Denis Alibec (born 5 January 1991) is a Romanian professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...

who plays as a

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for

Liga I The Liga I (; ''First League''), also spelled as Liga 1, is a Romanian professional league for men's association football clubs. Currently sponsored by betting company Superbet, it is officially known as the SuperLiga. It is the country's top ...

club Farul Constanța and the

Romania national team Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Moldova to the east, and ...

. Alibec began his senior career at Farul Constanța, and at age 18 was signed by Italian club

Inter Milan Football Club Internazionale Milano, commonly referred to as Internazionale () or simply Inter, and colloquially known as Inter Milan in English-speaking countries, is an Football in Italy, Italian professional Association football, football ...

. He only made two

Serie A The Serie A (), also called Serie A TIM for national sponsorship with TIM, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and the winner is awarded the Scudetto and the Coppa ...

appearances and was loaned out several times, before being brought back to Romania by

Astra Giurgiu Asociația Fotbal Club Astra Giurgiu (), commonly known as Astra Giurgiu or simply Astra, was a Romanian football club based in the city of Giurgiu, Giurgiu County. Founded in 1921 in Ploiești as ''Clubul Sportiv Astra-Română'', it spent th ...

. He became a regular starter and goalscorer with the latter, and also aided it in winning its first national title in the 2015–16 season. This inspired a move to his former youth team

FCSB Fotbal Club FCSB (), commonly known as FCSB, is a Romanian professional Association football, football club based in Bucharest. It has spent its entire history in the top flight of the Romanian football league system, Romanian league system, t ...

in 2017, but Alibec transferred back to Astra after only one and a half years. Since 2020, in addition to Romania he has had brief stints in Turkey and Greece. Internationally, Alibec featured for Romania at under-17, under-19 and under-21 levels, prior to earning his full debut in a 3–0 win over the

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in October 2015. The following year, he represented the country in the

UEFA Euro 2016 The 2016 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2016 (stylised as UEFA EURO 2016) or simply Euro 2016, was the 15th UEFA European Championship, the quadrennial international men's football championship of Europe o ...

Club career

Early career

At age ten, after only playing football on the beaches of his native

Mangalia Mangalia (, tr, Mankalya), ancient Callatis ( el, Κάλλατις/Καλλατίς; other historical names: Pangalia, Panglicara, Tomisovara), is a city and a port on the coast of the Black Sea in the south-east of Constanța County, Northern D ...

, Alibec chose to focus entirely on the sport and joined the youth setup of Callatis Mangalia. He had a brief spell as a junior at Steaua București in 2006, before making his senior debut for Farul Constanța in a 1–1

draw with Oțelul Galați on 27 September 2008. During the 2008–09 season, he managed to score twice from 18 league matches.

Inter Milan

In July 2009, it was announced that Alibec signed a four-year contract with Italian club

. On 19 May 2010, he scored one goal in each half to give Inter a victory over

Bayern Munich Fußball-Club Bayern München e. V. (FCB, ), also known as FC Bayern (), Bayern Munich, or simply Bayern, is a German professional sports club based in Munich, Bavaria. It is best known for its professional men's football team, which pla ...

in the UEFA Under-18 Challenge match, which acted as an inspiration for the

UEFA Youth League The UEFA Youth League is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) since 2013. In its current format, it is contested by the youth teams of the clubs competing in the UEFA Champions League ...

. Alibec registered his

debut on 21 November 2010, coming on as a 68th-minute substitute for

Jonathan Biabiany Jonathan Ludovic Biabiany (born 28 April 1988) is a French professional footballer who plays as a winger for Spanish club San Fernando. During the most notable period of his career (between 2008 and 2014), he was regarded as one of the fastes ...

in a 1–2 defeat to

Chievo Verona Associazione Calcio ChievoVerona, commonly referred to as ChievoVerona or simply Chievo , is a former professional Football in Italy, Italian football club named after and based in Chievo, a suburb of 4,500 inhabitants in Verona, Veneto, and o ...

