Banel Nicolita
Encyclopedia
Bănel Nicoliță, is a Romania
n football
player currently playing for Ligue 1
side Saint-Étienne
. Nicoliță is nicknamed Jardel after the famous Mário Jardel
of Brazil
. He can play as a right or left winger, and is known for his electrifying pace.
. After, he joined FC Politehnica Timişoara
, making his Divizia A
debut at the age of 19. However, he made only 15 league appearances for the club before moving to Steaua Bucureşti, at the beginning of 2005, he signed a 5-year contract with Steaua Bucureşti.
title upon his first season with the team. He is known as a humble and hard-working, though not very technical, speed and quickness are his strengths. Steaua's owner, George Becali shows support for Nicoliță for everything he does on the pitch.
In the spring of 2006, he scored twice in the match against Real Betis
, his goals opening Steaua's door to the quarterfinals of the UEFA Cup
, and then he scored again in the quarterfinals, this time against Rapid Bucureşti to help his team reach the semifinals.
On 1 November 2006, he scored an own goal against Real Madrid
in a Champions League
encounter. Unfortunately for him and the Romanian side, this turned out to be decisive in the outcome of the match. He claimed he couldn't sleep for 48 hours after scoring it. After a game with FC Argeş
, Romanian newspaper Gazeta Sporturilor
named him Bănelinho.
On 27 August 2008, he has scored one goal in the match against Galatasaray
, in the third qualifying round of UEFA Champions League
, which sent Steaua Bucureşti in to the group stage for the third consecutive year.
Starting with the 2010–11 season, Bănel was the new captain of Steaua, but with the arrival of new coach Ilie Dumitrescu
, he soon gave his armband to Cristian Tănase
.
and undergo a medical the following day. Being in his last year of contract with Steaua Bucureşti
the transfer fee was €
700.000. He signed a contract worth €
400.000 per year.
up to date and scored one goal. He also used to be a Romanian U21 international.
He was captain for the first time in the friendly against San Marino
on 11 August 2011.
Statistics accurate as of match played 30 October 2011
On 25 March 2008, he was decorated by the president of Romania
, Traian Băsescu
for the results on Qualifying to EURO 2008 and qualification to UEFA Euro 2008 Group C
with Medalia "Meritul Sportiv" — (The Medal "The Sportive Merit") class II with two barret.
, Nicoliță grew up determined to succeed and his speed and diligence on the field are proof of his unalloyed passion for the game.
One of his brothers, Stelică, is also a professional footballer who plays for Chimia Brazi.
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 football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
player currently playing for Ligue 1
Ligue 1
Ligue 1 , is the French professional league for association football clubs. It is the country's primary football competition and serves as the top division of the French football league system. Ligue 1 is one of two divisions making up the Ligue de Football Professionnel, the other being Ligue 2....
side Saint-Étienne
AS Saint-Étienne
Association Sportive de Saint-Étienne Loire is a French association football club based in Saint-Étienne. The club was founded in 1919 and currently play in Ligue 1, the top division of French football. Saint-Étienne plays its home matches at the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard located within the city...
. Nicoliță is nicknamed Jardel after the famous Mário Jardel
Mário Jardel
Mário Jardel de Almeida Ribeiro is a former Brazilian professional footballer.Jardel was most noted for his positioning on the field and "being at the right place, at the right time"...
of Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
. He can play as a right or left winger, and is known for his electrifying pace.
Brăila and Politehnica Timişoara
He made his debut in Romanian Liga II, playing for BrăilaCF Braila
Clubul de Fotbal Brăila is a Romanian professional football club from Brăila, founded in 1922.They currently play in the Liga II, Seria I in the 2010–2011 season after finishing 1st in the Liga III, Seria I in the 2009–2010 season....
. After, he joined FC Politehnica Timişoara
FC Politehnica Timişoara
Fotbal Club Politehnica Timişoara is a Romanian football club which was established in 1921 and is currently playing in Romania's second league, Liga II...
, making his 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"...
debut at the age of 19. However, he made only 15 league appearances for the club before moving to Steaua Bucureşti, at the beginning of 2005, he signed a 5-year contract with Steaua Bucureşti.
Steaua Bucureşti
Shortly after joining Steaua, Nicoliță won his first Liga ILiga 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"...
title upon his first season with the team. He is known as a humble and hard-working, though not very technical, speed and quickness are his strengths. Steaua's owner, George Becali shows support for Nicoliță for everything he does on the pitch.
