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Florin Valeriu Răducioiu (born 17 March 1970) 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 striker, currently television pundit for Orange Sport. He is known as the first footballer to play and score at least one goal in each of the Big Five leagues. He played for
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 ...
at the
1990 World Cup The 1990 FIFA World Cup was the 14th FIFA World Cup, a quadrennial Association football, football tournament for men's senior national teams. It was held from 8 June to 8 July 1990 in Italy, the second country to host the event for a second ...
, the 1994 World Cup and Euro 1996.


Club career


Dinamo București

Florin Răducioiu, nicknamed ''Minunea blondă'' ("The Blonde Wonder") was born on 17 March 1970 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 ...
, Romania, starting to play junior level football in 1978 at local club, Dinamo where he worked with Iosif Varga. Coach
Mircea Lucescu Mircea Lucescu (; born 29 July 1945) is a Romanian professional Association football, football Manager (association football), manager and former player, currently the head coach of the Romania national football team, Romania national team. He i ...
gave 16-year old Răducioiu 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 on 10 May 1986 in a 2–1 home victory against Politehnica Timișoara. His first performance was playing five games and scoring one goal against Kuusysi Lahti in the 1988–89 European Cup Winners' Cup, reaching the quarter-finals where they were eliminated 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 ...
after 1–1 on aggregate by Sampdoria. In the following season, Dinamo won The Double with Răducioiu playing 24 Divizia A games in which he scored 14 goals, including one in a 2–2 draw against
rivals 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 ...
Steaua București. He also scored a
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 6–4 victory against them in the Cupa României final. Additionally, the club reached the 1989–90 European Cup Winners' Cup semi-finals, where they were eliminated 2–0 on aggregate by
Anderlecht Anderlecht (; ) is one of the List of municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region, 19 municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium. Located in the south-western part of the region, it is bordered by the City of Brussels, Forest, B ...
. Răducioiu playing eight games in the campaign, scoring once against Panathinaikos and three times against Partizan Belgrade. In the 85th minute of the second leg from the semi-final with Anderlecht, Răducioiu received a red card after fighting with an opponent and quarreled with the referee, Lucescu giving him a slap for that, however he appreciated the coach, praising him years later after he ended his career:"He was my mentor, teacher, everything! Without him, I would never have become a footballer. He believed in me and gave me the opportunity to play. He showed me what football is all about, but I also learned a lot of other things."


Bari

In the summer of 1990, Italian club,
Bari Bari ( ; ; ; ) is the capital city of the Metropolitan City of Bari and of the Apulia Regions of Italy, region, on the Adriatic Sea in southern Italy. It is the first most important economic centre of mainland Southern Italy. It is a port and ...
transferred Răducioiu after paying Dinamo three million$. He made his
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 ...
debut on 9 September as coach Gaetano Salvemini used him as a starter in a 2–0 away loss to
Atalanta Atalanta (; ) is a heroine in Greek mythology. There are two versions of the huntress Atalanta: one from Arcadia (region), Arcadia, whose parents were Iasus and Clymene (mythology), Clymene and who is primarily known from the tales of the Caly ...
. One week later he scored his first goal in a 2–1 home victory against
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 ...
. Until the end of the season he found the net four more times, scoring against Lazio Roma and Sampdoria as both games ended 1–1, opening the score in a 2–0 over
Pisa Pisa ( ; ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) in Tuscany, Central Italy, straddling the Arno just before it empties into the Ligurian Sea. It is the capital city of the Province of Pisa. Although Pisa is known worldwide for the Leaning Tow ...
and his last goal was in a 5–1 away loss in front 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 Italian professional Association football, football List of football ...
.


