Adrian Ilie
Encyclopedia
Adrian Bucurel Ilie is a retired Romania
n international footballer.
In 1993, Electroputere sold him to Steaua Bucureşti for USD90,000, which was, at that time, a record fee paid by a Romanian football club. It was however more than 20 times less than the amount Galatasaray
paid for Ilie in 1996 to be able to transfer him.
After only one and a half years at Galatasaray
Ilie signed with Valencia CF
. This was an important step in Ilie's career, as he re-discovered the pleasure of playing football and scoring goals. In the second half of the 1997 - 98 season he played 17 games for Valencia
and scored 12 goals, being a very important part of the team. He was nicknamed by Claudio Ranieri
"Cobra"
In 1998, he was joined at Valencia
by his brother, Sabin
.
The beginning of the end for Ilie's career was in 2000. Suffering many injuries, he stayed away from Valencia
's squad most of the time and was finally released from his contract in 2002, the year when he won the Spanish Football Championship
. It was the seventh title Ilie won, the previously six being with Steaua Bucureşti (four) and Galatasaray
(two).
Deportivo Alavés
was the fifth club Ilie played for. It happened during the 2002-03 season, but the team's relegation at the end of the season broke the contract and Ilie moved back to Turkey
, this time to play with Beşiktaş J.K.
, where he was requested by the team's coach, Mircea Lucescu
.
After only one year with Beşiktaş, Ilie signed a contract with FC Zurich in 2005 but in the following year after failing to recover from a knee injury, Adrian Ilie announced his decision to retire from football.
However in 2009, he decided to come back into professional football after some discussions with Russian club FC Terek Grozny
but he had to quit after failing his medical tests.
for Romania
, scoring 13 goals. He played at the 1996 European Football Championship, 1998 FIFA World Cup
and 2000 European Football Championship.
|1991/92||rowspan="2"|Electroputere Craiova||rowspan="2"|Divizia A
||1||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|1992/93||30||12||||||||||||||||
|-
|1993/94||rowspan="4"|Steaua Bucureşti||rowspan="4"|Divizia A
||23||3||||||||||||||||
|-
|1994/95||28||11||||||||||||||||
|-
|1995/96||24||12||||||||||||||||
|-
|1996/97||10||1||||||||||||||||
|-
|1996/97||rowspan="2"|Galatasaray
||rowspan="2"|First League||18||6||||||||||||||||
|-
|1997/98||12||6||||||||||||||||
|-
|1997/98||rowspan="5"|Valencia||rowspan="5"|La Liga
||17||12||||||||||||||||
|-
|1998/99||24||11||||||||||||||||
|-
|1999/00||22||5||||||||||||||||
|-
|2000/01||10||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|2001/02||10||2||||||||||||||||
|-
|2002/03||Deportivo Alavés
||La Liga
||22||6||||||||||||||||
|-
|2003/04||Beşiktaş
||Süper Lig||13||6||||||||||||||||
|-
|2004/05||Zürich||Super League
||23||7||||||||||||||||
116||39||||||||||||||||
43||18||||||||||||||||
105||36||||||||||||||||
23||7||||||||||||||||
287||100||||||||||||||||
|}
|1993||1||0
|-
|1994||0||0
|-
|1995||0||0
|-
|1996||9||1
|-
|1997||6||1
|-
|1998||11||4
|-
|1999||6||2
|-
|2000||5||1
|-
|2001||9||2
|-
|2002||4||0
|-
|2003||2||0
|-
|2004||0||0
|-
|2005||2||0
|-
!Total||55||11
|}
Galatasaray
Valencia CF
FC Zürich
where he built a hotel and several villas.
He is also the owner of Forex Braşov, a team from Romania's Liga II. Forex played the promotion play-off at the end of 2005-06 season.
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
n international footballer.