. During that period, he was in rich form in the Campionato Primavera Girone B after scoring eight goals in nine games. On 24 August 2011, Alibec joined

Belgian Pro League The Belgian Pro League,(officially the Jupiler Pro League due to sponsorship reasons with Jupiler), is the top league competition for association football clubs in Belgium. Contested by 18 clubs since the 2020–21 season and reduced to 16 team ...

side

Mechelen Mechelen (; french: Malines ; traditional English name: MechlinMechelen has been known in English as ''Mechlin'', from where the adjective ''Mechlinian'' is derived. This name may still be used, especially in a traditional or historical contex ...

on a one-

year A year or annus is the orbital period of a planetary body, for example, the Earth, moving in its orbit around the Sun. Due to the Earth's axial tilt, the course of a year sees the passing of the seasons, marked by change in weather, the hou ...

deal. The next two years, he moved to Viitorul Constanța and

Bologna Bologna (, , ; egl, label= Emilian, Bulåggna ; lat, Bononia) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in Northern Italy. It is the seventh most populous city in Italy with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nat ...

in the same predicament, respectively.

Astra Giurgiu

In January 2014, Romanian club

transferred Alibec for an undisclosed fee, with the player penning down a four-and-a-half-year contract. His first goal came in a 2–0 win over Ceahlăul Piatra Neamț, on 30 March 2014. On 6 December that year, he netted in a 6–1 thrashing of

Dinamo București A dynamo is a magnetic device originally used as an electric generator. Dynamo or Dinamo may also refer to: Places * Dinamo (Moscow Metro), a station of the Moscow Metro, Moscow, Russia * Dinamo (Yekaterinburg Metro), a station of the Yekaterin ...

. On 30 April 2015, Alibec scored a 86th-minute volley in a 2–1 win against Petrolul Ploiești, which represented Astra's first Liga I away victory in the

Former Ploiești derby The Former Ploiești derby ( ro, Fostul derbi al Ploieștiului) is the name given in football to any match between Romanian clubs Petrolul Ploiești and Astra Giurgiu. The two sides have won a combined eleven domestic titles, and as of 2021 Petr ...

. He established himself as one of the league's best players during the 2015–16 campaign, amassing 33 matches and 20 goals in all competitions as manager

Marius Șumudică Marius Ninel Șumudică (born 4 March 1971) is a Romanian professional football manager and former player, he is the current manager of Saudi club Al-Raed. Șumudică was a striker who began his senior career with Sportul Studențesc and rep ...

led Astra to its maiden championship title. On 18 August 2016, Alibec netted the equaliser in a 1–1

Europa League The UEFA Europa League (abbreviated as UEL, or sometimes, UEFA EL), formerly the UEFA Cup, is an annual football club competition organised since 1971 by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European football clubs. It ...

play-off round The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eithe ...

draw with

West Ham United West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club that plays its home matches in Stratford, East London. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. The club plays at the London Stadium, hav ...

. He went on to make five appearances and score two goals in the

group stage A tournament is a competition involving at least three competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses: # One or more competitions held at a single venue and concent ...

of the competition, his notable display throughout 2016 earning him the ''

Gazeta Sporturilor ''Gazeta Sporturilor'' ( en, The Sports Gazette) is a daily Romanian newspaper, and the country's largest and most read sports-related publication. It is owned by Ringier Sportal S.R.L—a joint venture of Ringier Romania S.R.L. and the Bulgarian ...

Romanian Footballer of the Year The Romanian Footballer of the Year ( ro, Fotbalistul român al anului), also known as the Nicolae Dobrin Trophy ( ro, Trofeul Nicolae Dobrin), is an annual association football award given by the ''Gazeta Sporturilor'' newspaper to the Romanian ...

award.

FCSB

On 5 January 2017, Alibec moved to fellow Liga I team FC Steaua București on a five-year deal. The rumoured transfer fee was in the region of

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2 million and his

buyout clause A buyout clause or release clause refers to a clause in a contract that imposes an obligation on another organisation wishing to acquire the services of the employee under contract to pay the (usually substantial) fee of the clause to the organisati ...

was set at €20 million. He scored his first competitive goal from the

penalty spot The penalty area or 18-yard box (also known less formally as the penalty box or simply box) is an area of an association football pitch. It is rectangular and extends 16.5m (18 yd) to each side of the goal and 16.5m (18 yd) in front of it. Wit ...

in a 1–1 league draw with

CFR Cluj Fotbal Club CFR 1907 Cluj, commonly known as CFR Cluj ( or ), is a Romanian professional association football, football club based in the city of Cluj-Napoca, Cluj County, which competes in the Liga I. It was founded in 1907 as ''Kolozsvári Vas ...

on 5 February, in which he was also

sent off In sports, an ejection (also known as dismissal, sending-off, disqualification, or early shower) is the removal of a participant from a contest due to a violation of the sport's rules. The exact violations that lead to an ejection vary depending ...

