Ianis Alin Zicu (born 23 October 1983) is a Romanian former 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 played as a

midfielder A midfielder is an outfield position in association football. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...

for teams such as

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 Yekaterinbu ...

, Farul Constanța,

Rapid București Rapids are sections of a river where the river bed has a relatively steep gradient, causing an increase in water velocity and turbulence. Rapids are hydrological features between a ''run'' (a smoothly flowing part of a stream) and a '' cascade' ...

, Politehnica Timișoara,

CSKA Sofia CSKA Sofia ( bg, ЦСКА София) is a Bulgarian professional association football club based in Sofia and currently competing in the country's premier football competition, the First League. ''CSKA'' is an abbreviation for ''Central Sport ...

or ASA Târgu Mureș, among others.

Personal life

Ianis Zicu is an ethnic Aromanian.

Club career

Dinamo București

Zicu made his

Divizia A 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 ...

debut on 14 April 2001, at the age of 17 in a 4–2 win over

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� ...

. He scored his first goal in a 4–3 loss to

Astra Ploiești 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 the m ...

in the 2000–01 season. However, Zicu found first-team opportunities limited, during his four years at the club he was loaned out several times to gain more experience. During his time at the club, Zicu won the Romania league titles twice in 2002 and 2004, the

Romanian Cup Romanian may refer to: *anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Romania **Romanians, an ethnic group **Romanian language, a Romance language ***Romanian dialects, variants of the Romanian language **Romanian cuisine, traditional ...

in 2001, 2004, and 2005 and the

Romanian Supercup Romanian may refer to: *anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Romania **Romanians, an ethnic group **Romanian language, a Romance language ***Romanian dialects, variants of the Romanian language **Romanian cuisine, traditional ...

in 2005.

Internazionale

In January 2004 Zicu joined

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

, but club sent him immediately on a loan spell to Parma, as part of the

Adriano Leite Ribeiro Adriano Leite Ribeiro (born February 17, 1982), commonly known simply as Adriano, is a Brazilian former professional association football, footballer. He played as a striker (association football), striker and was known for his long range left ...

deal.

Loaned out

Zicu made his

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 ...

debut for

Parma Parma (; egl, Pärma, ) is a city in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna known for its architecture, Giuseppe Verdi, music, art, prosciutto (ham), Parmigiano-Reggiano, cheese and surrounding countryside. With a population of 198,292 ...

on 21 February 2004 in a 2–1 win against

Sampdoria Unione Calcio Sampdoria, commonly referred to as Sampdoria (), is an Italian professional football club based in Genoa. The club was formed in 1946 from the merger of two existing sports clubs whose roots can be traced back to the 1890s, ...

. He was loaned back to Dinamo București in January 2005. Upon his return, Zicu won his second Romanian Cup in 2005. He remained in his country on loan to

, and would become the team's leading scorer. He added 1 more domestic cup with Rapid in 2007. However, the following season he went back to Dinamo on a permanent deal.

Politehnica Timișoara

On 21 July 2010, Zicu signed a five-year contract with archrivals

FC Timișoara FC may refer to: Businesses, organisations, and schools * Fergusson College, a science and arts college in Pune, India * Finncomm Airlines (IATA code) * FranklinCovey company, NYSE stock symbol FC * Frontier Corps, a paramilitary force in Paki ...

. He made his debut in the

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 ...

, in the second leg of the third qualifying round against MyPa. He scored the second goal in the 80th minute, MyPa were leading 3–0 at half time. Timișoara had completed an amazing comeback during the second half a stoppage-time equaliser from

Marián Čišovský Marián Čišovský (2 November 1979 – 28 June 2020) was a Slovak football defender, player of Czech side Viktoria Plzeň.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� ...

in a 3–1 win. He dedicated his goals to his mother, who had died three weeks earlier of

breast cancer Breast cancer is cancer that develops from breast tissue. Signs of breast cancer may include a lump in the breast, a change in breast shape, dimpling of the skin, milk rejection, fluid coming from the nipple, a newly inverted nipple, or a re ...

