Ciprian Marica

Summary

Ciprian Andrei Marica (Romanian pronunciation: [tʃipriˈan anˈdrej ˈmarika]; born 2 October 1985) is a Romanian former footballer and minority shareholder of Farul Constanța. He played as a centre forward.

Ciprian Marica
Marica with Schalke 04 in 2011
Personal information
Full name Ciprian Andrei Marica[1]
Date of birth (1985-10-02) 2 October 1985 (age 38)
Place of birth Bucharest, Romania
Height 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)[2]
Position(s) Forward
Team information
Current team
Farul Constanța
(minority shareholder)
Youth career
1996–2001 Dinamo București
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2001–2003 Dinamo București 22 (4)
2004–2007 Shakhtar Donetsk 74 (15)
2007–2011 VfB Stuttgart 93 (19)
2011–2013 Schalke 04 34 (5)
2013–2014 Getafe 27 (6)
2014–2015 Konyaspor 7 (1)
2016 FCSB 7 (0)
Total 264 (51)
International career
2001 Romania U17 2 (0)
2002–2003 Romania U19 3 (1)
2003–2006 Romania U21 10 (4)
2003–2014[3] Romania 72 (25)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Club career edit

Dinamo București edit

Marica's first professional club team was Dinamo București, from the city in which he was born. He started to gain attention even though he only played 23 games (scoring four goals) in three years with the club.

Shakhtar Donetsk edit

Ciprian transferred to the Ukrainian top club and played his so far best seasons with them. He gained international experience, getting to play in the UEFA Cup European competition.

VfB Stuttgart edit

 
Marica warming up for VfB Stuttgart in 2010.

On 23 July 2007, he transferred to German club VfB Stuttgart, after his former club, Shakhtar Donetsk, rejected another offer, from English team Derby County amongst interest from Manchester City.[4] Marica signed a 5-year contract. Stuttgart sporting director Horst Heldt said: "Ciprian is a very flexible forward, and a permanent thorn in the side of any opposition defence, who fits outstandingly into our team. He wanted to join us desperately."[5]

Marica made his debut for VfB in the Bundesliga on 12 August 2007, in a home game against Schalke 04 (2–2). In his first season, he got plenty of appearances (28), scoring only two goals in those (plus one goal in the UEFA Champions League, which led Stuttgart to their win against the Rangers F.C.).

After this first failed season then-coach Armin Veh mistrusted Marica, giving him only few appearances. Things seemed to get better after the sacking of Veh. New coach Markus Babbel entrusted him to play instead of Cacau, but Marica again failed to impress.

Only after Christian Gross replaced Babbel as VfB coach, Marica got a new chance, mainly profiting by long-time injury of Cacau. This time Marica didn't disappoint his coach, scoring four goals in three consecutive matches. (Two goals in a 2–0 victory for VfB on 20 March 2010 match in Bundesliga against Hannover 96, the winning goal on 27 March 2010 away at Bayern Munich and the equalizing goal in a 2–1 victory against Borussia Mönchengladbach on 3 April 2010.)

As of season 2010–11 he started again to be only the third choice behind Cacau and Pavel Pogrebnyak.

On 12 July 2011, Marica was released from his contract at Stuttgart.[6]

Schalke 04 edit

On 28 July 2011, Marica signed a two-year contract with German club Schalke 04,[7] worth €5m.[8] He chose to remain in Germany, despite having offers from Premier League club Blackburn Rovers, and other two French clubs such as Marseille and Paris Saint-Germain.[9][10]

In a match against Maccabi Haifa, on 14 December, Marica scored one goal,[11] to help his team to a 3–0 win.[12] On 29 January 2012, Marica scored a double against 1. FC Köln[13] Although Lukas Podolski opened the score in the first half, Marica made it 2–1 for FC Schalke 04, with the game eventually ending in a 4–1 win for his team.[14] Towards the end of his contract with the team he received interest from teams such as Shakhtar, Lazio and Inter.[15]