. On 2 August 2017, Alibec netted his first

European European, or Europeans, or Europeneans, may refer to: In general * ''European'', an adjective referring to something of, from, or related to Europe ** Ethnic groups in Europe ** Demographics of Europe ** European cuisine, the cuisines of Europe ...

goal for the ''Roș-albaștrii'' in a 4–1 Champions League third qualifying round away win over

Viktoria Plzeň Viktoria usually refers to Viktoria, a name which is the same as Victoria (name), but may also refer to: Places * FK Viktoria Stadion, stadium of Viktoria Žižkov * Viktoria-Luise-Platz, building in Berlin * Viktoriastadt, now known as Victoria ...

. After going twelve matches without scoring in the

2017–18 Liga I The 2017–18 Liga I (also known as Liga 1 Betano for sponsorship reasons) was the 100th season of the Liga I, the top professional league for Romanian association football clubs. The season began on 14 July 2017 and ended on 2 June 2018, being t ...

, Alibec finally found the net in a 2–1 away victory against

Gaz Metan Mediaș GAZ or Gorkovsky Avtomobilny Zavod (russian: ГАЗ or Го́рьковский автомоби́льный заво́д, , Gorky Automobile Plant) is a Russian automotive manufacturer located in Nizhny Novgorod, formerly known as Gorky (Го� ...

on 3 February 2018, although his poor performances continued.

Return to Astra Giurgiu

In July 2018, after falling out of favor at the now-renamed FCSB, Alibec returned to Astra Giurgiu in a transfer rumoured to be worth €1.4 million. He managed to regain his form during his spell back at the Marin Anastasovici Stadium, as he scored 22 times from 61 games in all competitions.

Kayserispor

Denis Alibec - Petrolul Ploiesti vs Farul Constanta, 16 September 2022

On 2 October 2020, Alibec officially transferred to Turkish team

Kayserispor Kayseri Spor Kulübü, commonly known as Kayserispor, is a Turkish professional football club based in Kayseri. They play their home matches at the Kadir Has Stadium in red and yellow kits. The team has won one Turkish Cup in 2008 and also fini ...

, where he joined compatriots and former Astra teammates

Silviu Lung Jr. Silviu Lung (born 4 June 1989) is a Romanian professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Saudi Professional League club Al-Raed. International career He played his first match for Romania in 2010, being used by coach Răzvan Lucescu to ...

and

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. Săpun ...

. The day before, Saudi Arabian club Al-Qadsiah had also announced his signing, but the move fell through. Alibec recorded his first goals in the

Süper Lig The Süper Lig (, ''Super League''), officially known as Spor Toto Süper Lig for sponsorship reasons, is a Turkish professional league for association football clubs. It is the top-flight of the Turkish football league system and is run by the ...

on 19 January 2021, in a 2–0 victory over defending champions İstanbul Başakşehir. He suffered an injury after the second goal, and as a result he only appeared five more times during the remainder of the

season A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and pol ...

without netting. On 17 July 2021, Alibec was sent out on a one-

loan to CFR Cluj, with the deal reuniting him with manager Marius Șumudică. The latter was soon replaced by

Dan Petrescu Daniel Vasile Petrescu (; born 22 December 1967) is a Romanian football manager and former player, who is currently in charge of Liga I club CFR Cluj. As a player, Petrescu was deployed as a full-back or a winger and represented Premier Lea ...

, and Alibec began to feature less for the Romanian defending champions. He moved to

Super League Greece The Super League Greece 1 ( el, Ελληνική Σούπερ Λιγκ 1), or Super League 1, is the highest professional association football league in Greece. The league was formed on 16 July 2006 and replaced ''Alpha Ethniki'' at the top of ...

club

Atromitos Atromitos (Greek: Ατρόμητος, "fearless") may refer to: * Atromitos F.C., a football team based in Peristeri, Athens, Greece * Atromitos Piraeus, a football team based in Piraeus, Athens, Greece * Atromitos Yeroskipou, a football team curr ...

in the winter

transfer window A transfer window is the period during the year in which a football club can transfer players from other playing staff into their playing staff. Such a transfer is completed by registering the player into the new club through FIFA. "Transfer win ...

