Florin Niță

Florin Constantin Niță (Romanian pronunciation: [floˈrin konstanˈtin ˈnitsə]; born 3 July 1987) is a Romanian professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Süper Lig club Gaziantep and the Romania national team.

Florin Niță
Niță with Sparta Prague in 2018
Personal information
Full name Florin Constantin Niță
Date of birth (1987-07-03) 3 July 1987
Place of birth Bucharest, Romania
Height 1.84 m (6 ft 0 in)
Position(s) Goalkeeper
Team information
Current team
 Gaziantep
Number 33
Youth career
1994–2001 Steaua București
2001–2005 Rapid București
2005–2006 Astra Ploiești
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2006–2013 Concordia Chiajna 117 (0)
2013–2018 Steaua București 87 (0)
2018–2023 Sparta Prague 92 (0)
2023 → Pardubice (loan) 17 (0)
2023– Gaziantep 4 (0)
International career‡
2017– Romania 19 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 7 October 2023
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 14 June 2022

He started his senior career at Concordia Chiajna, before signing for Steaua București in 2013. Niță won six honours during his spell with the capital-based team, and at the start of 2018 transferred to the Czech Republic with Sparta Prague.

Niță earned his first cap for the Romania national team in November 2017, in a 2–0 friendly win against Turkey.

Club career

Early career / Concordia Chiajna

Born in Bucharest, Niță started playing football at the age of seven with FC Steaua București.[1] In 2001, he moved to local rivals Rapid București, where he stayed for four years. He then spent his last season as a junior at Astra Ploiești.[2]

In 2006, aged 19, Niță joined Concordia Chiajna and played his first senior matches in the Liga III,[2] the third level of the Romanian league system. He made his debut with the team in the Liga I on 25 July 2011, in a 1–2 home loss to Sportul Studențesc.[3]

FCSB

In December 2012, it was announced that Niță would return to his boyhood club FC Steaua București in the summer of the following year.[4] He started to appear frequently for the Roș-albaștrii in the 2015–16 season, in which he recorded 32 matches in all competitions.

On 16 August 2016, Niță saved one of the two penalty kicks missed by Sergio Agüero in the 0–5 UEFA Champions League play-off loss to Manchester City.[5] In May 2017, Niță agreed to a new deal at the team, now named FCSB, that would have kept him in Bucharest until 2021.[6][7] His good display in 2017 earned him third place in Gazeta Sporturilor's Romanian Footballer of the Year award, which he shared with Ștefan Radu.

Sparta Prague

Niță transferred to Czech team Sparta Prague on 1 February 2018 for an undisclosed fee, rumoured to be €2 million plus €500,000 in bonuses.[8][9]

In December 2021, Niță was named the Romanian Footballer of the Year by both the CSJ Association and the Gazeta Sporturilor daily for his performances throughout the calendar year.[10][11]

Sparta Prague loaned Niță out to Pardubice for the remainder of the 2022–23 season.[12]

Gaziantep

On 9 September 2023, Niță signed a one-year contract with Turkish club Gaziantep.[13]

International career

On 18 March 2017, following the injury of Silviu Lung Jr., Niță was picked by manager Christoph Daum in Romania's squad for a 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Denmark.[14] Days before his call-up, former Romanian internationals Helmuth Duckadam, Gheorghe Hagi and Laurențiu Reghecampf stated that his omissal from the squad was "unjust".[15][16]

Niță eventually made his debut for the full side on 9 November 2017, entering as a 71st-minute substitute for Costel Pantilimon in a 2–0 friendly win over Turkey in Cluj-Napoca.[17] After Ciprian Tătărușanu announced his retirement from the national team at the end of 2020, Niță played the full 90 minutes in all three 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifying matches against North Macedonia, Germany and Armenia in March 2021. In spite of the fact that Romania lost against the latter two, his performances were praised by media and fans alike.[18][19]

Career statistics

Club
As of match played 7 October 2023[20]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National Cup League Cup Continental Other Total
AppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Concordia Chiajna 2007–08 70??–––70
2008–09 150??–––150
2009–10 290??–––290
2010–11 27000–––270
2011–12 21000–––210
2012–13 18020–––200
Total 117020–––1190
FCSB 2013–14 5030–000080
2014–15 301020000060
2015–16 29010101000320
2016–17 290202090–420
2017–18 21000–80–290
Total 8707050180001170
Sparta Prague 2017–18 140––––140
2018–19 26000–20–280
2019–20 11020–20–150
2020–21 26010–30–300
2021–22 15000–80–230
2022–23 0000–00–00
Total 92030–150–1100
Pardubice (loan) 2022–23 170––––170
Gaziantep 2023–24 4000–––40
Career total 317012050330003670

International
As of match played 14 June 2022[21]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National teamYearAppsGoals
Romania 201710
201810
2021110
202260
Total190

Honours

FCSB[20]

Sparta Prague[20]