Career as football player
Young Ilie started to play football for Electroputere Craiova from a very early age. In 1991, aged 17, he made his debut for the first team. A full professional contract followed in 1992, when he suddenly became one of Electroputere's best players, scoring 12 goals in 30 games in one season.In 1993, Electroputere sold him to Steaua Bucureşti for USD90,000, which was, at that time, a record fee paid by a Romanian football club. It was however more than 20 times less than the amount Galatasaray
Galatasaray S.K. (football team)
Galatasaray Anonim Şirketi is a Turkish football club, part of the Galatasaray S.K. multi-sport club of Istanbul. Galatasaray is a major sports club in Turkey, holding 17 Turkish Super League titles and the highest number of Turkish Cups....
paid for Ilie in 1996 to be able to transfer him.
After only one and a half years at Galatasaray
Galatasaray S.K. (football team)
Galatasaray Anonim Şirketi is a Turkish football club, part of the Galatasaray S.K. multi-sport club of Istanbul. Galatasaray is a major sports club in Turkey, holding 17 Turkish Super League titles and the highest number of Turkish Cups....
Ilie signed with Valencia CF
Valencia CF
Valencia Club de Fútbol is a Spanish football club based in Valencia, Spain. They play in La Liga and are one of the most successful and biggest clubs in Spanish Football and European Football. Valencia have won six La Liga titles, seven Copa del Rey trophies, two Fairs Cups which was the...
. This was an important step in Ilie's career, as he re-discovered the pleasure of playing football and scoring goals. In the second half of the 1997 - 98 season he played 17 games for Valencia
Valencia CF
Valencia Club de Fútbol is a Spanish football club based in Valencia, Spain. They play in La Liga and are one of the most successful and biggest clubs in Spanish Football and European Football. Valencia have won six La Liga titles, seven Copa del Rey trophies, two Fairs Cups which was the...
and scored 12 goals, being a very important part of the team. He was nicknamed by Claudio Ranieri
Claudio Ranieri
Claudio Ranieri, is an Italian football manager, currently in charge as head coach of Internazionale.He has also managed many other well-known clubs in Europe, including Cagliari, Napoli, Fiorentina, Valencia, Atlético Madrid, Chelsea, Parma, Juventus and Roma.-Early life:Ranieri attended St...
"Cobra"
In 1998, he was joined at Valencia
Valencia CF
Valencia Club de Fútbol is a Spanish football club based in Valencia, Spain. They play in La Liga and are one of the most successful and biggest clubs in Spanish Football and European Football. Valencia have won six La Liga titles, seven Copa del Rey trophies, two Fairs Cups which was the...
by his brother, Sabin
Sabin Ilie
Sabin Ilie is a retired Romanian football striker.-Career as player:Ilie was nicknamed "Cobra" for his cunning and goalscoring talent, and had a long career where he would play for nineteen clubs. He began his career with Electroputere Craiova, and played for FC Steaua Bucureşti and Naţional...
.
The beginning of the end for Ilie's career was in 2000. Suffering many injuries, he stayed away from Valencia
Valencia CF
Valencia Club de Fútbol is a Spanish football club based in Valencia, Spain. They play in La Liga and are one of the most successful and biggest clubs in Spanish Football and European Football. Valencia have won six La Liga titles, seven Copa del Rey trophies, two Fairs Cups which was the...
's squad most of the time and was finally released from his contract in 2002, the year when he won the Spanish Football Championship
La Liga
The Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...
. It was the seventh title Ilie won, the previously six being with Steaua Bucureşti (four) and Galatasaray
Galatasaray S.K. (football team)
Galatasaray Anonim Şirketi is a Turkish football club, part of the Galatasaray S.K. multi-sport club of Istanbul. Galatasaray is a major sports club in Turkey, holding 17 Turkish Super League titles and the highest number of Turkish Cups....
(two).