, also on loan until the end of the

campaign Campaign or The Campaign may refer to: Types of campaigns * Campaign, in agriculture, the period during which sugar beets are harvested and processed *Advertising campaign, a series of advertisement messages that share a single idea and theme * Bl ...

Late career

On 14 July 2022, Alibec returned to Farul Constanța on a free transfer. He signed a one-year contract with the option of another year.

International career

Alibec played youth football for Romania at under-17, under-19 and under-21 levels. On 11 October 2015, after being called up on several occasions in the past, he gained his first

cap A cap is a flat headgear, usually with a visor. Caps have crowns that fit very close to the head. They made their first appearance as early as 3200 BC. Caps typically have a visor, or no brim at all. They are popular in casual and informal se ...

for the full side in the last

UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying The UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying tournament was a football competition that was played from September 2014 to November 2015 to determine the 23 UEFA member men's national teams joining the automatically qualified host team France in the UEFA Euro 2 ...

match against the

, replacing

Bogdan Stancu Bogdan Sorin Stancu (; born 28 June 1987) is a Romanian professional footballer who plays as a forward. Stancu started his professional career at Argeș Pitești, and had a brief loan spell at Mioveni. Due to an irregularity in his contract he ...

in the 90th minute of the 3–0 win. In June 2016, Alibec was selected by

Anghel Iordănescu Anghel Iordănescu (; born 4 May 1950), also known as "Tata Puiu", is a Romanian former footballer and former manager of the Romania national team, who played as a forward. In 2007, Iordănescu retired from football, and the following February ...

in his squad for the

final tournament Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event ** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of cont ...

in France, and appeared as a substitute in the opening 2–1 defeat to the

hosts A host is a person responsible for guests at an event or for providing hospitality during it. Host may also refer to: Places *Host, Pennsylvania, a village in Berks County People *Jim Host (born 1937), American businessman *Michel Host ( ...

Personal life

Alibec's father and uncle, Gevrim and Gelil, respectively, are of Tatar ethnicity and played football together for roughly ten years at FC Neptun in the third division.

Career statistics

Club

International

:''Scores and results list Romania's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Alibec goal.''

Honours

Inter Milan *

Supercoppa Italiana The Supercoppa Italiana ( en, Italian Super Cup) is an annual football match contested by the winners of the Serie A and the Coppa Italia in the previous season. If the same team wins both the Serie A and Coppa Italia titles in the previous seaso ...

2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...

FIFA Club World Cup The FIFA Club World Cup is an international men's association football competition organised by the ''Fédération Internationale de Football Association'' ( FIFA), the sport's global governing body. The competition was first contested in 200 ...

Astra Giurgiu *

: 2015–16 *

Cupa României The Cupa României ( en, Romanian Cup) is a Association football, football cup competition for List of football clubs in Romania, Romanian teams which has been held annually since 1933–34 Cupa României, 1933–34, except during World War II. I ...

: 2013–14; runner-up: 2018–19 *

Supercupa României The Supercupa României ( en, Romanian Supercup) is a Romanian football championship contested by the winners of the Liga I and the Cupa României. It is usually played at the Arena Națională in Bucharest. The competition started off in 1994, ...

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...

CFR Cluj *

: 2021–22 Individual *''

: 2016 *

Team of the Season: 2016–17, 2019–20 *

DigiSport Digi Communications, also known as RCS & RDS, is a Romanian telecommunication holding company operating in Romania, Hungary, Spain and Italy. Digi was founded by Zoltán Teszári, who is the majority owner, and it is listed on the Bucharest Stoc ...

Liga I Player of the Month: December 2015, April 2016, May 2017

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Alibec, Denis 1991 births Living people People from Mangalia Romanian people of Crimean Tatar descent Romanian footballers Association football forwards Liga I players FCV Farul Constanța players Serie A players Inter Milan players Belgian First Division A players K.V. Mechelen players FC Viitorul Constanța players Bologna F.C. 1909 players FC Astra Giurgiu players FC Steaua București players Süper Lig players Kayserispor footballers CFR Cluj players Super League Greece players Atromitos F.C. players Romania youth international footballers Romania under-21 international footballers Romania international footballers UEFA Euro 2016 players Romanian expatriate footballers Expatriate footballers in Italy Romanian expatriate sportspeople in Italy Expatriate footballers in Belgium Romanian expatriate sportspeople in Belgium Expatriate footballers in Turkey Romanian expatriate sportspeople in Turkey Expatriate footballers in Greece Romanian expatriate sportspeople in Greece