Cristian Săpunaru

Cristian Ionuț Săpunaru (born 5 April 1984) is a Romanian professional footballer who plays mainly as a centre-back for Liga I club Rapid București, which he captains. He can also be deployed as a right-back or a defensive midfielder.

Cristian Săpunaru
Săpunaru captaining Romania in 2019
Personal information
Full name Cristian Ionuț Săpunaru[1]
Date of birth (1984-04-05) 5 April 1984
Place of birth Bucharest, Romania
Height 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in)
Position(s) Defender, defensive midfielder
Team information
Current team
 Rapid București
Number 22
Youth career
1990–2002 Național București
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2002–2006 Național București 34 (3)
2003–2004 → Callatis Mangalia (loan) 10 (0)
2006–2008 Rapid București 51 (3)
2008–2012 Porto 56 (2)
2010 → Rapid București (loan) 10 (3)
2012–2013 Zaragoza 29 (2)
2013–2014 Elche 8 (1)
2015 Rapid București 13 (4)
2015–2016 Pandurii Târgu Jiu 22 (5)
2016–2017 Astra Giurgiu 32 (8)
2017–2019 Kayserispor 59 (2)
2019 Denizlispor 14 (0)
2020–2021 Kayserispor 38 (1)
2021– Rapid București 88 (6)
International career
2006 Romania U21 3 (0)
2008–2019 Romania 36 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 20 October 2023

Săpunaru began his senior career with Național București in 2002, before going on to make a name for himself at Rapid București four years later. In 2008 he signed with Porto in Portugal, where he won ten major honours over the course of four years, including the 2010–11 UEFA Europa League. After two additional seasons in Spain featuring for Zaragoza and Elche, Săpunaru spent his late years with stints between his native country and Turkey.

A full international for Romania between 2008 and 2019, he amassed 36 caps and represented the nation in two European Championships.

Club career

Early career / Porto

Săpunaru was born in Bucharest and is a product of Național București, joining its youth system at the age of only six. He signed for Rapid București in July 2006, and two years later was sold for €2.5 million to Porto as a replacement for Chelsea-bound José Bosingwa. Săpunaru agreed to a five-year contract,[2] with the Primeira Liga club owning 50% of the player's economic rights, while Romanian sources indicated the price was actually €6 million plus two players.[3]

During his debut campaign, Săpunaru was the first-choice right-back as the northerners achieved a double, and scored his first goal in a 1–2 away loss against Nacional for the Taça da Liga.[4] In early February 2010, he was suspended in Portugal–as his teammate Hulk–following incidents during a 0–1 league defeat at Benfica, so he returned to his country for a five-month loan with former side Rapid;[5] he did not manage to be played regularly at Porto during that time but, following his return for the 2010–11 season, became a very important first-team unit as they won three major titles, appearing in 40 official games in the process.

On 17 February 2014, Săpunaru was condemned to pay a €90,000 fine for his participation in the assault of two stewards at the Estádio da Luz on 20 December 2009.[6][7][8]

Săpunaru training with Porto in 2011

Spain

On 31 August 2012, Săpunaru signed a one-year contract with La Liga club Real Zaragoza.[9] He made his official debut on 16 September, playing the full 90 minutes in a 0–2 loss at Real Sociedad.[10]

In his first season in Aragon, Săpunaru started but also suffered team relegation. He also entered his name in the competition's history books, after breaking the record for the most bookings in a single campaign (19 yellow cards and one red).[11]

After initially hesitating because of the requests of his partner,[12] Săpunaru signed a one-year deal at fellow league team Elche on 25 July 2013.[13] He totalled only nine appearances in his only campaign and was also sent off twice, while his sole goal opened a 1–2 loss at Valencian Community neighbours Levante on 13 December.[14]

Elche could not support Săpunaru's €1 million wage demands,[15] and released him on 21 August 2014.[16] In October 2015, he took the club to court for the wages remaining in his contract.[17]

Later career

After four months back at Rapid, Săpunaru signed a season-long deal at Pandurii Târgu Jiu on 6 September 2015, including a clause that he could leave instantly if a foreign club wanted him.[18] The following 21 July, he put pen to paper to a two-year contract with fellow league side Astra Giurgiu.[19]

On 1 July 2017, it was announced that Săpunaru signed a two-year deal with Turkish Süper Lig team Kayserispor.[20] At its expiration, he joined Denizlispor in the same competition,[21] before returning to his previous employer in January 2020 for the rest of the season. In August, he signed a new one-year deal.[22]

Săpunaru signed for Rapid for the fourth time on 4 July 2021, joining on a two-year contract at the age of 37.[23]