In the spring of 2006, he scored twice in the match against Real Betis
Real Betis
Real Betis Balompié S.A.D. is a Spanish football club based in Seville, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. Founded on 12 September 1907, it currently plays in La Liga, holding home games at Estadio Benito Villamarín....
, his goals opening Steaua's door to the quarterfinals of the UEFA Cup
UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
, and then he scored again in the quarterfinals, this time against Rapid Bucureşti to help his team reach the semifinals.
On 1 November 2006, he scored an own goal against Real Madrid
Real Madrid
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol , commonly known as Real Madrid, is a professional football club based in Madrid, Spain. The club have won a record 31 La Liga titles, the Primera División of the Liga de Fútbol Profesional , 18 Copas del Rey, 8 Spanish Super Cups, 1 Copa Eva Duarte and 1 Copa de la...
in a Champions League
UEFA Champions League
The 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...
encounter. Unfortunately for him and the Romanian side, this turned out to be decisive in the outcome of the match. He claimed he couldn't sleep for 48 hours after scoring it. After a game with FC Argeş
FC Arges Pitesti
FC Argeş Piteşti is a Romanian professional football club from Piteşti, Argeş county.FC Argeş was one of the most successful Romanian clubs in the 1970s, when it won the national championship twice: in 1972 and 1979, and finished twice as runner-up...
, Romanian newspaper Gazeta Sporturilor
Gazeta Sporturilor
Gazeta Sporturilor is a daily newspaper in Romania, and the country's largest and most read sports-related publication...
named him Bănelinho.
On 27 August 2008, he has scored one goal in the match against Galatasaray
Galatasaray
Galatasaray Spor Kulübü is a Turkish sports club based in Istanbul, most notable for its football section, also known as Galatasaray S.K.. It also fields teams in Athletics, Basketball, Wheelchair basketball, Volleyball, Water polo, Swimming, Rowing, Sailing, Judo, Bridge, Equestrian, Handball,...
, in the third qualifying round of UEFA Champions League
UEFA Champions League
The 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...
, which sent Steaua Bucureşti in to the group stage for the third consecutive year.
Starting with the 2010–11 season, Bănel was the new captain of Steaua, but with the arrival of new coach Ilie Dumitrescu
Ilie Dumitrescu
Ilie Dumitrescu is a former Romanian football player and current coach, he last managed Steaua Bucureşti. A tricky forward, he shot to fame when his frontline partnership with Gheorghe Hagi and Florin Răducioiu led the Romania national football team to the 1994 FIFA World Cup quarterfinal,...
, he soon gave his armband to Cristian Tănase
Cristian Tanase
Cristian Tănase is a Romanian football player, who plays for Steaua Bucureşti. He is a versatile midfielder that has played as a left winger, a right winger and as a central attacking midfield...
.
Saint-Étienne
On 30 August 2011, Saint-Étienne announced on their official website that they had found agreement with Steaua for Nicoliță's transfer and that the player would fly to FranceFrance
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...
and undergo a medical the following day. Being in his last year of contract with Steaua Bucureşti
Steaua Bucuresti
Fotbal Club Steaua București is a Romanian professional football club based in Bucharest. They are the most successful Romanian football team in European competitions as well in the Romanian Liga I . They became the first East European team to win the UEFA Champions League being victorious in the...
the transfer fee was €
Euro
The euro is the official currency of the eurozone: 17 of the 27 member states of the European Union. It is also the currency used by the Institutions of the European Union. The eurozone consists of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg,...
700.000. He signed a contract worth €
Euro
The euro is the official currency of the eurozone: 17 of the 27 member states of the European Union. It is also the currency used by the Institutions of the European Union. The eurozone consists of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg,...
400.000 per year.
International career
Nicoliță won 34 caps for RomaniaRomania 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...
up to date and scored one goal. He also used to be a Romanian U21 international.
He was captain for the first time in the friendly against San Marino
San Marino national football team
The San Marino national football team is the national football team of San Marino, controlled by the San Marino Football Federation...
on 11 August 2011.