Getafe edit

On 27 September 2013, Marica signed a contract with Spanish La Liga side Getafe.[16] He made his Getafe debut on 6 October as a substitute in the 3–1 win against Betis Sevilla. On 31 October, Marica scored his first league goal in a 2–0 away win against Villarreal.[17] In May 2014, he scored twice in a 2–1 win over Rayo Vallecano, keeping Getafe out of the relegation zone.[18]

Konyaspor edit

In the summer of 2014, Marica signed a two-year contract with Turkish side Konyaspor.[19] On 15 October 2015, he was released by Konyaspor. Marica played only seven games in 14 months for the Turkish side, mainly because of his injuries.[20]

FCSB edit

On 14 January 2016, Marica reached an agreement with FCSB, thus returning to Romania after twelve years. He became the 59th footballer to play for both big Bucharest rivals, Dinamo and FCSB.[21] In his first match with FCSB, a 2–0 victory against Concordia Chiajna, he played from the start and was replaced after 84 minutes. His performance was deemed weak and conservative,[22] as he only managed to get two opportunities in a game in which he was otherwise unremarkable.[23]

International career edit

 
Marica lining up for Romania in 2014

Marica scored 25 goals in 71 caps. He made his debut on 16 November 2003, in a friendly game with Italy played in Ancona and won by Squadra Azzurra 1–0. Marica was introduces in the 81st minute, replacing Daniel Pancu.[24] His first goal for the national team came on 17 November 2004, in a match against Armenia.[25]

On 25 March 2008, he was awarded the "Meritul Sportiv", class III medal, by the president of Romania, Traian Băsescu for the results on Qualifying to EURO 2008 and qualification to UEFA Euro 2008 Group C.[26][27]

He scored his first double for Romania in a 2012 European championship qualifying match against Bosnia and Herzegovina, on 3 June 2011.[28]

He scored his first ever hat-trick for Romania in a friendly match against Trinidad and Tobago, on 4 June 2013.[28]

Career statistics edit

Club edit

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition[29][30][31]
Club Season League National cup League cup Europe Super Cup Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Dinamo București 2001–02 Divizia A 2 0 0 0 2 0
2002–03 11 1 3 0 5 1 14 1
2003–04 10 3 1 2 16 6
Total 23 4 4 2 0 0 5 1 0 0 32 7
Shakhtar Donetsk 2003–04 Vyscha Liha 12 4 2 0 1 0 15 4
2004–05 16 2 7 0 9 1 1 0 33 3
2005–06 22 5 1 0 9 2 1 0 33 7
2006–07 23 6 2 0 11 4 1 0 37 10
2007–08 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
Total 74 17 12 0 0 0 29 7 4 0 119 24
VfB Stuttgart 2007–08 Bundesliga 28 2 3 0 4 1 35 3
2008–09 27 4 3 1 11 5 41 10
2009–10 24 10 2 0 6 1 32 11
2010–11 13 3 2 0 9 3 24 6
Total 92 19 10 1 0 0 30 10 0 0 132 30
Schalke 04 2011–12 Bundesliga 21 2 1 0 11 1 33 3
2012–13 13 3 3 3 3 0 19 6
Total 34 5 4 3 0 0 14 1 0 0 52 9
Getafe 2013–14 La Liga 27 6 2 1 29 7
Konyaspor 2014–15 Süper Lig 6 1 2 1 8 2
2015–16 1 0 0 0 1 0
Total 7 1 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 9 2
FCSB 2015–16 Liga I 7 0 1 0 1 0 9 0
Career total 264 52 35 8 1 0 78 19 4 0 382 79