Deportivo Alavés
Deportivo Alavés
Deportivo Alavés, S.A.D., usually abbreviated to Alavés, is a Spanish football club based in Vitoria-Gasteiz, in the Basque Country. Founded in 1921, it plays in Segunda División B, holding home matches at the 19,500-seater Estadio Mendizorrotza....
was the fifth club Ilie played for. It happened during the 2002-03 season, but the team's relegation at the end of the season broke the contract and Ilie moved back to Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, this time to play with Beşiktaş J.K.
Besiktas J.K.
Beşiktaş Jimnastik Kulübü , or simply Beşiktaş , is a Turkish sports club. The club's football team is one of the major teams in Turkey. The professional sports club, founded in 1903, is based in the Beşiktaş district in Istanbul, Turkey...
, where he was requested by the team's coach, Mircea Lucescu
Mircea Lucescu
Mircea Lucescu is a Romanian former football player and current coach, and one of the most successful Romanian football managers. He is also the father of Rapid Bucharest coach, Răzvan Lucescu...
.
After only one year with Beşiktaş, Ilie signed a contract with FC Zurich in 2005 but in the following year after failing to recover from a knee injury, Adrian Ilie announced his decision to retire from football.
However in 2009, he decided to come back into professional football after some discussions with Russian club FC Terek Grozny
FC Terek Grozny
FC Terek Grozny is a Russian football club, currently playing in the Russian Premier League....
but he had to quit after failing his medical tests.
International
At the international level, Ilie won 55 capsCap (sport)
In sports, a cap is a metaphorical term for a player's appearance on a select team, such as a national team. The term dates from the practice in the United Kingdom of awarding a cap to every player in an international match of association football...
for Romania
Romania national football team
The Romania national football team is the national football team of Romania and is controlled by the Romanian Football Federation.Romania is one of only four national teams, the other three being Brazil, France, and Belgium, that took part in the first three World Cups.However, after that...
, scoring 13 goals. He played at the 1996 European Football Championship, 1998 FIFA World Cup
1998 FIFA World Cup
The 1998 FIFA World Cup, the 16th FIFA World Cup, was held in France from 10 June to 12 July 1998. France was chosen as host nation by FIFA on 2 July 1992. The tournament was won by France, who beat Brazil 3-0 in the final...
and 2000 European Football Championship.
International goals
- Scores and results list Romania's goal tally first. "Score" column indicates the score after the player's goal.
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 14 August 1996 | Stadionul Ghencea, Bucharest Bucharest Bucharest is the capital municipality, cultural, industrial, and financial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the Dâmbovița River.... , Romania Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea... |
1-0 | 2-0 | Friendly Exhibition game An exhibition game is a sporting event in which there is no competitive value of any significant kind to any competitor regardless of the outcome of the competition... |
|
| 2 | 30 April 1997 | Stadionul Ghencea, Bucharest, Romania | 1-0 | 1-0 | World Cup 1998 Qual. | |
| 3 | 3 June 1997 | Stadionul Ghencea, Bucharest, Romania | 1-0 | 3-2 | Friendly | |
| 4 | 2-1 | |||||
| 5 | 15 June 1998 | Stade de Gerland, Lyon Lyon Lyon , is a city in east-central France in the Rhône-Alpes region, situated between Paris and Marseille. Lyon is located at from Paris, from Marseille, from Geneva, from Turin, and from Barcelona. The residents of the city are called Lyonnais.... , France France The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France... |
1-0 | 1-0 | World Cup 1998 Group G 1998 FIFA World Cup - Group G Romania won their first two games while Tunisia lost their first two games. After they then drew with each other, Romania finished top and Tunisia bottom.England and Colombia were level on points before they played each other in their final group game... |
|