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. | 2 June 2007 | Arena Petrol Arena Petrol Arena Petrol is a football stadium in Celje, Slovenia. It is the home ground of NK Celje and was also the home ground for Slovenian national football team for their international home matches from 2004 until 2008.... , Celje Celje Celje is a typical Central European town and the third largest town in Slovenia. It is a regional center of Lower Styria and the administrative seat of the Urban Municipality of Celje . The town of Celje is located under Upper Celje Castle at the confluence of the Savinja, Ložnica, and Voglajna... , Slovenia Slovenia Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of... |
2–0 | 2–1 | UEFA Euro 2008 Qualifying 2008 UEFA European Football Championship qualifying Group G Standings and results for Group G of the UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying tournament.-Standings:Key:*Teams highlighted in green qualified for the finals.Notes on the qualified teams:... |
Career statistics
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Europe | Other | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Dacia Unirea Brăila CF Braila Clubul de Fotbal Brăila is a Romanian professional football club from Brăila, founded in 1922.They currently play in the Liga II, Seria I in the 2010–2011 season after finishing 1st in the Liga III, Seria I in the 2009–2010 season.... |
2001–02 | 27 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 27 | 4 |
| 2002–03 | 27 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 28 | 9 | |
| 2003–04 | 20 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 10 | |
| Total | 74 | 23 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 74 | 23 | |
| Poli Timişoara FC Politehnica Timişoara Fotbal Club Politehnica Timişoara is a Romanian football club which was established in 1921 and is currently playing in Romania's second league, Liga II... |
2004–05 | 15 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 3 |
| Total | 15 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 3 | |
| Steaua | 2004–05 | 14 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 2 |
| 2005–06 | 29 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 47 | 11 | |
| 2006–07 | 32 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 12 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 49 | 3 | |
| 2007–08 | 27 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 35 | 4 | |
| 2008–09 | 26 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 33 | 5 | |
| 2009–10 2009–10 Liga I The 2009–10 Liga I season was the ninety-second since its establishment. Unirea Urziceni were the defending champions.- Teams :Farul Constanţa, Otopeni and Gloria Buzău were relegated at the end of the 2008–09 season after finishing in 16th through 18th place... |
28 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 40 | 5 | |
| 2010–11 2010–11 Liga I The 2010–11 Liga I was the ninety-third season of the top-level football league of Romania. The season commenced on 23 July 2010 and ended on 21 May 2011. A winter break where no matches were played was held between December 11, 2010 and February 18, 2011... |
27 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 35 | 5 | |
| 2011–12 2011–12 Liga I The 2011–12 Liga I is the ninety-fourth season of Liga I, the top-level football league of Romania. It began on 22 July 2011 and will end on 19 May 2012... |
2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
| Total | 185 | 23 | 7 | 1 | 62 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 247 | 34 | |
| Saint-Étienne AS Saint-Étienne Association Sportive de Saint-Étienne Loire is a French association football club based in Saint-Étienne. The club was founded in 1919 and currently play in Ligue 1, the top division of French football. Saint-Étienne plays its home matches at the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard located within the city... |
2011–12 2011–12 Ligue 1 The 2011–12 Ligue 1 season is the 74th since its establishment. Lille are the defending champions. The league schedule was announced on 31 March 2011 and the fixtures were determined on 10 June. The season began on 6 August 2011 and will end on 20 May 2012... |
6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 2 |
| Total | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 2 | |
| Career total | 280 | 51 | 8 | 1 | 62 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 353 | 62 | |
Statistics accurate as of match played 30 October 2011
Honours
| Season | Club | Title |
|---|---|---|
| 2004–05 |  Kingdom of Romania Steaua Bucureşti |
Divizia A |
| 2005–06 | Kingdom of Romania Steaua Bucureşti |
Divizia A |
| 2005–06 | Kingdom of Romania Steaua Bucureşti |
Supercupa României |
| 2010–11 | Kingdom of Romania Steaua Bucureşti |
Cupa României |
On 25 March 2008, he was decorated by the president of 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...
, Traian Băsescu
Traian Basescu
Traian Băsescu is the current President of Romania. After serving as the mayor of Bucharest from June 2000 until December 2004, he was elected president in the Romanian Presidential Elections of 2004 and inaugurated on December 20, 2004...
for the results on Qualifying to EURO 2008 and qualification to UEFA Euro 2008 Group C
UEFA Euro 2008 Group C
Group C of the 2008 UEFA European Championships is one of four groups of competing nations at UEFA Euro 2008. The first of three rounds of matches took place on 9 June, and finished on 17 June. All six group matches were played at venues in Switzerland, in Zürich and Berne. The group is composed of...
with Medalia "Meritul Sportiv" — (The Medal "The Sportive Merit") class II with two barret.
Personal life
Nicoliță is an ethnic Romani from the Roma group, one of six brothers raised by his mother in the small, impoverished town of FăureiFaurei
Făurei is a town located in Brăila County, Romania.-References:...
, Nicoliță grew up determined to succeed and his speed and diligence on the field are proof of his unalloyed passion for the game.
One of his brothers, Stelică, is also a professional footballer who plays for Chimia Brazi.
External links
- Official FCSB profile
- Profile and stats at RomanianSoccer.ro