Cătălin Marcel Cursaru (born 29 March 1978) is a retired
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 ...
n footballer.
Over the course of seven
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 ...
seasons, Cursaru amassed totals of 167 games and 51 goals.
Club career
Born in
Ploieşti,
Prahova, Cursaru came through the youth ranks of local
Astra Ploieşti, going on to finish his sporting formation with the
Divizia C
The Liga 3, most often spelled as Liga III, is the third level of the Romanian football league system. It was founded in 1936 and was called Divizia C until 2006. An exception was the seasons 1992–93 to 1996–97, in which the league was call ...
team
Chimia Brazi. After one season in
Divizia C
The Liga 3, most often spelled as Liga III, is the third level of the Romanian football league system. It was founded in 1936 and was called Divizia C until 2006. An exception was the seasons 1992–93 to 1996–97, in which the league was call ...
, he made his
Divizia A
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 ...
debut in
2000–01, against
Steaua on 7 August 2000 (scoring twice in the process).
FCM Bacău
On 26 January 2000, he signed for
FCM Bacău
Asociația Sportivă a Suporterilor FCM 1950 Bacău (also known as ASS FCM 1950 Bacău, FCM 1950 Bacău or FCM Bacău) was a Romanian association football, football football team, club based in Bacău, Bacău County, Moldavia. Founded in 1950 a ...
, but he played no matches, because he was a dispute subject between
Bacău
Bacău ( ; , ; ; ) is the main city in Bacău County, Romania. With a population of 136,087 (as of 2021 census), Bacău is the 14th largest city in Romania. The city is situated in the historical region of Moldavia, at the foothills of the ...
and his former club
Astra
Astra (Latin for "stars") may refer to:
People
* Astra (name)
Places
* Astra, Chubut, a village in Argentina
* Astra (Isauria), a town of ancient Isauria, now in Turkey
* Astra, one suggested name for a hypothetical fifth planet that became t ...
.
The striker was eligible to play, starting August 2000, and soon after he scored his first two goals in his
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 ...
debut.
He finished his first top flight season with 15 goals.
In his second season, he partnered
Cristian Ciocoiu, and he netted 17 goals (competition best) but his reference point, was when he scored a scissor kick against
Dinamo, and his goal was selected "Play of the Day" by
CNN
Cable News Network (CNN) is a multinational news organization operating, most notably, a website and a TV channel headquartered in Atlanta. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable ne ...
. At the end of the season, media reported that German side
Hertha Berlin offered $1,800,000, but Sechelariu asked $300,000 more, and the negotiations collapsed.
To not be criticised by Cursaru, Sechelariu raised his player's wage up to $10,000 per month.
However, after the transfer failure, the player never regained his form and confidence.
In the next three years, he produced only 17 goals, in 75 matches. In 2003, he impressed in a trial for the Norwegian side
SK Brann
Sportsklubben Brann is a Norwegian professional football club based in Bergen. Founded on 26 September 1908, Brann has played in the first tier of Norwegian football for 67 out of 80 seasons, the second most of any club. They play their hom ...
, but once again, Sechelariu's demands, made the transaction collapsing.
In total, Cursaru scored 49 goals in the shirt of FCM Bacău in five seasons, leaving the club in July 2005 after he refused to extend his contract.
Rest of career
Cursaru signed a two-year contract with Divizia A side SC Vaslui on 11 October 2005, but he ultimately failed to impress, scoring none during the season, in which Vaslui eventually remained in the top flight. He released his contract in late April. Following the unsuccessful spell in Vaslui, in June 2006 he signed with
FC Naţional. He played for a year and a half for the "Bankers", but ultimately he was released following his low goal-per-match rate. Following two unsuccessful attempts to revive himself in the lower divisions, for
Aerostar Bacău and
Tricolorul Breaza, and without any offer for almost a year, he officially retired in mid-2011 from professional football.
Club statistics
''Statistics accurate as of match played 15 October 2009''
Honours
Individual
*Topscorer of Romanian First League:
2002
The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operation ...
.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cursaru, Catalin
1978 births
Living people
Footballers from Ploiești
Romanian men's footballers
FCM Bacău players
FC Vaslui players
FC Progresul București players
CS Aerostar Bacău players
Men's association football forwards