Hellas Verona

In 1991 he went to play for
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 ...
, making his league debut on 1 September under coach Eugenio Fascetti who used him all the minutes in a 1–0 home loss in front of
AS Roma Associazione Sportiva Roma (''Rome Sport Association''; Italian pronunciation: Help:IPA/Italian, ) is a professional Association football, football club based in Rome, Italy. Founded by a merger in 1927, Roma has participated in the top tier ...
. He scored his first goal for ''The Mastiffs'' on 16 November in a 2–1 victory against
Genoa Genoa ( ; ; ) is a city in and the capital of the Italian region of Liguria, and the sixth-largest city in Italy. As of 2025, 563,947 people live within the city's administrative limits. While its metropolitan city has 818,651 inhabitan ...
, then being unable to score until 11 April 1992 in a 2–1 loss 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 ...
, these being his only goals in his 30 appearances during this season in which the team relegated. Years later after ending his career, Răducioiu claimed that his poor performances during this period were influenced by the love relationship he had with fashion model Eugenia "Janine" Ștefan:"I had a nightmare season at Verona, 1991–92. I had fallen head over heels in love with Janine, a famous fashion model of those years. My whole being was connected during that period to this girl (...) I had fallen at matches, during training, the supporters attacked us when we were coming from away games, they also attacked me once. We relegated that season, the fans rightly blamed me, and years later I publicly apologized for my disastrous year's performances".


Brescia

Răducioiu went to play for the 1992–93 season at Mircea Lucescu's "
Brescia Brescia (, ; ; or ; ) is a city and (municipality) in the region of Lombardy, in Italy. It is situated at the foot of the Alps, a few kilometers from the lakes Lake Garda, Garda and Lake Iseo, Iseo. With a population of 199,949, it is the se ...
Romena" as during around that period his fellow Romanians
Gheorghe Hagi Gheorghe Hagi (; born 5 February 1965) is a Romanian professional football manager and former player, who is currently the owner of Liga I club Farul Constanța. Deployed as an attacking midfielder, Hagi was considered one of the best players in ...
, Ioan Sabău, Dorin Mateuț and Dănuț Lupu also played for the club. He made his debut on 5 September 1992 in a 0–0 draw against
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 ...
, two weeks later scoring his first goal in a 1–0 with
Pescara Pescara (; ; ) is the capital city of the province of Pescara, in the Abruzzo Regions of Italy, region of Italy. It is the most populated city in Abruzzo, with 118,657 (January 1, 2023) residents (and approximately 350,000 including the surround ...
, by the end of the year managing a brace in a 2–2 draw with
Genoa Genoa ( ; ; ) is a city in and the capital of the Italian region of Liguria, and the sixth-largest city in Italy. As of 2025, 563,947 people live within the city's administrative limits. While its metropolitan city has 818,651 inhabitan ...
. In the second half of the season he scored goals in victories over Napoli and
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 ...
and in May 1993 he managed two doubles, first in the 2–0 victory against
Atalanta Atalanta (; ) is a heroine in Greek mythology. There are two versions of the huntress Atalanta: one from Arcadia (region), Arcadia, whose parents were Iasus and Clymene (mythology), Clymene and who is primarily known from the tales of the Caly ...
and then in the 2–2 draw with Udinese, gaining a total of 13 goals until the end of the season in which however the team relegated to
Serie B The Serie B (), officially known as Serie BKT for sponsorship reasons, is the second-highest division in the Italian football league system after the Serie A. It has been operating for over ninety years since the 1929–30 season. It had b ...
.


AC Milan

After three seasons in
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 ...
, Răducioiu joined
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 ...
who paid Brescia 2.75 million€ for his transfer. His first game played for the club was in the 1993 Supercoppa Italiana when coach
Fabio Capello Fabio Capello (; born 18 June 1946) is an Italian former professional association football, football manager (association football), manager and player. As a player, Capello represented SPAL, AS Roma, Roma, AC Milan and Juventus FC, Juventus. H ...
sent him on the field at half-time in order to replace
Marco Simone Marco Simone (; born 7 January 1969) is an Italian professional football manager and former player. As a player, he was a striker and winger. He most prominently played for Milan, with whom he won four Serie A championships and two UEFA Ch ...
who was the only scorer in the victory against
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 Serie A debut for ''The Devil'' on 12 September 1993, managing to close the score in a 2–0 home win with
Atalanta Atalanta (; ) is a heroine in Greek mythology. There are two versions of the huntress Atalanta: one from Arcadia (region), Arcadia, whose parents were Iasus and Clymene (mythology), Clymene and who is primarily known from the tales of the Caly ...
, afterwards on 4 December he netted the only goal in a home win over Torino. On 11 December, he was used by Capello as a starter in the 3–2 loss in front of
São Paulo São Paulo (; ; Portuguese for 'Paul the Apostle, Saint Paul') is the capital of the São Paulo (state), state of São Paulo, as well as the List of cities in Brazil by population, most populous city in Brazil, the List of largest cities in the ...
from the 1993 Intercontinental Cup. Răducioiu also played two games in the Champions League group stage, scoring once in a 3–0 over
Porto Porto (), also known in English language, English as Oporto, is the List of cities in Portugal, second largest city in Portugal, after Lisbon. It is the capital of the Porto District and one of the Iberian Peninsula's major urban areas. Porto c ...
which was the 300th goal of the club in European competitions. In his single season spent with Milan he scored only four goals in 14 appearances across all competitions, having to compete for a place in the offence with players like
Jean-Pierre Papin Jean-Pierre Roger Guillaume Papin (; born 5 November 1963) is a French football manager and former professional player who played as a forward. He is the head coach of Championnat National 3 club Marseille B. He won the Ballon d'Or in 1991. Pa ...
, Daniele Massaro,
Dejan Savićević Dejan Savićević ( cyrl, Дејан Савићевић, ; born 15 September 1966) is a Montenegrin former professional association football, footballer who played as an attacking midfielder. Since 2001, he has been the president of the Football ...
and Marco Simone but still managed to win the league title and the Champions League. He would describe his opportunity to play for Milan as "a dream come true".


