Gheorghe Grozav
Gheorghe "Gicu" Teodor Grozav (Romanian pronunciation: [ˈɡe̯orɡe teˈodor groˈzav]; born 29 September 1990) is a Romanian professional footballer who plays as a winger or an attacking midfielder for Liga I club Petrolul Ploiești.
 Grozav with Terek Grozny in 2016 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Gheorghe Teodor Grozav | ||
| Date of birth | 29 September 1990 | ||
| Place of birth | Alba Iulia, Romania | ||
| Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Winger, attacking midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Petrolul Ploiești | ||
| Number | 7 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| –2007 | Unirea Alba Iulia | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2007–2009 | Unirea Alba Iulia | 62 | (14) |
| 2010–2012 | Standard Liège | 15 | (0) |
| 2011–2012 | → Universitatea Cluj (loan) | 24 | (6) |
| 2012–2013 | Petrolul Ploiești | 36 | (10) |
| 2013–2017 | Terek Grozny | 46 | (7) |
| 2015 | → Dinamo București (loan) | 11 | (4) |
| 2017–2018 | Karabükspor | 14 | (2) |
| 2018 | Bursaspor | 8 | (0) |
| 2018 | Dinamo București | 3 | (0) |
| 2019–2020 | Kisvárda | 37 | (12) |
| 2020–2021 | Diósgyőr | 29 | (8) |
| 2021–2022 | MTK Budapest | 26 | (6) |
| 2022– | Petrolul Ploiești | 51 | (13) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2008 | Romania U19 | 1 | (0) |
| 2009–2011 | Romania U21 | 5 | (1) |
| 2012–2019 | Romania | 31 | (5) |
|
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 22 October 2023 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 8 September 2019 | |||
Grozav started his senior career at his hometown club Unirea Alba Iulia in 2007. At the start of 2010, he moved abroad for the first time to Belgian side Standard Liège. Following a loan to Universitatea Cluj in the 2011–12 season, Grozav returned to Romania again at Petrolul Ploiești, with which he won a Cupa României trophy. His performances prompted another transfer abroad to Russian club Terek Grozny in the summer of 2013, spending several seasons there before moving frequently between teams in Romania, Turkey, and Hungary.
At international level, Grozav made his full debut for Romania in May 2012, scoring the only goal of a friendly win over Switzerland. He has since totalled over 30 matches for his country.
Club career
Unirea Alba Iulia
Grozav started his career at his hometown club Unirea Alba Iulia, playing his first match in the 2007–08 Liga II season. In the summer of 2009, after two years in the Romanian Liga II, Grozav wanted to score a move away at Standard Liège as a free agent. He was later forced by UEFA to sign for another three years with the club for which he was a junior.[1]
On 1 September 2009, Gicu Grozav made his Liga I debut in a 1–0 defeat against FC Brașov.
Standard Liège
László Bölöni eventually brought Grozav to Belgium in January 2010, signing for Standard Liège for an undisclosed fee, whilst Unirea Alba Iulia retained 15% of the players rights.[2] He got limited playing time in his first two years with the team, only making 15 league appearances.
For the 2011–12 season Grozav was transferred to Liga I team Universitatea Cluj on a one-year loan move.[3] He refound his form here as he helped his team to an eighth-place finish.
Petrolul Ploiești
In the summer of 2012 Gicu Grozav signed a three-year contract with Petrolul Ploiești after a number of his teammates also signed with the Yellow Wolves.[4] On 8 August 2013, he scored the decisive goal against Dutch outfit Vitesse Arnhem in the 95th minute to make sure Petrolul Ploiești progressed to the Europa League last preliminary round for the first time in the club's history.[5] On 25 August 2013, Grozav scored a consolation goal with an overhead kick against Swansea City in the play-off.[6]
Terek Grozny
On 28 August 2013 he joined the Russian Premier League side Terek Grozny[7] for a rumoured fee of €2.1 million.[8]
On 2 February 2015, Grozav once again returned to Romania, signing for Dinamo București on loan.
Turkey
On 27 July 2017, Grozav joined Turkish Süper Lig side Kardemir Karabükspor on a three-year contract.[9] On 19 August, he scored on his league debut for the club in a 3–1 home win over İstanbul Başakşehir.
Grozav was signed by Bursaspor on a six-month contract with the option of another two years on 17 January 2018.[10]
Return to Dinamo București
On 2 October 2018, Grozav re-signed for Dinamo București.[11] He was released from his contract on 2 November.
