athletic Bilbao. 9 January 2019. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
  13. "Preliminary agreement for the transfer of Ganea". Athletic Bilbao. 24 January 2020. Retrieved 25 January 2020.
  14. "Cristian Ganea To Return To Athletic As Viitorul Loan Expires". Inside Athletic. 29 June 2020. Retrieved 2 July 2020.
  15. "Cristian Ganea's contract terminated". Athletic Bilbao. 11 August 2020. Retrieved 13 August 2020.
  16. García, Alberto (14 August 2020). "Oficial: Ganea ficha por el Aris Salónica". Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). Retrieved 15 August 2020.
  17. "Άρης - Ατρόμητος 3-0: Με τριάρα επέστρεψε στη 2η θέση". www.sport24.gr. 28 February 2020.
  18. "Echipa României de fotbal a învins naţionala din Chile cu scorul 3-2 într-un meci amical" [The football team of Romania defeated Chile 3-2 in a friendly match] (in Romanian). Ziua di Constanța. 13 June 2017. Retrieved 16 January 2018.
  19. ""Bascul" Ganea: salvat de Hagi, refuzat de CSU, la un pas de Bilbao!". Fanatik (in Romanian). 15 January 2018.
  20. Cristian Ganea at Soccerway. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
  21. "Cristian Ganea". European Football. Retrieved 1 September 2017.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.