Espanyol and loans

In 1994, he went in Spain to play for Espanyol who paid Milan 2.4 million€ for his transfer, making his Primera División debut under coach José Antonio Camacho on 4 September, opening the score in a 4–2 home win over Real Oviedo. One week later he scored again in a 4–0 away victory against
Real Valladolid Real Valladolid Club de Fútbol, S.A.D., or simply Real Valladolid (), is a Spanish professional List of football clubs in Spain, football club based in Valladolid, Castile and León that will compete from the 2025–26 season in the . The club ...
, managing to score nine goals until the end of the season, including a brace in a 2–0 over
Atlético Madrid Club Atlético de Madrid, S.A.D. (; meaning "Athletic Club of Madrid"), commonly referred to as Atlético Madrid or simply Atlético, is a Spanish professional football club based in Madrid that plays in La Liga. The club play their home game ...
. For the way he played in 1983, Răducioiu was placed second in the ranking for the Romanian Footballer of the Year award, only behind
Gheorghe Hagi Gheorghe Hagi (; born 5 February 1965) is a Romanian professional football manager and former player, who is currently the owner of Liga I club Farul Constanța. Deployed as an attacking midfielder, Hagi was considered one of the best players in ...
. He started the following season strong by scoring a brace in the first round and one goal in the second in victories against
Salamanca Salamanca () is a Municipality of Spain, municipality and city in Spain, capital of the Province of Salamanca, province of the same name, located in the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is located in the Campo Charro comarca, in the ...
and
Tenerife Tenerife ( ; ; formerly spelled ''Teneriffe'') is the largest and most populous island of the Canary Islands, an Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Spain. With a land area of and a population of 965,575 inhabitants as of A ...
respectively but he scored only two more goals in wins with
Real Sociedad Real Sociedad de Fútbol, more commonly referred to as Real Sociedad ( ; ''Royal Society'') in English, and Erreala or Reala in Basque language, Basque, is a Spanish professional sports club in the city of San Sebastián, Donostia / San Sebastián, ...
and Real Oviedo until the end of the season. Having scored his country's only goal at Euro 1996, manager
Harry Redknapp Henry James Redknapp (born 2 March 1947) is an English former association football, football manager (association football), manager and player. He has previously managed AFC Bournemouth, West Ham United F.C., West Ham United, Portsmouth F.C., ...
signed him for
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 ...
in 1996. Most famously, he scored a goal in a 2–2 with
Manchester United Manchester United Football Club, commonly referred to as Man United (often stylised as Man Utd) or simply United, is a professional association football, football club based in Old Trafford (area), Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, Engl ...
after being criticized by Redknapp for going shopping with his wife at
Harvey Nichols Harvey Nichols Group Limited ( trading as Harvey Nichols) is a British luxury department store chain founded in 1831 by Benjamin Harvey; it is headquartered at its flagship store in Knightsbridge, London. It sells designer fashion collections ...
on a previous match day, a claim Răducioiu denied. Despite showing promise, he never adapted to the pace and competitive nature of the English game, making no real impact at Upton Park. He scored three goals during his spell with the Hammers, in addition to his goal against Manchester United, he scored against Stockport County in the League Cup and
Sunderland Sunderland () is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It is a port at the mouth of the River Wear on the North Sea, approximately south-east of Newcastle upon Tyne. It is the most p ...
in the league. Having fallen out with manager Redknapp at the East London club, he was transferred back to Espanyol after his short underachieving spell, having scored just two goals in the
Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...
. In the second half of the 1996–97 season, Răducioiu scored two doubles for Espanyol, one in a loss with
Sporting Gijón Sporting may refer to: *Sport, recreational games and play *Sporting (neighborhood), in Alexandria, Egypt Sports clubs *Alexandria Sporting Club, a sports club from Alexandria, Egypt *BFA Sporting, a football club from Beirut, Lebanon *Real Sporti ...
and the other in a 2–0 over
Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...
in the Derbi Barceloní. In the summer of 1997 he went to play for
VfB Stuttgart Verein für Bewegungsspiele Stuttgart 1893 e. V. (), commonly known as VfB Stuttgart (), is a German professional sports club based in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg. The club's Association football, football team is currently part of Germany's f ...
, making his
Bundesliga The Bundesliga (; ), sometimes referred to as the Fußball-Bundesliga () or 1. Bundesliga (), is a professional association football league in Germany and the highest level of the German football league system. The Bundesliga comprises 18 teams ...
debut on 23 August when coach Joachim Löw sent him on the field at half-time to replace Jonathan Akpoborie in a 3–1 away win against
MSV Duisburg Meidericher Spielverein 02 e. V. Duisburg, commonly known as simply MSV Duisburg (), is a Football in Germany, German association football club based in Duisburg, North Rhine-Westphalia. Nicknamed ''Die Zebras'' for their traditional striped jer ...
in which he closed the score. He played for them in three games in the early stages from the 1997–98 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup campaign in which Stuttgart reached the
final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final examination or finals, a test given at the end of a course of study or training *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which d ...
.


