Nicolae Dobrin
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Nicolae Dobrin (; 26 August 1947 – 26 October 2007) was a Romanian
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 an
attacking midfielder A midfielder is an Glossary of association football terms#O, 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 #Cent ...
and a
manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities o ...
. Nicknamed ''Gâscanul'' ("The Gander") or ''Prințul din Trivale'' ("The Prince of Trivale"), he is considered one of
Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...
's greatest footballers. Renowned for his dribbling ability, Dobrin received the
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 on three occasions, in 1966, 1967, and 1971, and has a
stadium A stadium ( : stadiums or stadia) is a place or venue for (mostly) outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage either partly or completely surrounded by a tiered structure designed to allow spectators to stand o ...
in native
Pitești Pitești () is a city in Romania, located on the river Argeș. The capital and largest city of Argeș County, it is an important commercial and industrial center, as well as the home of two universities. Pitești is situated in the historical re ...
named after him.


Club career

Nicolae Dobrin was born on 26 August 1947 in
Pitești Pitești () is a city in Romania, located on the river Argeș. The capital and largest city of Argeș County, it is an important commercial and industrial center, as well as the home of two universities. Pitești is situated in the historical re ...
,
Argeș County Argeș County () is a county ('' județ'') of Romania, in Muntenia, with the capital city at Pitești. Demographics On 20 October 2011, it had a population of 612,431 and the population density was 89/km2. * Romanians – 97% * Roma (Gypsi ...
, nicknamed ''Gâscanul'' ("The Gander") or ''Prințul din Trivale'' ("The Prince of Trivale"), he is considered one of
Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...
's greatest footballers. He started playing football as a child with his friends on a field which they nicknamed " Maracana" that was close to the
Argeș river Arges or Argeș may refer to: Places and jurisdictions Romania * Argeș County, a county in Muntenia, with its capital at Pitești * Argeș Region, an administrative division from 1950 to 1952 * Argeș River, which flows through the Southern ...
and one day in 1959 some players from Dinamo Pitești came to play with them, Dobrin's team winning with 12–2 with him scoring 6 goals. After the game, Leonte Ianovschi, a coach at the youth center of Dinamo Pitești told him to come at the club's training sessions. Dobrin played for the first time in a
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 ...
match when he was still 14 years old, on 1 July 1962, coach Ștefan Vasile using him in a match between Știința Cluj and Dinamo Pitești which ended with a 5–1 loss, thus holding the record of the youngest debutant in the competition. He played for Argeș Pitești most of his career, winning under the guidance of coach
Florin Halagian Florin Vașken Halagian (7 March 1939 – 12 August 2019) was a Romanian football player and manager of Armenian descent, hence the nickname ''Armeanul'' (The Armenian). He is the manager who has the most matches in Liga I with 878 games consist ...
two
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 ...
titles, in the one that was won in the 1971–72 season he was the team's top-goalscorer with 15 goals scored in 23 matches. At the winning of the 1978–79 title, Dobrin contributed with 9 goals scored in 22 matches. He was decisive in the final game of the season against
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 ...
in which he scored the final goal of the 4–3 victory, his performance being appreciated by journalist