| 6 | 2 September 1998 | Stadionul Ghencea, Bucharest, Romania | 3-0 | 7-0 | UEFA Euro 2000 Qual. | |
| 7 | 4-0 | |||||
| 8 | 5-0 | |||||
| 9 | 5 June 1999 | Stadionul Ghencea, Bucharest, Romania | 1-0 | 2-0 | UEFA Euro 2000 Qual. | |
| 10 | 4 September 1999 | Tehelné pole Tehelné pole -External links:*... , Bratislava Bratislava Bratislava is the capital of Slovakia and, with a population of about 431,000, also the country's largest city. Bratislava is in southwestern Slovakia on both banks of the Danube River. Bordering Austria and Hungary, it is the only national capital that borders two independent countries.Bratislava... , Slovakia Slovakia The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south... |
1-0 | 5-1 | UEFA Euro 2000 Qual. | |
| 11 | 16 August 2000 | Stadionul Cotroceni, Bucharest Bucharest Bucharest is the capital municipality, cultural, industrial, and financial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the Dâmbovița River.... , Romania Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea... |
1-0 | 1-1 | Friendly | |
| 12 | 6 June 2001 | S. Darius and S. Girėnas Stadium, Kaunas Kaunas Kaunas is the second-largest city in Lithuania and has historically been a leading centre of Lithuanian economic, academic, and cultural life. Kaunas was the biggest city and the center of a powiat in Trakai Voivodeship of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania since 1413. During Russian Empire occupation... , Lithuania Lithuania Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark... |
1-0 | 2-1 | World Cup 2002 Qual. | |
| 13 | 5 September 2001 | Népstadion Stadium Puskás Ferenc Ferenc Puskás Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Budapest, Hungary. It is situated on the Pest side of the capital between the Stadionok and the Keleti Palyaudvar metro stations. It is currently used mainly for football matches. The stadium is going to be demolished sometime in 2012 and... , Budapest Budapest Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter... , Hungary Hungary Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The... |
1-0 | 2-0 | World Cup 2002 Qual. |
Club career statistics
|-|1991/92||rowspan="2"|Electroputere Craiova||rowspan="2"|Divizia A
Liga I
Liga I, or in full, due to sponsorship reasons, Liga I Bergenbier, is the top division of the Romanian football league system. Before the 2006/2007 season, it was called Divizia A, but the name had to be changed following the discovery that someone else had registered the trademark "Divizia A"...
||1||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|1992/93||30||12||||||||||||||||
|-
|1993/94||rowspan="4"|Steaua Bucureşti||rowspan="4"|Divizia A
Liga I
Liga I, or in full, due to sponsorship reasons, Liga I Bergenbier, is the top division of the Romanian football league system. Before the 2006/2007 season, it was called Divizia A, but the name had to be changed following the discovery that someone else had registered the trademark "Divizia A"...
||23||3||||||||||||||||
|-
|1994/95||28||11||||||||||||||||
|-
|1995/96||24||12||||||||||||||||
|-
|1996/97||10||1||||||||||||||||
|-
|1996/97||rowspan="2"|Galatasaray
Galatasaray S.K. (football team)
Galatasaray Anonim Şirketi is a Turkish football club, part of the Galatasaray S.K. multi-sport club of Istanbul. Galatasaray is a major sports club in Turkey, holding 17 Turkish Super League titles and the highest number of Turkish Cups....
||rowspan="2"|First League||18||6||||||||||||||||
|-
|1997/98||12||6||||||||||||||||
|-
|1997/98||rowspan="5"|Valencia||rowspan="5"|La Liga
La Liga
The Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...
||17||12||||||||||||||||
|-
|1998/99||24||11||||||||||||||||
|-
|1999/00||22||5||||||||||||||||
|-
|2000/01||10||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|2001/02||10||2||||||||||||||||
|-
|2002/03||Deportivo Alavés
Deportivo Alavés
Deportivo Alavés, S.A.D., usually abbreviated to Alavés, is a Spanish football club based in Vitoria-Gasteiz, in the Basque Country. Founded in 1921, it plays in Segunda División B, holding home matches at the 19,500-seater Estadio Mendizorrotza....
||La Liga
La Liga
The Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...
||22||6||||||||||||||||
|-
|2003/04||Beşiktaş
Besiktas J.K.