Comebacks to Brescia and Dinamo

In 1998, Răducioiu made a comeback at
Brescia Brescia (, ; ; or ; ) is a city and (municipality) in the region of Lombardy, in Italy. It is situated at the foot of the Alps, a few kilometers from the lakes Lake Garda, Garda and Lake Iseo, Iseo. With a population of 199,949, it is the se ...
, this time playing for two years in
Serie B The Serie B (), officially known as Serie BKT for sponsorship reasons, is the second-highest division in the Italian football league system after the Serie A. It has been operating for over ninety years since the 1929–30 season. It had b ...
. Afterwards he returned to his country at Dinamo where he stayed only for the first half of the 2000–01 season. He scored his only goal during this second spell at ''The Red Dogs'' in a 3–2 loss with Petrolul Ploiești, then he made his last Divizia A appearance on 24 November 2000 in a 3–2 win with Astra Ploiești, having a total of 84 matches with 30 goals in the competition.


AS Monaco and Créteil

In early 2001, Răducioiu went to play for
AS Monaco Association Sportive de Monaco Football Club, commonly referred to as AS Monaco (), is a professional football club based in Fontvieille, Monaco. Although not in France, they are a member of the French Football Federation (FFF) and currently ...
, making his
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 ...
debut on 13 January against Sedan when coach Claude Puel sent him on the field in the 66th minute in order to replace the only goalscorer of the game Shabani Nonda. He netted for the first time on 3 February in a 6–1 over
Metz Metz ( , , , then ) is a city in northeast France located at the confluence of the Moselle (river), Moselle and the Seille (Moselle), Seille rivers. Metz is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Moselle (department), Moselle Departments ...
, then on 17 March he opened the score in a 4–3 home win with
Troyes Troyes () is a Communes of France, commune and the capital of the Departments of France, department of Aube in the Grand Est region of north-central France. It is located on the Seine river about south-east of Paris. Troyes is situated within ...
. He retired in 2004, after a short stint with French
Ligue 2 Ligue 2 (, League 2), also known as Ligue 2 BKT due to sponsorship reasons, is a French professional football league. The league serves as the second division of French football and is one of two divisions making up the Ligue de Football Prof ...
side
Créteil Créteil () is a Communes of France, commune in the southeastern suburbs of Paris, Île-de-France. It is located from the Kilometre Zero, centre of Paris. Créteil is the ''préfecture'' (capital) of the Val-de-Marne Departments of France, dep ...
. Răducioiu is the first professional footballer that played and also scored in the top five European leagues (England, Spain, Germany, Italy and France).