International career

Săpunaru made his debut for the Romania national team on 31 May 2008 against Montenegro, and was selected to the nation's squad at UEFA Euro 2008, although he did not play in the final stages. From June 2011 to November 2015, he did not appear in any games for his country due to a conflict with manager Victor Pițurcă.[24][25]

On 17 May 2016, Săpunaru was picked by manager Anghel Iordănescu for his Euro 2016 squad.[26] He started at right-back in the group stage opener, a 1–2 loss against the hosts France.[27] In September 2019, after amassing 36 caps over the course of eleven years, 35-year-old Săpunaru announced his retirement from the national team.[28]

Career statistics

Club
As of match played 20 October 2023[29][30]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National Cup[lower-alpha 1] Continental[lower-alpha 2] Other[lower-alpha 3] Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Național București 2002–03 Divizia A 4000——40
2003–04 1020——30
2004–05 6020——80
2005–06 23350——283
Total 34390——433
Callatis Mangalia (loan) 2003–04 Divizia B 100———100
Rapid București 2006–07 Liga I 191306010291
2007–08 322202010372
Total 51 3 5 0 8 0 2 0 66 3
Porto 2008–09 Primeira Liga 170618010321
2009–10 50—40—90
2010–11 1907013020410
2011–12 152102030212
Total 562141270601033
Rapid București (loan) 2009–10 Liga I 103———103
Zaragoza 2012–13 La Liga 29260——352
Elche 2013–14 8110——91
Rapid București 2014–15 Liga I 134———134
Pandurii Târgu Jiu 2015–16 22521——246
Astra Giurgiu 2016–17 32851121—4910
Kayserispor 2017–18 Süper Lig 28050——330
2018–19 31231——343
Total 59 2 8 1 — — 67 3
Denizlispor 2019–20 Süper Lig 14010——150
Kayserispor 2019–20 13100——131
2020–21 25000——250
Total 38100——381
Rapid București 2021–22 Liga I 36 1 1 0 — — 37 1
2022–23 39 4 2 0 — — 41 4
2023–24 13 1 0 0 — — 13 1
Total 88 6 3 0 — — 91 6
Career total 464405444718057345
  1. Includes Cupa României, Taça de Portugal, Copa del Rey and Turkish Cup
  2. Appearances in UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League
  3. Appearances in Supercupa României, Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira and UEFA Super Cup

International
As of match played 10 June 2019[31]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National teamYearAppsGoals
Romania 200830
200930
201010
201120
201510
2016100
201730
2018100
201930
Total360

Honours

Național București[29]

Rapid București[29]

Porto[29]

Astra Giurgiu[29]

