Anton Ciprian Tătărușanu (; born 9 February 1986) 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 lea ...

who played as a

goalkeeper In many team sports that involve scoring goal (sport), goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie, or keeper) is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by blocking or i ...

. He started his senior career in Romania with Juventus București, going on to represent Gloria Bistrița and

FC Steaua București Fotbal Club FCSB (), formerly named and still sometimes referred to as FC Steaua București, is a Romanian professional Association football, football club based in Bucharest. It has spent its entire history in the Liga I, the top flight of th ...

in the country. Tătărușanu made over 180 appearances in all competitions for the latter, and in the summer of 2014 joined

Fiorentina ACF Fiorentina, commonly referred to as Fiorentina (), is an Italian professional Association football, football List of football clubs in Italy, club based in Florence, Tuscany. The original team was founded by a merger in August 1926, while ...

on a free transfer. After three seasons with the ''Viola'', he moved to France with spells at

Nantes Nantes (, ; ; or ; ) is a city in the Loire-Atlantique department of France on the Loire, from the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast. The city is the List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, sixth largest in France, with a pop ...

and

Lyon Lyon (Franco-Provençal: ''Liyon'') is a city in France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of the French Alps, southeast of Paris, north of Marseille, southwest of Geneva, Switzerland, north ...

. In September 2020, Tătărușanu transferred back to Italy and signed for

AC Milan (), commonly referred to as Milan or AC Milan () mainly outside of Italy, is an Italian professional Football club (association football), football club based in Milan, Lombardy. Founded in 1899, the club competes in the Serie A, the top tie ...

. Tătărușanu earned 73

caps Caps are flat headgear. Caps or CAPS may also refer to: Science and technology Computing * CESG Assisted Products Service, provided by the U.K. Government Communications Headquarters * Composite Application Platform Suite, by Java Caps, a Java ...

for the Romania senior team, with which he made his debut in 2010. He was a member of the squad that participated at 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 association football, football ch ...

, starting in all three

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 concentr ...

matches of the competition. Four years later, Tătărușanu announced his retirement from the national team at age 34.

Club career

Early career

Born in

Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ) is the capital and largest city of Romania. The metropolis stands on the River Dâmbovița (river), Dâmbovița in south-eastern Romania. Its population is officially estimated at 1.76 million residents within a greater Buc ...

, Tătărușanu began his football career with local club,

Juventus Juventus Football Club (; from , ), commonly known as Juventus or colloquially as Juve (), is an Italian professional Association football, football List of football clubs in Italy, club based in Turin, Piedmont, who compete in Serie A, the ...

, starting to play senior level football at age 16 in the second division under the guidance of coach Marin Barbu. He later joined Gloria Bistrița, making his first division debut under coach Ioan Sabău in a 1–0 away victory over

Unirea Urziceni Fotbal Club Unirea Urziceni, commonly known as Unirea Urziceni (), was a Romanian professional Association football, football Club (organization), club based in Urziceni, Ialomița County. Unirea became Divizia A Final Tables, national champions ...

on 23 May 2007.

Steaua București

In May 2008, it was announced that 22-year-old Tătărușanu was transferred to

for a fee of

€ The euro sign () is the currency sign used for the euro, the official currency of the eurozone. The design was presented to the public by the European Commission on 12 December 1996. It consists of a stylized letter E (or epsilon), crossed by t ...

1.5 million. He spent the following season on loan at Gloria Bistrița, as the ''Roș-albaștrii'' already had a first-choice goalkeeper in the person of

Róbinson Zapata Róbinson Zapata Montaño (born 30 September 1978), is a Colombian former association football, footballer who played as a Goalkeeper (association football), goalkeeper. He is currently a goalkeeper coach for Colombian club Independiente Santa ...

. Tătărușanu made his European debut on 16 July 2009, in a 2–0 victory against Hungarian side

Újpest Újpest (; , ) is the 4th District in Budapest, Hungary. It is located on the left bank of the Danube River. The name Újpest means "New Pest" because the city was formed on the border of the city of Pest, Hungary in 1838. Újpest was a village ...

in the

UEFA Europa League The UEFA Europa League (UEL), usually known simply as the Europa League, is an annual association football, football club competition organised since 1971 by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European footb ...

. On 2 August, he played his first Liga I game for Steaua in a 2–0 win over Ceahlăul Piatra Neamț. On 19 August 2010, he helped his team progress further to the Europa League

after making two saves at the

penalty shootout The penalty shootout is a method of determining a winner in sports matches that would have otherwise been drawn or tied. The rules for penalty shootouts vary between sports and even different competitions; however, the usual form is similar to pe ...

against

Grasshopper Grasshoppers are a group of insects belonging to the suborder Caelifera. They are amongst what are possibly the most ancient living groups of chewing herbivorous insects, dating back to the early Triassic around 250 million years ago. Grassh ...

. In June 2011, it was reported that

Napoli Naples ( ; ; ) is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its province-level municipality is the thir ...

submitted a €3 million bid for the transfer of Tătărușanu, but the offer was rejected. During his spell in the

capital Capital and its variations may refer to: Common uses * Capital city, a municipality of primary status ** Capital region, a metropolitan region containing the capital ** List of national capitals * Capital letter, an upper-case letter Econom ...

