Daniel Prodan
Encyclopedia
Daniel Claudiu Prodan is a retired Romania
n footballer who played mainly as a central defender.
In a career marred by injuries, he played mainly for Steaua Bucureşti, representing the Romanian national team
in one World Cup
and one European Championship
.
club, he won five consecutive league
titles, always as an undisputed starter, and his debut in the league came on November 8 at the age of 20, in a 3–1 win at FC Farul Constanţa
.
In January 1997, Prodan moved to Spain
with Atlético Madrid, netting four La Liga
goals in only half a season (17 matches), and appearing in the same number of games in the following.
In the 1998 summer, Prodan joined Glasgow Rangers
for £
2.2m, but made no first-team appearances in two and a half years in Scotland
due to a serious knee injury, which he sustained whilst with the Colchoneros. Rangers' doctor later revealed that no medical had been conducted and the transfer was rushed to completion on the strength of falsified documents. The Ibrox
club threatened to sue Atlético Madrid, but backed down and released the player in January 2001.
During the last five years of his career (Rangers included), Prodan only appeared in 33 matches combined while representing four teams, retiring at the age of 31, at FC Naţional Bucureşti.
for the Romanian national team
between 1993 and 2001, and was in the squad for the 1994 FIFA World Cup
(all complete matches for the quarterfinalists) and UEFA Euro 1996.
He scored one international goal, against Slovakia
in 1994.
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 footballer who played mainly as a central defender.
In a career marred by injuries, he played mainly for Steaua Bucureşti, representing the Romanian national team
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...
in one World Cup
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
and one European Championship
UEFA European Football Championship
The UEFA European Football Championship is the main football competition of the men's national football teams governed by UEFA . Held every four years since 1960, in the even-numbered year between World Cup tournaments, it was originally called the UEFA European Nations Cup, changing to the current...
.
Club career
Born in Satu Mare, Prodan came to prominence with country giants FC Steaua Bucureşti, having signed in late 1992 from hometown side FC Olimpia. With the capitalBucharest
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....
club, he won five consecutive league
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"...
titles, always as an undisputed starter, and his debut in the league came on November 8 at the age of 20, in a 3–1 win at FC Farul Constanţa
FC Farul Constanta
FC Farul Constanţa is a professional football club from Constanţa, Romania. Established in 1949, Farul is currently competing in Liga II ,after being relegated at the end of Liga I 2008-09. The club has yet to win a Romanian title...
.
In January 1997, Prodan moved to Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
with Atlético Madrid, netting four 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...
goals in only half a season (17 matches), and appearing in the same number of games in the following.
In the 1998 summer, Prodan joined Glasgow Rangers
Rangers F.C.
Rangers Football Club are an association football club based in Glasgow, Scotland, who play in the Scottish Premier League. The club are nicknamed the Gers, Teddy Bears and the Light Blues, and the fans are known to each other as bluenoses...
for £
Pound sign
The pound sign is the symbol for the pound sterling—the currency of the United Kingdom . The same symbol is used for similarly named currencies in some other countries and territories, such as the Irish pound, Gibraltar pound, Australian pound and the Italian lira...
2.2m, but made no first-team appearances in two and a half years in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
due to a serious knee injury, which he sustained whilst with the Colchoneros. Rangers' doctor later revealed that no medical had been conducted and the transfer was rushed to completion on the strength of falsified documents. The Ibrox
Ibrox Stadium
Ibrox Stadium is a football stadium located on the south side of the River Clyde, on Edmiston Drive in the Ibrox district of Glasgow. It is the home ground of Scottish Premier League club Rangers and has an all-seated capacity of 51,082...
club threatened to sue Atlético Madrid, but backed down and released the player in January 2001.
During the last five years of his career (Rangers included), Prodan only appeared in 33 matches combined while representing four teams, retiring at the age of 31, at FC Naţional Bucureşti.
International career
Prodan won 54 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 the Romanian national team
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...
between 1993 and 2001, and was in the squad for the 1994 FIFA World Cup
1994 FIFA World Cup
The 1994 FIFA World Cup, the 15th staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in nine cities across the United States from June 17 to July 17, 1994. The United States was chosen as the host by FIFA on July 4, 1988...
(all complete matches for the quarterfinalists) and UEFA Euro 1996.
He scored one international goal, against Slovakia
Slovakia national football team
The Slovakia national football team represents Slovakia in association football and is controlled by the Slovak Football Association , the governing body for football in Slovakia. Slovakia's home stadium is Štadión Pasienky and their head coach is Vladimír Weiss...
in 1994.