. On 5 March 2011, Zicu netted again in a 2–1 away win against

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 ...

at the Dr. Constantin Rădulescu Stadium. He scored again this time against Universitatea Craiova, in a 4–0 win, and then in a 2–0 victory over

Victoria Brănești Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

, becoming the Liga 1 top scorer with 18 goals.

CSKA Sofia

On 16 June 2011, Zicu moved abroad to sign with Bulgarian club

for 3 years. On 30 July he made his competitive debut for CSKA in the

Bulgarian Supercup The Bulgarian Supercup ( bg, Суперкупа на България) is the trophy won in a football match held between the football club that has won the Bulgarian first football division in the season that ended in the year of the match and ...

derby match against

Litex Lovech Litex ( bg, Литекс) is a Bulgarian professional association football club based in Lovech, which currently competes in the Second League. The club was founded in 1921 as Hisarya Sports Club. The club's home ground is the Gradski Stadion ...

. He scored from penalty and made the result 2-1 for CSKA, afterwards the match ended 3-1 and CSKA Sofia won the Supercup for the record fourth time in their history. On 28 October 2011, Zicu scored the only goal in the Eternal derby of Bulgaria to help CSKA to a 1:0 home win over

Levski Sofia Levski Sofia ( bg, Левски София) is a Bulgarian professional association football club based in Sofia, which competes in the First League, the top division of the Bulgarian football league system. The club was founded on 24 May 1914 b ...

. He scored his first-ever

hat-trick A hat-trick or hat trick is the achievement of a generally positive feat three times in a match, or another achievement based on the number three. Origin The term first appeared in 1858 in cricket, to describe H. H. Stephenson taking three wic ...

in his career on 12 November 2011, in a 3–1 home win over

Minyor Pernik FC Minyor ( bg, ФК Миньор) is a football club in Pernik, Bulgaria, that competes in the Second League, the second tier of Bulgarian football. Founded in 1919 as SC Krakra, the club's home ground since 1954 has been Stadion Minyor. The c ...

. Zicu finished the first half of the 2011–12 A PFG season as the top scorer in the league, having netted 13 times in total.

Pohang Steelers

In late December 2011, it was revealed that Zicu had been transferred to

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

n club

Pohang Steelers The Pohang Steelers (Hangul: 포항 스틸러스) are a South Korean professional football club based in Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province that compete in the K League 1, the top flight of South Korean football. The Steelers were founded on 1 A ...

, signing a two-year deal with an option for a fourth year (a two-year extension) for an undisclosed fee, though media reports estimated it to be €2.3 million. He made his official debut as a starter on 18 February 2012 in the 2–0 win over

Thai Thai or THAI may refer to: * Of or from Thailand, a country in Southeast Asia ** Thai people, the dominant ethnic group of Thailand ** Thai language, a Tai-Kadai language spoken mainly in and around Thailand *** Thai script *** Thai (Unicode block ...

club

Chonburi FC Chonburi Football Club ( th, สโมสรฟุตบอลจังหวัดชลบุรี) is a Thai professional football club based in the city of Chonburi, Chonburi province, that competes in the top division in Thai football, t ...

in an

AFC Champions League The AFC Champions League (abbreviated as ACL) is an annual continental club football competition organised by the Asian Football Confederation, and contested by Asia's top-division football clubs. It is the most prestigious club competition ...

match and scored his first goal for the team on 11 March 2012, in the 1–1 away draw with

Gwangju FC Gwangju FC (Korean: 광주 FC) is a South Korean professional football club based in Gwangju that competes in the K League 1, the top tier of South Korean football. They joined the K League in the 2011 season. History Gwangju FC was founded ...

in a

K-League K League (Hangul: K리그) is South Korea's professional football league. It includes first division K League 1 and second division K League 2. History Until the 1970s, South Korean football operated two major football leagues, the National S ...

game. He scored 6 goals in 15 appearances for Pohang Steelers and won the

2012 Korean FA Cup The 2012 Korean FA Cup, known as Hana Bank FA Cup due to sponsorship agreement with Hana Bank, was the 17th edition of the Korean FA Cup. The competition began on 17 March 2012. The winners, Pohang Steelers, were guaranteed a place in the 2013 AF ...

with them.