International career


Early years and 1990 World Cup

Florin Răducioiu played 40 games and scored 21 goals for
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 ...
, making his debut under coach Emerich Jenei in a friendly game against
Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...
on 25 April 1990 which ended with a 4–1 win, being on the field for the first 58 minutes before he was replaced with Gabi Balint. Răducioiu was taken by Jenei to be part of the
1990 World Cup The 1990 FIFA World Cup was the 14th FIFA World Cup, a quadrennial Association football, football tournament for men's senior national teams. It was held from 8 June to 8 July 1990 in Italy, the second country to host the event for a second ...
squad where he made his debut in the 2–1 victory against the
Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
at the
Stadio San Nicola Stadio San Nicola () is a multi-use all-seater stadium designed by Renzo Piano in Bari, Italy. It is currently used mostly for football matches and is the home stadium of SSC Bari. It replaced their previous home, Stadio della Vittoria, in 19 ...
in
Bari Bari ( ; ; ; ) is the capital city of the Metropolitan City of Bari and of the Apulia Regions of Italy, region, on the Adriatic Sea in southern Italy. It is the first most important economic centre of mainland Southern Italy. It is a port and ...
, aged 20. Appearing in three games for Romania, he finished the tournament without scoring and Romania fell to the
Republic of Ireland Ireland ( ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 Counties of Ireland, counties of the island of Ireland, with a population of about 5.4 million. ...
in the round of 16, in a
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 ...
. Răducioiu scored his first goal in a 6–0 victory over
San Marino San Marino, officially the Republic of San Marino, is a landlocked country in Southern Europe, completely surrounded by Italy. Located on the northeastern slopes of the Apennine Mountains, it is the larger of two European microstates, microsta ...
at the Euro 1992 qualifiers, only to double his account in the next game in San Marino, as the Romanians won 3–1.


1994 World Cup

The 1994 World Cup qualifiers were very successful for Răducioiu, firstly as he scored two goals against
Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia ( ; Czech language, Czech and , ''Česko-Slovensko'') was a landlocked country in Central Europe, created in 1918, when it declared its independence from Austria-Hungary. In 1938, after the Munich Agreement, the Sudetenland beca ...
in
Košice Košice is the largest city in eastern Slovakia. It is situated on the river Hornád at the eastern reaches of the Slovak Ore Mountains, near the border with Hungary. With a population of approximately 230,000, Košice is the second-largest cit ...
, even though Romania lost 5–2. An even greater success for Răducioiu would come three months later when in Toftir, he managed to score all four of Romania's goals 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 ...
. Răducioiu also scored a penalty kick and provided an assist for Ilie Dumitrescu in a 2–1 victory against
Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...
. In the last group game of the qualifiers, he scored a goal against
Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...
, finishing a nice team effort after a pass from Ilie Dumitrescu. This late goal, coming in the 83rd minute, earned Romania a 2–1 win and thus the mathematical qualification to the 1994 World Cup, also this game is considered by Romanian journalists as the birth of Romania's "Golden Generation". With nine goals scored, Răducioiu was the top-goalscorer of the 1994 World Cup qualifiers from the
UEFA The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA ; ; ) is one of six continental bodies of governance in association football. It governs football, futsal and beach soccer, beach football in Europe and the List of transcontinental countries#A ...
zone. At the World Cup finals, Răducioiu scored two goals in the victory against
Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...
during the group stage. Coach Anghel Iordănescu could not use him in the historical victory against
Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...
from the round of 16 as he was suspended after receiving two yellow cards in the group stage. In the quarterfinal against
Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...
, he first equalized Sweden's 0–1 lead in the 88th minute of regular time, taking the game to extra time, then put Romania ahead 2–1 in the first period. Shortly thereafter, Sweden's Stefan Schwarz was sent off after his second yellow card, but despite this Kennet Andersson tied the game in the 115th minute, leading to a shootout. Răducioiu scored Romania's first penalty attempt after Sweden had missed its first, but Romania was eliminated after missing two attempts out of six. Still, Răducioiu's four tournament goals helped Romania to its most successful World Cup campaign ever.