Ioan Chirilă Ioan Chirilă (25 October 1925 – 21 November 1999) was a Romanian sports broadcaster and sports writer. The Ioan Chirilă Awards are named in his honour. He was married to actress Iarina Demian with whom he had two sons: Ionuț Ionuț is a ...
who gave him a 10 in the ''Sportul'' newspaper. He played 25 games and scored 8 goals in European competitions (including 12 games and 2 goals in the
Inter-Cities Fairs Cup The Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, sometimes referred to as the European Fairs Cup, Fairs Cities' Cup, or simply as the Fairs Cup, was a European Association football, football competition played between 1955 and 1971. It is often considered the predecess ...
), in his first season played in European competitions he scored one goal in six games in the
1966–67 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup The ninth Inter-Cities Fairs Cup was played over the 1966–67 season. The competition was won by Dinamo Zagreb over two legs in the final against Leeds United. For the first time in the history of the cup, replays were scrapped, with sides going ...
, as Dinamo Pitești eliminated
Sevilla FC Sevilla Fútbol Club () is a Spanish professional football club based in Seville, the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. It plays in Spanish football's top flight, La Liga. Sevilla have won the UEFA Euro ...
and
Toulouse FC Toulouse Football Club is French professional football club based in Toulouse. The club was founded in 1970 and currently plays in Ligue 1, the premier division of French football. Toulouse plays its home matches at the Stadium de Toulouse lo ...
in the first two rounds, being defeated in the third round with 1–0 on aggregate by
Dinamo Zagreb Građanski nogometni klub Dinamo Zagreb ( en, Dinamo Zagreb Citizens' Football Club, link=yes, italics=yes), commonly referred to as GNK Dinamo Zagreb or simply Dinamo Zagreb (), is a Croatian professional football club based in Zagreb. Dinamo ...
who eventually won the competition. In the winter of 1966, because the French people were impressed that they defeated
Toulouse FC Toulouse Football Club is French professional football club based in Toulouse. The club was founded in 1970 and currently plays in Ligue 1, the premier division of French football. Toulouse plays its home matches at the Stadium de Toulouse lo ...
, Dinamo Pitești was invited to participate at the friendly tournament organized in
Marseille Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Franc ...
called Tele-magazine International Cup, where two emissaries of
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 ...
made an offer of $250.000 to Dinamo Pitești in order to transfer Dobrin at
Helenio Herrera Helenio Herrera Gavilán (; 10 April 1910 – 9 November 1997) was an Argentine, naturalized French, football player and manager. He is best remembered for his success with the Inter Milan team known as ''Grande Inter'' in the 1960s. During ...
's team, but Dinamo's officials did not want to negotiate, being fearful of possible consequences they would face by Romania's communist regime. In the
1972–73 European Cup The 1972–73 season of the UEFA Champions League, European Cup association football, football club tournament was won for the third consecutive time by AFC Ajax, Ajax in the final against Juventus F.C., Juventus at Red Star Stadium in Belgrade. T ...
, Argeș Pitești won a home game with 2–1 against
Real Madrid Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (, meaning ''Royal Madrid Football Club''), commonly referred to as Real Madrid, is a Spanish professional football club based in Madrid. Founded in 1902 as Madrid Football Club, the club has traditionally wor ...
in which Dobrin opened the score but lost the second leg with 3–1, however this was enough for Real Madrid's president Santiago Bernabéu to want him at the club, making a potential record breaking offer of $2 million and a nocturne installation for the 1 Mai stadium from