Individual

References
  1. "European Championship 2020: Booking List before Qualifying Round Matchday 10" (PDF). UEFA. 17 November 2019. p. 6. Retrieved 24 November 2020.
  2. Rapid's Săpunaru plumps for Porto; UEFA, 14 July 2008
  3. Ce transfer!!! Sapunaru la FC Porto pentru 6 milioane + 2 jucatori (We have a transfer!!! Sapunaru to FC Porto for 6 million + 2 players) Archived 7 October 2011 at the Wayback Machine; Sport Magazin, 9 July 2008 (in Romanian)
  4. "Do nevoeiro surgiu um golo de Fidalgo e a vitória do Nacional" [Out from the mist came Fidalgo goal and Nacional win] (in Portuguese). Público. 15 January 2009. Retrieved 24 March 2018.
  5. Sapunaru to return on loan to Rapid Bucharest Archived 26 January 2011 at the Wayback Machine; The Romanian Times, 1 February 2010
  6. "Futebolistas do FC Porto condenados no caso do túnel da Luz" [FC Porto footballers condemned in tunnel of Luz case] (in Portuguese). Expresso. 17 February 2014. Archived from the original on 24 September 2014. Retrieved 15 September 2014.
  7. "FC Porto: jogadores condenados no caso do "túnel da Luz"" [FC Porto: players condemned in the "tunnel of Luz" case] (in Portuguese). Relvado. 17 February 2014. Archived from the original on 15 September 2014. Retrieved 15 September 2014.
  8. "Túnel da Luz. Futebolistas condenados a indemnizar "stewards"" [Tunnel of Luz. Footballers condemned to compensate stewards] (in Portuguese). i. 17 February 2014. Archived from the original on 16 September 2014. Retrieved 15 September 2014.
  9. "Cristian Sapunaru se une a la plantilla del Real Zaragoza" [Cristian Sapunaru joins Real Zaragoza roster] (in Spanish). Real Zaragoza. 31 August 2012. Retrieved 1 September 2012.
  10. "La Real se aprovecha de un inocente Zaragoza" [Real take advantage of innocent Zaragoza] (in Spanish). Marca. 16 September 2012. Retrieved 16 September 2012.
  11. "Sapu cel galben » Săpunaru a rămas în istoria Primera Division: a depăşit recordul de cartonaşe galbene" [Sapu the yellow » Săpunaru makes history in Primera Division: yellow cards record broken] (in Romanian). Gazeta Sporturilor. 28 May 2013. Retrieved 31 May 2013.
  12. "La dama no es de Elche" [The lady is not from Elche] (in Spanish). Marca. 19 July 2013. Retrieved 12 June 2016.
  13. "El defensa rumano Sapunaru ficha por el Elche" [Romanian defender Săpunaru signs for Elche] (in Spanish). La Liga. 25 July 2013. Retrieved 12 June 2016.
  14. "Late joy for Levante". Sky Sports. 13 December 2013. Retrieved 12 June 2016.
  15. "Elche looking to offload Cristian Sapunaru due to high wage demands". Inside Spanish Football. 30 June 2014. Archived from the original on 13 August 2016. Retrieved 12 June 2016.
  16. "Elche announce Sapunaru departure". Inside Spanish Football. 21 August 2014. Archived from the original on 13 August 2016. Retrieved 12 June 2016.
  17. "Sapunaru suspende el juicio y negociará su despido con el Elche" [Săpunaru suspends judgement and will negotiate his dismissal with Elche] (in Spanish). Diario Información. 12 October 2015. Retrieved 12 June 2016.
  18. "Cristi Săpunaru a semnat cu Pandurii! Clauză specială în contractul valabil un sezon" [Cristi Săpunaru signed for Pandurii! Special clause in season-long contract] (in Romanian). Digi Sport. 6 September 2015. Retrieved 12 June 2016.
  19. "Săpunaru – astrist cu acte!" [Săpunaru – astrist in action!] (in Romanian). FC Astra Giurgiu. 21 July 2016. Retrieved 22 July 2016.
  20. "Kayserispor, Sapunaru ile anlaştı" [Kayserispor, agreement with Sapunaru] (in Turkish). Fanatik. 1 July 2017. Retrieved 3 July 2017.
  21. "Denizlispor Sapunaru ile anlaştı" [Denizlispor sign Săpunaru] (in Turkish). Fotomac. 14 June 2019. Retrieved 22 August 2020.
  22. "Kayserispor, Cristian Sapunaru ile yeniden anlaştı" [Kayserispor, Cristian Săpunaru re-signs] (in Turkish). Haber Takvimi. 12 August 2020. Retrieved 22 August 2020.
  23. "Rapid a anunțat transferul așteptat de toți fanii echipei! Prima reacție: "Sunt fericit că pot juca la clubul pe care îl iubesc"" [Rapid have announced the transfer awaited by all of the team's fans! First reaction: "I'm happy to be able to play for the club that I love"]. Gazeta Sporturilor (in Romanian). 4 July 2021. Retrieved 22 September 2021.
  24. "Veste bună pentru Iordănescu. Un jucător tras pe linie moartă de Pițurcă e gata să revină la națională" [Good news for Iordănescu. A player that was kicked by Pițurcă is ready to return to the national team] (in Romanian). Stiridesport. 7 March 2015. Archived from the original on 20 September 2016. Retrieved 10 June 2016.
  25. "VIDEO EXCLUSIV A fost ignorat de Pițurcă, acum rupe tăcerea: "Dacă ne întâlnim, îl ocolesc, sau mă ocolește el"" [EXCLUSIVE VIDEO He was ignored by Pițurcă, now he breaks the silence: "If we meet, I avoid him, or he avoids me"] (in Romanian). Digi Sport. 7 October 2015. Retrieved 10 June 2016.
  26. "Romania Euro 2016 squad". The Daily Telegraph. 17 May 2016. Retrieved 10 June 2016.
  27. "Dimitri Payet nets superb late winner for France vs. Romania". ESPN FC. 10 June 2016. Retrieved 10 June 2016.
  28. "Cristian Săpunaru s-a retras de la echipa naţională a României!" [Cristian Săpunaru retired from the Romanian national team!] (in Romanian). Digi Sport. 2 September 2019. Retrieved 22 August 2020.
  29. Cristian Săpunaru at Soccerway. Retrieved 26 February 2014.
  30. "Cristian Sapunaru". Footballdatabase. Retrieved 16 February 2015.
  31. "Cristian Săpunaru". EU-football.info. Retrieved 25 March 2018.
  32. "CEI MAI BUNI Rapid ia TOT! » Săpunaru a fost ales "Jucătorul lunii august", iar Mihai Iosif - "Antrenorul lunii"! Cum s-a votat" [THE BEST Rapid takes IT ALL! » Săpunaru was chosen the "Player of August", and Mihai Iosif - "Coach of the Month"! How the voting took place]. Gazeta Sporturilor (in Romanian). 3 September 2021. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
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