International edit

Appearances and goals by national team and year[28]
National team Year Apps Goals
Romania 2003 1 0
2004 4 1
2005 0 0
2006 5 3
2007 11 3
2008 7 2
2009 10 3
2010 6 1
2011 9 3
2012 7 2
2013 8 6
2014 4 1
Total 72 25
Scores and results list Romania's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Marica goal.
List of international goals scored by Ciprian Marica[32] Scores and results list Romania's goal tally first.
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1 17 November 2004 Hanrapetakan Stadium, Yerevan, Armenia   Armenia 1–0 1–1 2006 FIFA World Cup Qualification
2 2 September 2006 Stadionul Farul, Constanța, Romania   Bulgaria 2–0 2–2 UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying
3 7 October 2006 Stadionul Steaua, Bucharest, Romania   Belarus 2–0 3–1 UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying
4 15 November 2006 Estadio Ramón de Carranza, Cadiz, Spain   Spain 1–0 1–0 Friendly
5 28 March 2007 Ceahlăul Stadium, Piatra Neamț, Romania   Luxembourg 3–0 3–0 UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying
6 17 October 2007 Stade Josy Barthel, Luxembourg, Luxembourg   Luxembourg 2–0 2–0 UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying
7 21 November 2007 Național Stadium, Bucharest, Romania   Albania 5–1 6–1 UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying
8 26 March 2008 Stadionul Steaua, Bucharest, Romania   Russia 1–0 3–0 Friendly
9 19 November 2008 Stadionul Dinamo, Bucharest, Romania   Georgia 1–1 2–1 Friendly
10 11 February 2009 Stadionul Steaua, Bucharest, Romania   Croatia 1–0 1–2 Friendly
11 28 March 2009 Stadionul Farul, Constanța, Romania   Serbia 1–2 2–3 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
12 6 June 2009 Sūduva Stadium, Marijampolė, Lithuania   Lithuania 1–0 1–0 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
13 17 November 2010 Hypo-Arena, Klagenfurt, Austria   Italy 1–0 1–1 Friendly
14 26 March 2011 Bilino Polje, Zenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina   Bosnia and Herzegovina 1–0 1–2 UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying
15 3 June 2011 Giulești-Valentin Stănescu, Bucharest, Romania   Bosnia and Herzegovina 2–0 3–0 UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying
16 3–0
17 7 September 2012 A. Le Coq Arena, Tallinn, Estonia   Estonia 2–0 2–0 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification
18 16 October 2012 Arena Națională, Bucharest, Romania   Netherlands 1–2 1–4 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification
19 4 June 2013 Arena Națională, Bucharest, Romania   Trinidad and Tobago 1–0 4–0 Friendly
20 2–0
21 4–0
22 6 September 2013 Arena Națională, Bucharest, Romania   Hungary 1–0 3–0 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification
23 15 October 2013 Arena Națională, Bucharest, Romania   Estonia 1–0 2–0 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification
24 2–0
25 7 September 2014 Karaiskakis Stadium, Piraeus, Greece   Greece 1–0 1–0 UEFA Euro 2016 qualification

Honours edit

Dinamo București[33]

Shakhtar Donetsk[33]

