Constantin Valentin Budescu (; born 19 February 1989) 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 lea ...

who plays as an

attacking midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. ...

or a forward. Budescu began his senior career at Petrolul Ploiești, amassing over 150 appearances throughout the course of six seasons before transferring to

rival A rivalry is the state of two people or Social group, groups engaging in a lasting competitive relationship. Rivalry is the "against each other" spirit between two competing sides. The relationship itself may also be called "a rivalry", and each ...

team Astra Ploiești in 2011. With the latter side, which relocated to

Giurgiu Giurgiu (; ; ) is a city in southern Romania. The seat of Giurgiu County, it lies in the historical region of Muntenia. It is situated amongst mud-flats and marshes on the left bank of the Danube facing the Bulgarian city of Ruse on the op ...

, he won one

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 ...

, one

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 ...

, and one

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 ...

. Since first leaving Astra in 2016, he has had multiple brief spells, of which three abroad with clubs in China and Saudi Arabia. Budescu registered his debut for the Romania national team in 2015, at age 26. In 2017, he was awarded the Romanian Footballer of the Year trophy by 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. ...

'' newspaper.

Club career

Early career / Petrolul Ploiești

Budescu was born in Manasia, a commune near

Urziceni Urziceni () is a municipiu, city in Ialomița County, Muntenia, Romania, located around north-east of Bucharest. Geography The city is situated at the western edge of the Bărăgan Plain, on the banks of the Ialomița (river), Ialomița River ...

Ialomița County Ialomița County () is a county () of Romania, in Muntenia, with the capital city at Slobozia. Demographics In 2011, the county had a population of 258,669 and the population density was 58.08/km2. Romanians make up 95.6% of the population, t ...

. At the age of 12, with his first team Rapid Sălciile, he once scored "13 goals in one match". In 2007, Budescu made his debut in the

Liga II The Liga 2, most commonly 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 football season. It is currently Sponso ...

for Petrolul Ploiești while still a junior player. He gradually imposed himself as a regular first-team member, which caught the eye of

Rapid București Rapid(s) or RAPID may refer to: Hydrological features * Rapids, sections of a river with turbulent water flow * Rapid Creek (Iowa River tributary), Iowa, United States * Rapid Creek (South Dakota), United States, namesake of Rapid City Sport ...

, Politehnica Timișoara and FC Brașov. In 2009, following the transfer of Laurențiu Marinescu to Unirea Urziceni, Budescu took over his number 10 jersey.

Astra Giurgiu

In the summer of 2011, Budescu signed a contract with cross-town rivals Astra Ploiești, later relocated and renamed

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

. On 21 July 2013, he scored his first

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 Wick ...

in the

, in a 4–0 away win against Viitorul Constanța. Four days later, during their first ever

appearance Appearance may refer to: * Visual appearance, the way in which objects reflect and transmit light * Human physical appearance, what someone looks like * ''Appearances'' (film), a 1921 film directed by Donald Crisp * Appearance (philosophy), or ...

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 ...

, he netted twice in a 2–1 success at Omonia as his team played 30 minutes with one player less and qualified to the third round; due to his exploits, he was dubbed the "Hero of

Nicosia Nicosia, also known as Lefkosia and Lefkoşa, is the capital and largest city of Cyprus. It is the southeasternmost of all EU member states' capital cities. Nicosia has been continuously inhabited for over 5,500 years and has been the capi ...

". On 21 August 2014, Budescu converted a penalty against French side

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 the first leg of the Europa League play-off (2–1 away win, qualification on the

away goals rule The away goals rule is a method of tiebreaking in association football and other sports when teams play each other twice, once at each team's home ground. Under the away goals rule, if the total goals scored by each team are equal, the team that ...

). On 6 August of the following year, in the same competition but in the third qualifying round, his second leg brace helped defeat

West Ham United West Ham United Football Club is a professional Association football, football club based in Stratford, London, Stratford, East London, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English f ...

2–1 at home and 4–3 on aggregate.

Dalian Yifang

In January 2016, Astra rejected an offer from

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 ...

for Budescu. The following month, he signed a three-year contract with

China League One The Chinese Football League 1 (), also known as China League One or Chinese Jia League (), is the second level of professional football in China, under the Chinese Super League. The league is under the auspices of the Chinese Football Association ...

club Dalian Yifang for an undisclosed fee, with a salary worth

€ 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 ...

3 million plus €500,000 upon signature.

Return to Astra Giurgiu

Budescu was loaned to his previous club Astra Giurgiu in August 2016, before being released by the Asians the following January. On the 26th that month, he chose to stay once again with Astra, joining on a one-and-a-half-year contract. On 16 February, Budescu netted a goal against

Genk Genk () is a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality and City status in Belgium, city located in the Belgian Provinces of Belgium, province of Limburg (Belgium), Limburg near Hasselt. The municipality comprises only the town of Genk itself. It ...

in a 2–2 Europa League

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 ...

home draw.

FCSB

On 10 June 2017,

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

activated Budescu's €750,000 release clause. He subsequently signed a four-year deal with the club, being assigned the number 11 shirt. Budescu scored on his debut on 16 July, in a 2–1 home victory against Voluntari. He again found the net nine days later, converting a free kick in 2–2 home draw with

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 Victor ...

in the Champions League third qualifying round. On 20 December, Budescu was announced by the ''

'' newspaper as the winner of the 2017 Romanian Footballer of the Year award. On 15 February 2018, he provided an assist as Harlem Gnohéré scored the only goal of a Europa League

first leg match with

Lazio Lazio ( , ; ) or Latium ( , ; from Latium, the original Latin name, ) is one of the 20 Regions of Italy, administrative regions of Italy. Situated in the Central Italy, central peninsular section of the country, it has 5,714,882 inhabitants an ...