, he amassed competitive totals of 187 games and won four domestic trophies.

Fiorentina

Tătărușanu refused to renew his contract with Steaua București and left the club on

Bosman ruling ''Union Royale Belge des Sociétés de Football Association ASBL v Jean-Marc Bosman'' (1995) C-415/93 (known as the Bosman ruling) is a 1995 European Court of Justice decision concerning freedom of movement for workers, freedom of associati ...

, subsequently signing a five-year deal with Italian team

on 9 June 2014. He made his debut for the ''Viola'' on 18 September, in a 3–0 Europa League

victory over

Guingamp Guingamp (; ) is a commune in the Côtes-d'Armor department in Brittany in northwestern France. With a population of 7,115 as of 2020, Guingamp is one of the smallest towns in Europe to have a top-tier professional football team: En Avant Guin ...

. He totalled seven appearances in the competition, including a 1–1

round of 32 A single-elimination knockout, or sudden-death tournament is a type of elimination tournament where the loser of a match-up is immediately eliminated from the tournament. Each winner will play another in the next round, until the final match-up, w ...

draw at

Tottenham Hotspur Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as simply Tottenham (, , , ) or Spurs, is a professional Association football, football club based in Tottenham, North London, England. The club itself has stated that it should always ...

. On 6 January 2015, he played his first

Serie A The Serie A (), officially known as Serie A Enilive in Italy and Serie A Made in Italy abroad for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Italy and the highest tier of the Italian football league system. Establish ...

match, a 0–1 loss to

Parma Parma (; ) is a city in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna known for its architecture, Giuseppe Verdi, music, art, prosciutto (ham), Parmesan, cheese and surrounding countryside. With a population of 198,986 inhabitants as of 2025, ...

. Tătărușanu was then chosen in the starting eleven for eight consecutive games, until a 1–1 draw with

Torino Turin ( , ; ; , then ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. The city is main ...

. He made his last appearance of the 2014–15 season in the final league fixture, a 3–0 win over Chievo. Following the departure of Neto to

in July 2015, Tătărușanu became the undisputed first-choice goalkeeper for Fiorentina, with his good display earning him the ''

Gazeta Sporturilor Gazeta Sporturilor () is a Romanian sports website, originally founded in 1924 as a daily newspaper. It was the third-oldest daily newspaper in Europe, with 99 years of uninterrupted publication, before issuing its last edition on 31 October 2023. ...

s 2015 Romanian Footballer of the Year award.

Nantes

In late July 2017, Tătărușanu was transferred by French club

for an undisclosed fee. He made his competitive debut on 12 August in a 0–1 defeat to

Marseille Marseille (; ; see #Name, below) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Bouches-du-Rhône and of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region. Situated in the ...

, being named

man of the match In team sport, a player of the match award (also known as man of the match or woman of the match) is often given to the most outstanding player in a particular match. This can be a player from either team, although the player is generally chose ...

for his performance. On 20 December 2017, he finished second behind Constantin Budescu in the 2017 Romanian Footballer of the Year award. Tătărușanu amassed 37 appearances in his first campaign with "the Canaries", all in the

Ligue 1 Ligue 1 (; ), officially known as Ligue 1 McDonald's France, McDonald's for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in France and the highest level of the French football league system. Administered by the Ligue de ...

, and managed to keep twelve clean sheets. In early April 2019, he saved two penalty kicks in successive matches; the first in a 0–3

Coupe de France The Coupe de France (), also known in English language, English as the French Cup or less commonly as the France Cup, is the premier Single-elimination tournament, knockout cup competition in French football organised by the French Football Fed ...

loss to

Paris Saint-Germain Paris Saint-Germain Football Club, commonly referred to as Paris Saint-Germain () or simply PSG, is a French professional Association football, football club based in Paris. They compete in Ligue 1, the French football league system, top d ...

, and the second in a 0–1 league loss to

Toulouse Toulouse (, ; ; ) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Haute-Garonne department and of the Occitania (administrative region), Occitania region. The city is on the banks of the Garonne, River Garonne, from ...

Lyon

On 13 June 2019, Tătărușanu chose to stay in France and joined

Olympique Lyonnais Olympique Lyonnais (), commonly referred to as simply Lyon () or OL, is a French professional association football, football club based in Lyon, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France. With origins dating back to 1899, they were founded in 1950 and p ...

as a

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...

. He recorded his debut on 18 December that year, in a

Coupe de la Ligue The Coupe de la Ligue (), known outside France as the French League Cup, was a knockout cup competition in French football organized by the Ligue de Football Professionnel. The tournament was established in 1993 and, unlike the Coupe de France ...

4–1 win against Toulouse. He only played six matches overall during his one-year spell at Lyon, as he was considered a backup option to regular starter Anthony Lopes.