Steaua București

References edit

  1. ^ "15th UEFA European Championship: Booking List before Qualifying Round Matchday 10" (PDF). UEFA. 11 October 2015. p. 6. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
  2. ^ "Ciprian Marica". vfb-stuttgart.de. Archived from the original on 10 August 2009. Retrieved 24 October 2008.
  3. ^ Stokkermans, Karel (12 December 2013). "Ciprian Marica – Goals in International Matches". The Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 30 December 2013.
  4. ^ Burt, Jason (19 July 2007). "Eriksson hoping Marica can boost City's firepower". The Independent. London. Retrieved 19 July 2007.[dead link]
  5. ^ "Ciprian Marica signs for VfB". vfb.de. 24 July 2007. Archived from the original on 28 September 2007. Retrieved 24 July 2007.
  6. ^ "Ciprian Marica parts company with VfB". VfB Stuttgart. 12 July 2011. Archived from the original on 1 April 2012. Retrieved 12 July 2011.
  7. ^ "Ciprian Marica erhält Vertrag bis 2013" (in German). Official website of Schalke 04. Archived from the original on 13 March 2012. Retrieved 28 July 2011.
  8. ^ "Marica, doi ani la Schalke 04" (in Romanian). adevarul.ro. 29 July 2011. Archived from the original on 10 August 2011. Retrieved 12 March 2012.
  9. ^ "Blackburn eye Romania striker". mirrorfootball.co.uk. Archived from the original on 27 February 2014. Retrieved 28 July 2011.
  10. ^ "Marica vers le PSG ?" (in French). L'Équipe.fr. Archived from the original on 6 May 2011. Retrieved 21 June 2011.
  11. ^ "Maccabi Haifa Schalke Match facts". The Guardian. 14 December 2011. Retrieved 12 March 2012.
  12. ^ "Maccabi Haifa Schalke live commentary". goal.com. 14 December 2011. Retrieved 12 March 2012.
  13. ^ Wenzel, Peter (29 January 2012). "Marica: Solo-Show in Köln" (in German). bild.de. Retrieved 30 January 2012.
  14. ^ "Schalke bleibt an Bayern und Dortmund dran" (in German). focus.de. 28 January 2012. Retrieved 29 January 2012.
  15. ^ Луческу подтвердил интерес к Марике (in Russian). worldtransfer.ru. Retrieved 12 June 2013.
  16. ^ "Ciprian Marica nuevo futbolista azulón" (in Spanish). getafecf.com. Retrieved 27 September 2013.
  17. ^ "Ciprian es algo más que un nombre" (in Spanish). Marca.com. 31 October 2013. Retrieved 1 November 2013.
  18. ^ "Getafe secure survival". skysports.com. 18 May 2014. Retrieved 19 May 2014.
  19. ^ "Torku Konyaspor'umuz Ciprian Marica ve Djalma Campos ile sözleşme imzaladı" (in Turkish). konyaspor.org.tr. 20 July 2014. Archived from the original on 5 November 2014. Retrieved 20 July 2014.
  20. ^ Țenea, Mihai (16 October 2015). "Marica și-a reziliat contractul cu Konyaspor" (in Romanian). Agerpres. Archived from the original on 8 March 2016. Retrieved 15 January 2016.
  21. ^ "Marica este al 59-lea "câine" care va juca și în tricoul rivalei Steaua! Care sunt cele mai mari "țepe" din istorie" (in Romanian). dolce-sport.ro. 14 January 2016. Archived from the original on 2 November 2016. Retrieved 15 January 2016.
  22. ^ "VIDEO S-au plimbat! Varela şi Hamroun au adus o victorie la pas pentru FCSB, 2–0 cu Chiajna. Cum s-au împărțit notele", Gsp.ro (in Romanian), archived from the original on 21 March 2016, retrieved 16 February 2016
  23. ^ "7 concluzii după victoria clară a Stelei la Chiajna, 2–0 » Ce impresie au lăsat Marica și Gebhart la debut", Gsp.ro (in Romanian), retrieved 16 February 2016
  24. ^ "Italy – Romania 1–0". EU-Football. Retrieved 15 November 2019.
  25. ^ "Ciprian Marica". EU-Football. Retrieved 15 November 2019.
  26. ^ "DECRET privind conferirea Ordinului și Medaliei Meritul Sportiv" (PDF). Monitorul Oficial al României Nr. 241. 28 March 2008. p. 3. Retrieved 15 November 2019.
  27. ^ "Decorarea unor personalități ale fotbalului românesc". Administrația Prezidențială. 25 March 2008. Archived from the original on 12 September 2020. Retrieved 15 November 2019.
  28. ^ a b c "Ciprian Marica". RomanianSoccer. Retrieved 3 December 2020.
  29. ^ "Ciprian Marica". ESPN Soccernet. Archived from the original on 15 April 2010. Retrieved 5 April 2010.
  30. ^ "Ciprian Marica". worldfootball.net. Archived from the original on 22 February 2013. Retrieved 5 April 2010.
  31. ^ "Marica, Ciprian" (in German). kicker.de. Archived from the original on 7 June 2010. Retrieved 5 April 2010.
  32. ^ "Ciprian Marica – Goals in International Matches". RSSSF. Retrieved 28 September 2014.
  33. ^ a b "C. Marica". Soccerway. Retrieved 28 September 2014.

External links edit

  • Official website (in Romanian, English, and German)
  • Ciprian Marica at fussballdaten.de (in German)
  • Ciprian Marica at National-Football-Teams.com
  • Ciprian Marica – FIFA competition record (archived)
  • Ciprian Marica – UEFA competition record (archive)