Pitești Pitești () is a city in Romania, located on the river Argeș. The capital and largest city of Argeș County, it is an important commercial and industrial center, as well as the home of two universities. Pitești is situated in the historical re ...
. Because of the communist regime in Romania in that period, Bernabéu had to hold talks with dictator
Nicolae Ceaușescu Nicolae Ceaușescu ( , ;  – 25 December 1989) was a Romanian communist politician and dictator. He was the general secretary of the Romanian Communist Party from 1965 to 1989, and the second and last Communist leader of Romania. He was ...
himself, but could not persuade him, because Dobrin was regarded as a "national treasure" and such values could not be "estranged", especially not playing in a team from the country of
Francisco Franco Francisco Franco Bahamonde (; 4 December 1892 – 20 November 1975) was a Spanish general who led the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalist forces in overthrowing the Second Spanish Republic during the Spanish Civil War ...
's fascist dictatorship. It is said that this was the biggest regret of Dobrin's life, although he did eventually end up playing in
Francisco Gento Francisco "Paco" Gento López (21 October 1933 – 18 January 2022) was a Spanish footballer who played as an outside left. He was voted by IFFHS (International Federation of Football History and Statistics) as the greatest Spanish footballer ...
's testimonial, in the famous "blanco" shirt of Real Madrid. On this occasion Santiago Bernabéu made a last unsuccessful attempt to keep the Romanian player in Madrid. In the 1978–79 UEFA Cup, Argeș Pitești defeated in the home game
Valencia Valencia ( va, València) is the capital of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, Valencia and the Municipalities of Spain, third-most populated municipality in Spain, with 791,413 inhabitants. It is ...
with 2–1, Dobrin opening the score from a indirect free kick and according to his former teammate Andrei Speriatu, after the game,
Mario Kempes Mario Alberto Kempes Chiodi (; born 15 July 1954) is an Argentine former professional footballer who played as a striker or attacking midfielder. A prolific goalscorer, he finished as La Liga's top goalscorer twice with Valencia and amassed 11 ...
who just won the
World Cup A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the concept i ...
with
Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
, being the top-goalscorer and best player of the tournament went to Dobrin and told him:"You are a great player!", however Argeș Pitești lost in the second leg with 5–2. In 1981 Dobrin went to play for FCM Târgovişte in
Divizia B The Liga 2, most often spelled as Liga II, is the second level of the Romanian football league system. The league changed its name from Divizia B just before the start of the 2006–07 Liga II, 2006–07. It is currently Sponsor (commercial), sp ...
, scoring 17 goals in his first season, helping the team gain promotion to the
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 ...
, where in the following season he played 13 games and scored 5 goals. In 1982 he returned to Argeș Pitești as a player-manager, making his last appearance as a player on 14 June 1983 in a 2–0 victory against Bihor Oradea. In the 1985–86 Divizia B season, Dobrin came out of retirement, being a player-manager at CS Botoșani. During his whole career, Dobrin played 409
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 ...
matches in which he scored 111 goals and he was the
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 ...
in 1966, 1967 and 1971. In 2003, the Local Council of Pitești decided to rename Argeș Pitești's stadium into
Stadionul Nicolae Dobrin Nicolae Dobrin Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Piteşti, Romania, named in 2003 after football player Nicolae Dobrin (1947–2007). It is mostly used for football matches and is the home ground of FC Argeş Piteşti. The stadium has a cap ...
in his honor.