Beşiktaş Jimnastik Kulübü , or simply Beşiktaş , is a Turkish sports club. The club's football team is one of the major teams in Turkey. The professional sports club, founded in 1903, is based in the Beşiktaş district in Istanbul, Turkey...
||Süper Lig||13||6||||||||||||||||
|-
|2004/05||Zürich||Super League
Swiss Super League
The Swiss Super League or Axpo Super League is the top tier of the Swiss Football League. The Swiss Super League is currently ranked 16th according to UEFA's ranking of league coefficients, which is based upon Swiss team performances in European competitions.-Names:-Participating clubs:The teams...
||23||7||||||||||||||||
116||39||||||||||||||||
43||18||||||||||||||||
105||36||||||||||||||||
23||7||||||||||||||||
287||100||||||||||||||||
|}
International career statistics
|-|1993||1||0
|-
|1994||0||0
|-
|1995||0||0
|-
|1996||9||1
|-
|1997||6||1
|-
|1998||11||4
|-
|1999||6||2
|-
|2000||5||1
|-
|2001||9||2
|-
|2002||4||0
|-
|2003||2||0
|-
|2004||0||0
|-
|2005||2||0
|-
!Total||55||11
|}
Honours
Steaua Bucureşti-
- Liga 1: 1994, 1995, 1996
- Romanian CupRomanian CupThe Cupa României is a football competition which was held annually since 1933-34, except during the World War II. It is the country's main cup competition, and it is open to all clubs affiliated with FRF and the county football associations regardless of the league they belong to...
: 1996 - Romanian Super Cup: 1994, 1995
Galatasaray
Galatasaray S.K. (football team)
Galatasaray Anonim Şirketi is a Turkish football club, part of the Galatasaray S.K. multi-sport club of Istanbul. Galatasaray is a major sports club in Turkey, holding 17 Turkish Super League titles and the highest number of Turkish Cups....
-
- Turkish Super League: 1997
- Turkish Super CupTurkish Super CupThe TFF Süper Kupa, as it is currently known, is the annual super cup football match contested between the previous season's Süper Lig champions and the Turkish Cup winners in Turkey. It was originally known as the Cumhurbaşkanlığı Kupası from 1966 to 1998. No competition was held between 1999 and...
: 1997
Valencia CF
Valencia CF
Valencia Club de Fútbol is a Spanish football club based in Valencia, Spain. They play in La Liga and are one of the most successful and biggest clubs in Spanish Football and European Football. Valencia have won six La Liga titles, seven Copa del Rey trophies, two Fairs Cups which was the...
-
- La LigaLa LigaThe Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...
: 2002 - Copa del ReyCopa del ReyThe Copa del Rey is an annual football cup competition for Spanish football teams. Its full name is Campeonato de España – Copa de Su Majestad el Rey de Fútbol ....
: 1999 - Supercopa de EspañaSupercopa de EspañaThe Supercopa de España is a Spanish football championship contested by the winners of La Liga and the Copa del Rey...
: 1999 - UEFA Intertoto CupUEFA Intertoto CupThe UEFA Intertoto Cup, also abbreviated as UI Cup and originally called the International Football Cup, was a summer football competition for European clubs that had not qualified for one of the two major UEFA competitions, the Champions League and the UEFA Cup. The competition was discontinued...
: 1998 - UEFA Champions LeagueUEFA Champions LeagueThe UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
: Runner-up 2000
- La Liga
FC Zürich
-
- Swiss Cup: 2005
Career as a businessman
Following his father-in-law's advice, who worked in tourism before retiring, Ilie invested massively in Poiana BraşovPoiana Brasov
Poiana Braşov is the most popular Romanian ski resort and an important tourist centre preferred by many tourists not only from Romania, but also from Italy, France, Germany, Switzerland and other European states....
where he built a hotel and several villas.
He is also the owner of Forex Braşov, a team from Romania's Liga II. Forex played the promotion play-off at the end of 2005-06 season.