AC Milan

On 12 September 2020,

announced Tătărușanu as their new player after he agreed to a three-year deal with the club. One day earlier, Lyon had revealed the transfer fee for the 34-year-old to be €500,000. In the position of second-choice goalkeeper behind

Gianluigi Donnarumma Gianluigi Donnarumma (; born 25 February 1999) is an Italian professional Association football, footballer who plays as a Goalkeeper (association football), goalkeeper for Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain FC, Paris Saint-Germain and Captain (ass ...

, he made his debut on 26 October in a 3–3 league draw with Roma, after the former tested positive for

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

. Tătărușanu played in a

Derby della Madonnina The Derby della Madonnina (; named after the ''Madonnina'' statue on top of the Milan Cathedral), also known as the Derby di Milano (), is a derby football match between the two prominent Milanese clubs, Inter Milan and AC Milan. In the past, ...

in the

Coppa Italia Coppa Italia () is the annual domestic cup of Italian football. The knockout competition was organized by the DDS and the Lega Calcio until the 2009–10 season and by Lega Serie A ever since. Juventus is the competition's most successf ...

in January 2021, being praised for his performance in the media despite his team being defeated 2–1 by

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 Italian professional Association football, football List of football ...

. The next season, Milan continued with Tătărușanu as their backup goalkeeper, this time behind Mike Maignan, Milan's acquisition after the departure of Donnarumma to Paris Saint-Germain in the summer. On 13 October 2021, Maignan was operated on his left wrist and ruled out for two and a half months. With Tătărușanu in goal, Milan went on a four-game winning streak in the Serie A against

Hellas Verona Hellas Verona Football Club, commonly referred to as simply Hellas Verona (), is an Italian professional Association football, football List of football clubs in Italy, club based in Verona, Veneto, that currently plays in Serie A. The team won ...

Bologna Bologna ( , , ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in northern Italy. It is the List of cities in Italy, seventh most populous city in Italy, with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nationalities. Its M ...

, Torino and Roma. On 7 November, Tătărușanu was Milan's goalkeeper in the Milan Derby, where he made a penalty save against Lautaro Martínez in an eventual 1–1 draw.

Abha

On 10 August 2023, Saudi side

Abha Abha (, ') is the capital of Asir, Asir Province in Saudi Arabia. It is situated above sea level in the fertile Asir Mountains of south-western Saudi Arabia, near Asir National Park. Abha's mild climate makes it a popular tourist destination fo ...

announced the signing of Tătărușanu.

Retirement

On 11 September 2024, Tătărușanu announced on his social media account that he has retired from football.

International career

Ciprian Tatarusanu vs Austria - June 2012

In August 2009, Tătărușanu was selected by manager Răzvan Lucescu in

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

's squad for a match with

Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, 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 and ...

. His full international debut came on 17 November 2010, in a 1–1 draw against

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

. Tătărușanu became a bronze medalist at the Cyprus International Football Tournament in 2011. He was picked for the preliminary 28-man

squad and eventually made it to the final list. He played in all three matches of the eventual group-stage exit, including the opener against hosts

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. On 19 November 2020, the day after earning his 73rd cap for the country in a 1–1

UEFA Nations League The UEFA Nations League is an international European football competition played by the senior men's national teams of the member associations of UEFA, the sport's European governing body. The competition was devised to minimise friendlies a ...

draw with

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...

, Tătarușanu publicly announced his retirement from the national team.

Career statistics

Club

International

UEFA EURO qualifiers Sweden vs Romania 20190323 Ciprian Tatarusanu

Honours

Steaua București *

Liga I Liga I (; ''First League''), also spelled as Liga 1 and officially known as SuperLiga for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Romania and the highest level of the Romanian football league system. Contested by 1 ...

: 2012–13, 2013–14 *

Cupa României The Cupa României () 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. It is the Romania ...

: 2010–11 *

Supercupa României The Supercupa României () is a Romanian football (soccer), 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 Supe ...

2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...

Lyon *

runner-up: 2019–20 AC Milan *

: 2021–22 *

Supercoppa Italiana The Supercoppa Italiana, also known as the Italian Super Cup, is an annual super cup tournament in Italian football. Founded in 1988 as a two-team competition, it has featured four teams since 2023 (the winners and runners-up of the previous ...

runner-up:

2022 The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...

Individual *''

'' Romanian Footballer of the Year: 2015; runner-up: 2017

References

External links

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Tatarusanu, Ciprian 1986 births Living people Footballers from Bucharest Romanian men's footballers Men's association football goalkeepers Liga I players Liga II players ASC Daco-Getica București players ACF Gloria Bistrița players FCSB players Serie A players ACF Fiorentina players AC Milan players Ligue 1 players FC Nantes players Olympique Lyonnais players Saudi Pro League players Abha Club players Romania men's under-21 international footballers Romania men's international footballers UEFA Euro 2016 players Romanian expatriate men's footballers Expatriate men's footballers in Italy Expatriate men's footballers in France Expatriate men's footballers in Saudi Arabia Romanian expatriate sportspeople in Italy Romanian expatriate sportspeople in France Romanian expatriate sportspeople in Saudi Arabia 21st-century Romanian sportsmen