Euro 1996

At the successful Euro 1996 qualifiers he scored five goals, including a hat-trick against
Azerbaijan Azerbaijan, officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, is a Boundaries between the continents, transcontinental and landlocked country at the boundary of West Asia and Eastern Europe. It is a part of the South Caucasus region and is bounded by ...
, being his side's top-goalscorer. At the final tournament, coach Iordănescu used him in all the games as Romania lost all three group stage matches, Răducioiu netting the nation's only goal after a pass from Ovidiu Stîngă in the 2–1 loss against
Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
.


Retirement

Afterwards, Răducioiu decided to retire from the national team even do he was only 26 years old, a decision he would regret, years later saying in an interview:"Disappointed with the European Championship... I felt that I could no longer be useful to the national team. What nonsense I could think then! I felt like I was probably losing my place in the team and... It was probably wrong, for sure!" For representing his country at two final tournaments, Răducioiu was decorated by
President of Romania The president of Romania () is the head of state of Romania. The president is directly elected by a two-round system, and, following a modification to the Romanian Constitution in 2003, serves for five years. An individual may serve two ter ...
Traian Băsescu Traian Băsescu (; born 4 November 1951) is a Romanian politician who served as the president of Romania from 2004 to 2014. Prior to his presidency, Băsescu served as Romanian minister of transport on multiple occasions between 1991 and 2000, ...
on 25 March 2008 with the Ordinul "Meritul Sportiv" – (The Medal "The Sportive Merit") class III.


After retirement

In 2005 he had a short spell as a
sports agent A sports agent is a legal representative (hence agent (law), agent) for professional sports figures such as athletes and coaches. They procure and negotiate employment and Testimonial, endorsement contracts for the principal (commercial law), at ...
, then in 2007 he worked as a sporting director for Dinamo București. In 2012 he was hired by the
Romanian Football Federation The Romanian Football Federation (; FRF) is the governing body of football in Romania. They are headquartered in the capital city of Bucharest and affiliated with FIFA and UEFA since 1923 and 1955 respectively. The Federation organizes the men's ...
to be the head coach of Romania's under-15 national team, in the following years working at Romania U16 and Romania U17, teaching and forming players like Ianis Hagi and Florinel Coman. In 2017, Răducioiu was hired by Regal Sport București as a technical director, working there with a 15-year-old Radu Drăgușin. In 2022 he worked as a team manager for a few months at Dinamo București.


Career statistics


International

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


Honours

Dinamo București *
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 ...
: 1989–90 *
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 ...
: 1985–86, 1989–90 AC Milan *
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 ...
: 1993–94 *
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 ...
:
1993 The United Nations General Assembly, General Assembly of the United Nations designated 1993 as: * International Year for the World's Indigenous People The year 1993 in the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands had only 364 days, since its ...
* Champions League: 1993–94 * Intercontinental Cup runner-up:
1993 The United Nations General Assembly, General Assembly of the United Nations designated 1993 as: * International Year for the World's Indigenous People The year 1993 in the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands had only 364 days, since its ...
VfB Stuttgart *
UEFA Cup Winners' Cup The UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was a European association football, football club competition contested annually by the winners of domestic cup competitions. The competition's official name was originally the European Cup Winners' Cup; it was renam ...
runner-up: 1997–98 Individual *'' Gazeta Sporturilor'' Romanian Footballer of the Year runner-up: 1994


References


External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Raducioiu, Florin 1970 births Living people Romanian men's footballers Footballers from Bucharest Men's association football forwards Romania men's international footballers UEFA Champions League–winning players Liga I players Serie A players Serie B players La Liga players Premier League players Bundesliga players Ligue 1 players Ligue 2 players FC Dinamo București players SSC Bari players Hellas Verona FC players Brescia Calcio players AC Milan players RCD Espanyol footballers West Ham United F.C. players VfB Stuttgart players AS Monaco FC players US Créteil-Lusitanos players 1990 FIFA World Cup players 1994 FIFA World Cup players UEFA Euro 1996 players Naturalised citizens of Italy Romanian football managers Romanian expatriate men's footballers Romanian expatriate sportspeople in Italy Expatriate men's footballers in Italy Romanian expatriate sportspeople in Spain Expatriate men's footballers in Spain Romanian expatriate sportspeople in England Expatriate men's footballers in England Romanian expatriate sportspeople in Germany Expatriate men's footballers in Germany Romanian expatriate sportspeople in Monaco Expatriate men's footballers in Monaco Romanian expatriate sportspeople in France Expatriate men's footballers in France Romanian sports executives and administrators 20th-century Romanian sportsmen Association football agents