Individual

References
  1. ""La Steaua n-am avut nicio şansă!" Povestea EMOŢIONANTĂ a portarului care a eliminat liderul din Cupă! Şi-a pierdut părinţii şi casa" ["I had no chance at Steaua!" The HEARTWARMING story of the goalkeeper who eliminated the leader from the Cup! He lost his parents and his home] (in Romanian). ProSport. 2 November 2012. Retrieved 17 March 2017.
  2. "Veteran la 24 de ani! A fost şcolit la Steaua şi Rapid" [24-year-old hotshot! He spent his youth career at Steaua and Rapid] (in Romanian). ProSport. 5 September 2011. Retrieved 17 March 2017.
  3. "ETAPA 1, CONCORDIA CHIAJNA – SPORTUL STUDENŢESC" (in Romanian). ProSport. 25 July 2011. Retrieved 10 June 2018.
  4. "Steaua a transferat un portar din Liga 1! Becali a dat deja banii pe el: "Stati linistiti, are Tatarusanu competitie din vara!" Cine a semnat cu Steaua" [Steaua transferred a Liga 1 goalkeeper! Becali already paid the money for him: "Stay calm, Tătărușanu will face competition from the summer!" Who signed for Steaua] (in Romanian). Sport.ro. 13 December 2012. Retrieved 17 March 2017.
  5. "Sergio Aguero hat trick as Man City cruise at Steaua Bucharest". ESPN FC. 16 August 2016. Retrieved 17 March 2017.
  6. "FCSB i-a prelungit contractul lui Florin Niță până în 2021". DolceSport. 19 May 2017. Archived from the original on 7 August 2017. Retrieved 9 July 2017.
  7. "Veste uriaşă pentru Niţă!". Digi Sport. 19 May 2017.
  8. "Florin Nita přichází na Letnou" [Florin Niță is coming to Letná] (in Czech). Sparta Prague. 1 February 2018. Archived from the original on 4 February 2018. Retrieved 1 February 2018.
  9. "Florin Nita, despartire emotionanta de FCSB – Portarul va evolua la Sparta Praga" [Florin Niță, emotional parting from FCSB – The goalkeeper will play for Sparta Prague] (in Romanian). Hotnews.ro. 1 February 2018. Retrieved 1 February 2018.
  10. "Gala Fotbalului Românesc 2021 | Edi Iordănescu, cel mai bun antrenor! Florin Niță, cel mai bun fotbalist român. Toate premiile" [2021 Romanian Football Gala | Edi Iordănescu, the best coach! Florin Niță, the best Romanian footballer. All the prizes] (in Romanian). Digi Sport. 13 December 2021. Retrieved 13 December 2021.
  11. "VIDEO GALA GSP 2021 » Gazeta a decernat Superlativele anului 2021 și a premiat 5 Legende: iată cine sunt laureații!" [VIDEO 2021 GSP GALA » Gazeta announced the Superlatives of the year 2021 and awarded 5 Legends: here are the winners!]. Gazeta Sporturilor (in Romanian). 21 December 2021. Retrieved 21 December 2021.
  12. Machálek, René (28 January 2023). "Vysvobození pro sparťana Nitu. Zkušený gólman míří na hostování do Pardubic" (in Czech). sport.cz. Retrieved 28 January 2023.
  13. "TRANSFER | FLORIN NITA GAZİANTEP'TE!" [TRANSFER | FLORIN NITA IS IN GAZİANTEP!]. gaziantepfk.org (in Turkish). Gaziantep F.K. 9 September 2023.
  14. "OFICIAL! Florin Niţă a fost convocat la echipa naţională, în locul lui Silviu Lung" [OFFICIAL! Florin Niță has been called up for the national team, replacing Silviu Lung] (in Romanian). Digi Sport. 18 March 2017. Retrieved 18 March 2017.
  15. "EXCLUSIV Niţă, sfătuit să renunţe la echipa naţională: "În locul lui, aşa aş face! Nu are rost!"" (in Romanian). ProSport. 14 March 2017.
  16. "Cum a comentat Reghecampf faptul că Daum nu l-a luat pe Niță la "națională"". Gazeta Sporturilor (in Romanian). 17 March 2017.
  17. "România-Turcia, 2 – 0. Gheorghe Grozav a marcat de două ori pentru echipa națională" [Romania-Turkey, 2–0. Gheorghe Grozav scored twice for the national team] (in Romanian). Pro TV. 9 November 2017. Retrieved 10 June 2018.
  18. ""Am pierdut un meci, dar am castigat un portar!" Nita, laudat de un fost antrenor dupa paradele exceptionale! "A castigat respectul intregii tari"" ["We lost a game, but we won a goalkeeper!" Niță, praised by a former coach after his exceptional saves! "He has won the respect of the whole country"] (in Romanian). Sport.ro. 29 March 2021. Retrieved 1 April 2021.
  19. "Complimentul carierei pentru Niţă. A fost lăudat după meci de marele Manuel Neuer: "Felicitări! A avut intervenţii bune!"" [The praise of his career for Niță. He was complimented after the match by the great Manuel Neuer: "Congratulations! He had good saves!"] (in Romanian). Telekom Sport. 29 March 2021. Retrieved 1 April 2021.
  20. Florin Niță at Soccerway. Retrieved 29 October 2017.
  21. "Florin Niță". EU-Football.info. Retrieved 26 March 2018.
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