Al-Shabab

On 28 June 2018, Budescu agreed to a three-year deal with

Saudi Professional League The Saudi Pro League (SPL), also known as the Roshn Saudi League (RSL) for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Saudi Arabia and the highest level of the Saudi football league system. The SPL is regarded as th ...

team Al-Shabab for a reported transfer fee of €2.5 million, rejoining his former Astra Giurgiu head coach Marius Șumudică.

Late career

On 19 August 2019, Astra Giurgiu owner Ioan Niculae confirmed that Budescu returned for a fourth stint at the club after agreeing to a two-year contract. On 8 February 2021, he signed for Saudi Professional League team Damac. After only twelve games during the remainder of the 2020–21 season, Budescu returned to Romania with FCSB. He left them on 4 January 2022 on a mutual agreement, after only scoring once and being criticised by owner Gigi Becali for his performances. Fifteen days later, he put pen to paper on a contract with Voluntari. On 2 August 2022, Budescu returned to his boyhood club Petrolul Ploiești, which had recently promoted back to the Liga I. He signed a two-year deal and was given the number 10 shirt. After recovering from a long-term injury, Budescu registered his first appearance and goal in the top flight for Petrolul on 24 October, converting a penalty in a 2–0 home win over Argeș Pitești. On 2 August 2023, he left the team on a mutual agreement, two days after publicly stating that he is not content with his playing time. On 4 August 2023, Budescu agreed to a deal with defending champions Farul Constanța. Six days later, he scored and provided an assist in a 3–0 home victory against Estonian side

Flora Flora (: floras or florae) is all the plant life present in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring (indigenous (ecology), indigenous) native plant, native plants. The corresponding term for animals is ''fauna'', and for f ...

in the third qualifying round of the Europa Conference League. After being left out from all matchday squads for the fixtures in April and May, Budescu and Farul Constanța mutually agreed to terminate his contract on 11 May 2024. On 13 July 2024, Budescu signed a contract with Gloria Buzău, newly promoted to the Liga I.

International career

Budescu played an unofficial match for Romania B in a 1–4 friendly defeat against

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

, in February 2013. His debut for the full side was made two years later, as he came on as a 78th-minute substitute in a 0–0 away draw against

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 ...

for 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 ...

qualifiers. On 11 October 2015, Budescu scored a brace against the

Faroe Islands The Faroe Islands ( ) (alt. the Faroes) are an archipelago in the North Atlantic Ocean and an autonomous territory of the Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark. Located between Iceland, Norway, and the United Kingdom, the islands have a populat ...

, helping the country achieve qualification by finishing second in the group one point behind

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 ...

Style of play

Budescu is regarded as a skilful player who can create chances and goalscoring opportunities for both himself and his teammates. Hence, he has been deployed in a wide number of positions, such as an

, a winger, a supporting striker or even a main striker. Budescu's shot accuracy allows him to be an exceptional free kick and penalty kick taker, and he is known to sometimes put opposing goalkeepers to test from long range or even from corner kicks. In spite of his undoubtable talent, he has often been criticised for his lack of

work rate In association football, work rate refers to the extent to which a player contributes to running and chasing in a match while not in possession of the ball. Work rate is generally indicated by the distance covered by a player during a match. An ...

, himself stating that he "only got serious ..after turning 30 years old".

Personal life

In October 2014, Budescu married his partner Mădălina in the city of

Ploiești Ploiești ( , , ), formerly spelled Ploești, is a Municipiu, city and county seat in Prahova County, Romania. Part of the historical region of Muntenia, it is located north of Bucharest. The area of Ploiești is around , and it borders the Ble ...

, with then Astra Giurgiu teammate Daniel Coman acting as

best man A groomsman or usher is one of the male attendants to the groom in a wedding ceremony. Usually, the groom selects close friends and relatives to serve as groomsmen, and it is considered an honor to be selected. From his groomsmen, the groom usuall ...

. He is nicknamed ''Sărmăluță'' ( Romanian for "little Sarma"), due to his weakness for

traditional food Traditional foods are foods and Dish (food), dishes that are passed on through generations or which have been consumed for many generations. Traditional foods and dishes are traditional in nature, and may have a historic precedent in a national ...

and

body weight Human body weight is a person's mass or weight. Strictly speaking, body weight is the measurement of mass without items located on the person. Practically though, body weight may be measured with clothes on, but without shoes or heavy accessori ...

issues.

Career statistics

Club

International

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

Honours

Astra Giurgiu *

: 2015–16 *

: 2013–14; runner-up 2016–17, 2020–21 *

2014 The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...

Voluntari *Cupa României runner-up: 2021–22 Individual *''

'' Romanian Footballer of the Year: 2017; runner-up: 2015 *''Gala Fotbalului Românesc'' Romanian Footballer of the Year: 2015, 2017 *Liga I Team of the Season: 2016–17, 2017–18 *Liga I Team of the Championship Play-Offs: 2017–18 * DigiSport Liga I Player of the Month: July 2013, August 2013, July 2015, August 2015, December 2016

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Budescu, Constantin 1989 births Living people Footballers from Ialomița County Romanian men's footballers Men's association football midfielders Liga I players Liga II players China League One players Saudi Pro League players FC Petrolul Ploiești players FC Astra Giurgiu players Dalian Professional F.C. players FCSB players Al Shabab FC (Riyadh) players Damac FC players FC Voluntari players FCV Farul Constanța players FC Gloria Buzău players Romania men's international footballers Romanian expatriate men's footballers Expatriate men's footballers in China Expatriate men's footballers in Saudi Arabia Romanian expatriate sportspeople in China Romanian expatriate sportspeople in Saudi Arabia 21st-century Romanian sportsmen