Hungary
On 16 January 2019, Grozav signed for Kisvárda FC.[12] On 31 March 2020, Kisvárda terminated Grozav's contract when he and teammate Iasmin Latovlevici left for Romania without permission during the COVID-19 pandemic.[13]
Return to Petrolul Ploiești
On 14 June 2022, Petrolul Ploiești announced that Grozav would be returning to the club and commence training the following day.[14]
International career
Grozav made his debut for the senior team in a friendly match against Switzerland on 30 May 2012, where he scored the winning goal.[15] This was the first-ever goal scored for the full side by a player born after the Romanian Revolution. On 12 October 2012, Grozav netted the only goal of a 1–0 victory over Turkey at the Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium.[16]
Personal life
Grozav's uncle, Cornel Țălnar, also played football for Dinamo București, Petrolul Ploiești and Unirea Alba Iulia.[17][18] In May 2022, he married handballer Sorina Tîrcă.[19]
Career statistics
Club
- As of match played 22 October 2023[20]
| Club | Season | League | National Cup | Continental | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Unirea Alba Iulia | 2007–08 | 15 | 6 | 2 | 1 | — | 17 | 7 | |
| 2008–09 | 31 | 6 | 0 | 0 | — | 31 | 6 | ||
| 2009–10 | 16 | 2 | 1 | 0 | — | 17 | 2 | ||
| Total | 62 | 14 | 3 | 1 | — | 64 | 15 | ||
| Standard Liège | 2009–10 | 5 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2010–11 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 10 | 0 | ||
| Total | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 16 | 0 | |
| Universitatea Cluj (loan) | 2011–12 | 24 | 6 | 1 | 0 | — | 25 | 6 | |
| Petrolul Ploiești | 2012–13 | 31 | 9 | 5 | 0 | — | 35 | 9 | |
| 2013–14 | 5 | 1 | 1[lower-alpha 1] | 0 | 5 | 6 | 11 | 7 | |
| Total | 36 | 10 | 6 | 0 | 5 | 6 | 47 | 16 | |
| Terek Grozny | 2013–14 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 1 | — | 10 | 1 | |
| 2014–15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2015–16 | 18 | 2 | 3 | 0 | — | 21 | 2 | ||
| 2016–17 | 21 | 5 | 2 | 0 | — | 23 | 5 | ||
| Total | 46 | 7 | 8 | 1 | — | 54 | 8 | ||
| Dinamo București (loan) | 2014–15 | 11 | 3 | 2 | 1 | — | 13 | 4 | |
| Karabükspor | 2017–18 | 14 | 2 | 2 | 0 | — | 16 | 2 | |
| Bursaspor | 2017–18 | 8 | 0 | — | — | 8 | 0 | ||
| Dinamo București | 2018–19 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 4 | 0 | |
| Kisvárda | 2018–19 | 14 | 5 | 2 | 1 | — | 16 | 6 | |
| 2019–20 | 23 | 7 | 0 | 0 | — | 23 | 7 | ||
| Total | 37 | 12 | 2 | 1 | — | 39 | 13 | ||
| Diósgyőr | 2020–21 | 29 | 8 | 1 | 2 | — | 30 | 10 | |
| MTK Budapest | 2021–22 | 26 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 26 | 6 |
| Petrolul Ploiești | 2022–23 | 38 | 10 | 3 | 1 | — | 41 | 11 | |
| 2023–24 | 13 | 3 | 1 | 0 | — | 14 | 3 | ||
| Total | 51 | 13 | 4 | 1 | — | 55 | 14 | ||
| Career total | 362 | 81 | 30 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 398 | 94 | |
- Appearance in Supercupa României
International
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- As of match played 8 September 2019[21]
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Romania | |||
| 2012 | 8 | 3 | |
| 2013 | 10 | 0 | |
| 2014 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2015 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2016 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2017 | 5 | 2 | |
| 2018 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2019 | 2 | 0 | |
| Total | 31 | 5 | |
International goals
- Scores and results list Romania's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Grozav goal[21]
| No. | Date | Venue | Cap | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 30 May 2012 | Swissporarena, Lucerne, Switzerland | 1 | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} Switzerland | 1–0 | 1–0 | Friendly |
| 2 | 15 August 2012 | Stožice, Ljubljana, Slovenia | 3 |  Slovenia | 3–4 | 3–4 | Friendly |
| 3 | 12 October 2012 | Şükrü Saracoğlu, Istanbul, Turkey | 6 |  Turkey | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2014 World Cup qualification |
| 4 | 9 November 2017 | Dr. Constantin Rădulescu, Cluj-Napoca, Romania | 22 | Turkey | 1–0 | 2–0 | Friendly |
| 5 | 2–0 |
Honours
Unirea Alba Iulia
Standard Liège[20]
Petrolul Ploiești[20]
- Cupa României: 2012–13
- Supercupa României runner-up: 2013
References
- "Gicu Grozav a revenit la FC Unirea!". informatiadealba.ro (in Romanian). 17 July 2009. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 8 January 2013.