Gangwon FC

On 24 July 2012, he agreed to join the

K League K League (Hangul: K리그) is South Korea's professional football league. It includes first division K League 1 and second division K League 2. History Until the 1970s, South Korean football operated two major football leagues, the National S ...

side

Gangwon FC Gangwon FC (Hangul:강원 FC) is a South Korean football club. Based in Gangwon Province of South Korea, Gangwon FC joined the K League as its 15th club for the 2009 season. The club is sponsored by High1 Resort. History Foundation Gangw ...

on a 6-month loan deal until the end of the 2012 season. In January 2013, Zicu was transferred definitely to

, where he scored 15 goals for Gangwon FC in the

Petrolul Ploiești

On 15 January 2014, Zicu signed a contract for one year and a half with the team from Ploiești, after

Adrian Mutu Adrian Mutu (; born 8 January 1979) is a Romanian professional football manager and former player, who is in charge of Liga I club Rapid București. During his playing career, he was deployed as a forward or an attacking midfielder. Mutu starte ...

signed one day before with the club. He chose to wear the number 27, the number that he wore at

FC Politehnica Timișoara Fotbal Club Politehnica Timișoara (), commonly known as Politehnica Timișoara or simply Poli Timișoara, was a Romanian football club from Timișoara, Timiș County, established in 1921 and dissolved in 2012. During its existence, the team won ...

, when he became the top scorer of

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 ...

. He ended his contract after only half a season.

ASA Târgu Mureș

In July 2014, he moved to the newly promoted ASA Târgu Mureș, where he signed a contract for one season. He scored 5 goals in 30 games, helping his team to a second place in the league.

International career

He was an under-21 international before he made his debut for the senior side in 2003. He was banned from representing his country at any level for two years in 2004. Zicu made his senior debut for Romania in a friendly with

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

on 11 October 2003.

Career statistics

Club

International

''Statistics accurate as of match played on 26 September 2011''

International goals

Honours

Club

;Dinamo București *

: 2001–02, 2003–04 *

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 ...

: 2000–01, 2003–04, 2004–05 *

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, ...

2005 File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discovered in ...

;Rapid București *

: 2006–07 ;CSKA Sofia *

2011 File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...

;Pohang Steelers *

Korean FA Cup The Korean FA Cup is a national football cup knockout competition of South Korea, held annually by the Korea Football Association (KFA). Before the FA Cup was established in 1996, two predecessor competitions named All Joseon Football Tournament ...

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...

Individual

top scorer:

2010–11 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...

References

External links

* * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Zicu, Ianis 1983 births Living people Sportspeople from Constanța Aromanian sportspeople Romanian people of Aromanian descent Romanian footballers Romania international footballers Romania under-21 international footballers Romania youth international footballers Romanian expatriate footballers FC Dinamo București players FCV Farul Constanța players Inter Milan players Parma Calcio 1913 players FC Rapid București players FC Politehnica Timișoara players FCM Câmpina players PFC CSKA Sofia players Pohang Steelers players Gangwon FC players FC Petrolul Ploiești players ASA 2013 Târgu Mureș players ACS Poli Timișoara players Liga I players Liga II players Serie A players First Professional Football League (Bulgaria) players K League 1 players Expatriate footballers in Italy Expatriate footballers in Bulgaria Expatriate footballers in South Korea Romanian expatriate sportspeople in South Korea Association football midfielders Romanian football managers FCV Farul Constanța managers FC Unirea Constanța managers CS Concordia Chiajna managers