International career

Nicolae Dobrin played 47 games and scored 6 goals for
Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...
, making his debut on 1 June 1966 under coach
Ilie Oană Ilie Oană (16 August 1918 – 27 April 1993) was a football player and manager who represented and coached the Romania national football team. Career Oană was born in Indiana Harbor to Romanian parents who emigrated from Transylvania before ...
in a friendly which ended with a 1–0 loss against
West Germany West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...
played on Südweststadion from
Ludwigshafen Ludwigshafen, officially Ludwigshafen am Rhein (; meaning " Ludwig's Port upon Rhine"), is a city in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate, on the river Rhine, opposite Mannheim. With Mannheim, Heidelberg, and the surrounding region, it form ...
. He made a good impression in the game showing his dribbling abilities in front of West Germany's experimented midfielder
Horst Szymaniak Horst "Schimmi" Szymaniak (29 August 1934 – 9 October 2009) was a German footballer who played as a midfielder. Club career Szymaniak was born in Oer-Erkenschwick. The clubs he played for include: SpVgg Erkenschwick, Wuppertaler SV, Karlsr ...
and after the game, the former
World Cup A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the concept i ...
winner
Fritz Walter Friedrich "Fritz" Walter (, ; 31 October 1920 – 17 June 2002) was a German footballer who spent his entire senior career at 1. FC Kaiserslautern. He usually played as an attacking midfielder or inside forward. In his time with the Germany a ...
went into Romania's locker room telling Dobrin:"Boy, if you're good and will drinking a lot of milk, you're going to be a great player!", the press from
West Germany West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...
also praised Dobrin, the newspaper ''5 Uhr Blatt'' wrote the next day:"Game coordinator Dobrin has impressed with his demonstrated high class" and ''
Die Rheinpfalz ''Die Rheinpfalz'' is a German–language regional newspaper based in Ludwigshafen, Germany. The paper is one of the leading newspapers which serve the state of Rhineland-Palatinate. History and profile ''Die Rheinpfalz'' was first published in ...
'' wrote:"Of special class is Dobrin, who for his age proves an impressive maturity and a brilliant technique". He played four games and scored two goals against
Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
and
Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
at the Euro 1968 qualifiers and played three games in which he scored one goal in a 1–0 victory against
Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...
at the successful 1970 World Cup qualifiers. He was selected by coach Angelo Niculescu to be part of
Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...
's 1970 World Cup squad but did not play in any match, the reasons Niculescu didn't use him are unclear but the fact that he did not play is considered one of the most controversial moments in the history of the Romanian football. He played six matches and scored two goals at the 1972 Euro qualifiers, managing to reach the
quarter-finals A single-elimination, knockout, or sudden death tournament is a type of elimination tournament where the loser of each match-up is immediately eliminated from the tournament. Each winner will play another in the next round, until the final matc ...
where
Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...
was defeated by
Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia a ...
, who advanced to 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 ...
. He went to play three games in which he scored one goal at the 1974 World Cup qualifiers, three appearances at the Euro 1976 qualifiers, one appearance at the Euro 1980 qualifiers, two at the 1977–80 Balkan Cup, making his last appearance for the national team on 2 April 1980 in a friendly which ended 2–2 against
East Germany East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic (GDR; german: Deutsche Demokratische Republik, , DDR, ), was a country that existed from its creation on 7 October 1949 until its dissolution on 3 October 1990. In these years the state ...
.


International goals

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


Managerial career

Nicolae Dobrin started his managerial career in the 1982–83 Divizia A season when he was a player-manager at Argeș Pitești. He coached Argeș Pitești on several occasions, managing the club in a total of 138
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 ...
matches. His only coaching experience except the ones at Argeș Pitești was in the 1985–86 Divizia B season when he was a player-manager at CS Botoșani.


Death

Nicolae Dobrin started smoking when he was about 8–9 years old, this habit causing him
lung cancer Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma (since about 98–99% of all lung cancers are carcinomas), is a malignant lung tumor characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissue (biology), tissues of the lung. Lung carcinomas derive from tran ...
. He died on 26 October 2007 in the
intensive care Intensive care medicine, also called critical care medicine, is a medical specialty that deals with seriously or critically ill patients who have, are at risk of, or are recovering from conditions that may be life-threatening. It includes pro ...
unit of the County Hospital in Pitești after
multiple organ failure Multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS) is altered organ function in an acutely ill patient requiring medical intervention to achieve homeostasis. Although Irwin and Rippe cautioned in 2005 that the use of "multiple organ failure" or "multisy ...
. On 29 October 2007, his funeral ceremony, held at St. George's Cathedral and at St. George's Military Cemetery, was attended by more than 5,000 people.


Honours

Argeș Pitești *
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 ...
: 1971–72, 1978–79 *
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 ...
runner-up: 1964–65 FCM Târgovişte *
Divizia B The Liga 2, most often spelled as Liga II, is the second level of the Romanian football league system. The league changed its name from Divizia B just before the start of the 2006–07 Liga II, 2006–07. It is currently Sponsor (commercial), sp ...
: 1980–81 Individual *
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 ...
: 1966, 1967, 1971


Notes


References


External links


Official website
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Dobrin, Nicolae 1947 births 2007 deaths Deaths from lung cancer Deaths from cancer in Romania Deaths from multiple organ failure Sportspeople from Pitești Romanian footballers Association football midfielders Liga I players Liga II players FC Argeș Pitești players FCM Târgoviște players Romania international footballers Olympic footballers of Romania 1970 FIFA World Cup players Romanian football managers FC Argeș Pitești managers