- "Standard wil transfers Camara en Grozav afronden". voetbalkrant.com (in Dutch). 11 January 2010. Retrieved 8 January 2013.
- "Gheorghe Grozav revine pentru un an în Liga I". Gazeta Sporturilor (in Romanian). 4 August 2011. Retrieved 8 January 2013.
- "Grozav a semnat un contract pe trei ani cu Petrolul Ploieşti". Digi24 (in Romanian). 9 June 2012. Archived from the original on 10 June 2012. Retrieved 8 January 2013.
- "Vitesse vs. Petrolul Ploieşti 1–2". Soccerway.com. Retrieved 9 August 2013.
- "Tottenham and Swansea cruise". ESPN FC. 22 August 2013.
- Грозав и Бокила подписали контракты с "Тереком" и присоединились к команде (in Russian). championat.com. 29 August 2013. Retrieved 30 August 2013.
- "EXCLUSIV – Augsburg a încercat să blocheze transferul lui Grozav la Terek, dar vârful a plecat astăzi în Rusia! Ce ofereau germanii" (in Romanian). Prosport. 29 August 2013.
- "Gheorghe Grozav Kardemir Karabükspor'da". Hürriyet Daily News (in Turkish). 27 July 2017.
- "Gheorghe Grozav ile Anlaşma Sağlandı" (in Turkish). Bursaspor. 17 January 2018. Archived from the original on 18 July 2018. Retrieved 17 January 2018.
- "OFICIAL. Gheorghe GROZAV la Dinamo" (in Romanian). FC Dinamo București. 2 October 2018. Retrieved 2 October 2018.
- "NB I: 27-szeres román válogatott játékost igazolt a Kisvárda" (in Hungarian). nso.hu. 16 January 2019. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
- "Kisvárda: Grozav és honfitársa hazament Romániába, szerződést bontottak velük" (in Hungarian). nso.hu. 31 March 2020. Retrieved 31 March 2020.
- "OFICIAL Gicu Grozav s-a întors în Liga 1! » Noua lui echipă a anunțat transferul" [OFFICIAL Gicu Grozav has returned to the Liga 1! » His new team announced the transfer]. Gazeta Sporturilor (in Romanian). 15 June 2022. Retrieved 15 June 2022.
- "Naţionala GROZAVĂ! Revanşă după 18 ani: Elveţia – România 0–1". ProSport (in Romanian). 30 May 2012. Retrieved 8 January 2013.
- "Grozav şi Pintilii, mîndri de succesul cu Turcia: "I-am bătut la Rovine, i-am bătut şi la Istanbul!"". Gazeta Sporturilor (in Romanian). 13 October 2012. Retrieved 8 January 2013.
- "Gicuuuu Grozav! Povestea puştiului capricios care bea şampanie pentru copii, merge la cosmetică şi creşte găini indiene" [Gicuuuu Grozav! The story of the capricious kid who drinks champagne for children, goes to cosmetics and takes care of Indian hens] (in Romanian). adevarul.ro. Retrieved 5 February 2018.
- "Nepotul lui Cornel Ţălnar va veni la Dinamo sub formă de împrumut" [Cornel Ţălnar's nephew will come to Dinamo on loan] (in Romanian). click.ro. Retrieved 5 February 2018.
- "Sorina Tîrcă s-a căsătorit și a devenit doamna Grozav!" (in Romanian). Eurosport Romania. 31 May 2022.
- Gheorghe Grozav at Soccerway. Retrieved 9 February 2023.
- "Gheorghe Grozav". European Football. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
External links
- Gheorghe Grozav at RomanianSoccer.ro (in Romanian)
- Gheorghe Grozav at National-Football-Teams.com