Gabriel Popescu
Encyclopedia
Gabriel Popescu is a Romanian former footballer
.
Popescu went on to represent the Romanian national team
21 times and scored four goals, he was also capped 37 times for the U-21 side. The undoubted highlight of his international career was his appearances at the 1998 FIFA World Cup
, where he played in all four Romanian matches, including their dramatic 2-1 victory over England
.
Popescu began his career with Romanian side Universitatea Craiova
, before moving to Spain where he played with three different La Liga
clubs - UD Salamanca
, Valencia CF
and CD Numancia
. After his Spanish spell he returned to Romania firstly with Dinamo Bucureşti before joining city rivals National Bucureşti. Popescu then joined Suwon Samsung Bluewings
in June 2002, in a double deal that also saw Bosnian-born forward Slaviša Mitrović
join the K-League
club.
'Gabi', as he was known to Korean fans, made a great impression in the Suwon Samsung Bluewings
midfield during his first season, scoring six times in his 24 appearances. He weighed in with another six strikes in the 2003 season to further endear himself to the Suwon Samsung Bluewings
fans, but struggled with injury during the close season and was limited to a peripheral role during the first half of 2004.
Popescu was allowed to return to National Bucureşti on a 6 month loan deal in the summer of 2004, where he linked up again with Slaviša Mitrović
. At the end of the year, Popescu completed a switch to Japanese side JEF United Ichihara Chiba
.
|1992/93||rowspan="3"|Electroputere Craiova||rowspan="3"|Divizia A
||16||0||||||||||16||0
|-
|1993/94||33||0||||||||||33||0
|-
|1994/95||16||0||||||||||16||0
|-
|1994/95||rowspan="4"|Universitatea Craiova
||rowspan="4"|Divizia A
||15||1||||||||||15||1
|-
|1995/96||30||2||||||||||30||2
|-
|1996/97||29||7||||||||||29||7
|-
|1997/98||19||5||||||||||19||5
|-
|1997/98||Salamanca
||La Liga
||15||5||||||||||15||5
|-
|1998/99||Valencia
||La Liga
||25||1||||||||||25||1
|-
|1999/00||Numancia
||La Liga
||7||1||||||||||7||1
|-
|1999/00||Dinamo Bucureşti||Divizia A
||9||0||||||||||9||0
|-
|2000/01||rowspan="2"|Naţional Bucureşti||rowspan="2"|Divizia A
||18||1||||||||||18||1
|-
|2001/02||29||4||||||||||29||4
|-
|2002||rowspan="3"|Suwon Samsung Bluewings||rowspan="3"|K-League
||24||6||||||||||24||6
|-
|2003||31||6||||||||||31||6
|-
|2004||4||0||||||||||4||0
|-
|2004/05||Naţional Bucureşti||Divizia A
||11||1||||||||||11||1
|-
|2005||JEF United Ichihara Chiba
||J. League 1||7||1||0||0||7||5||14||6
225||21||||||||||225||21
47||6||||||||||47||6
59||12||||||||||59||12
7||1||0||0||7||5||14||6
338||40||0||0||7||5||345||45
|}
Dinamo Bucharest
Suwon Samsung Bluewings
JEF United
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...
.
Popescu went on to represent 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...
21 times and scored four goals, he was also capped 37 times for the U-21 side. The undoubted highlight of his international career was his appearances at the 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...
, where he played in all four Romanian matches, including their dramatic 2-1 victory over England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
.
Popescu began his career with Romanian side Universitatea Craiova
FC Universitatea Craiova
Fotbal Club Universitatea Craiova is a Romanian professional football club from Craiova. They became the first Romanian football team to reach the semi-finals of a European tournament, during the UEFA Cup in 1982–83...
, before moving to Spain where he played with three different 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...
clubs - UD Salamanca
UD Salamanca
Unión Deportiva Salamanca, S.A.D. is a Spanish football team based in Salamanca, in the autonomous community of Castile and León. Founded on 16 March 1923, it currently plays in Segunda División B – Group 2....
, 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...
and CD Numancia
CD Numancia
Club Deportivo Numancia de Soria, S.A.D. is a Spanish football club based in Soria, in the autonomous community of Castile and León. Founded on 9 April 1945, it plays in Segunda División, holding home games at Nuevo Estadio Los Pajaritos, with a 10,200-seat capacity.Besides football it has other...
. After his Spanish spell he returned to Romania firstly with Dinamo Bucureşti before joining city rivals National Bucureşti. Popescu then joined Suwon Samsung Bluewings
Suwon Samsung Bluewings
Suwon Samsung Bluewings is a South Korean football club based in the city of Suwon, South Korea, that plays in the K-League. Founded in December 1995, they have become one of Asian football's most famous clubs with a host of domestic and continental honours...
in June 2002, in a double deal that also saw Bosnian-born forward Slaviša Mitrović
Slavisa Mitrovic
Slaviša Mitrović is a retired Bosnian Serb footballer.During his career he played in UAE League with Alahli and Al-Wahda and in Romanian League with Naţional Bucureşti and in the Second Division with SC Concordia Chiajna. He was the second top scorer with Alahli in UAE League with 19...
join the K-League
K-League
The Korea Professional Football League is South Korea's only fully professional association football league. At the top of the South Korean football league system, it is the country's highest and most prestigious level of football competition currently contested by 16 clubs.-Establishment:The...
club.
'Gabi', as he was known to Korean fans, made a great impression in the Suwon Samsung Bluewings
Suwon Samsung Bluewings
Suwon Samsung Bluewings is a South Korean football club based in the city of Suwon, South Korea, that plays in the K-League. Founded in December 1995, they have become one of Asian football's most famous clubs with a host of domestic and continental honours...
midfield during his first season, scoring six times in his 24 appearances. He weighed in with another six strikes in the 2003 season to further endear himself to the Suwon Samsung Bluewings
Suwon Samsung Bluewings
Suwon Samsung Bluewings is a South Korean football club based in the city of Suwon, South Korea, that plays in the K-League. Founded in December 1995, they have become one of Asian football's most famous clubs with a host of domestic and continental honours...
fans, but struggled with injury during the close season and was limited to a peripheral role during the first half of 2004.
Popescu was allowed to return to National Bucureşti on a 6 month loan deal in the summer of 2004, where he linked up again with Slaviša Mitrović
Slavisa Mitrovic
Slaviša Mitrović is a retired Bosnian Serb footballer.During his career he played in UAE League with Alahli and Al-Wahda and in Romanian League with Naţional Bucureşti and in the Second Division with SC Concordia Chiajna. He was the second top scorer with Alahli in UAE League with 19...
. At the end of the year, Popescu completed a switch to Japanese side JEF United Ichihara Chiba
JEF United Ichihara Chiba
is a Japanese professional football club that plays in J. League Division 2. On February 1, 2005, the club changed its name from JEF United Ichihara to the current name after Chiba city had joined Ichihara, Chiba as its hometown in 2003. The club name, JEF -taken from JR East and Furukawa Electric-...
.
Club career statistics
|-|1992/93||rowspan="3"|Electroputere Craiova||rowspan="3"|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"...
||16||0||||||||||16||0
|-
|1993/94||33||0||||||||||33||0
|-
|1994/95||16||0||||||||||16||0
|-
|1994/95||rowspan="4"|Universitatea Craiova
FC Universitatea Craiova
Fotbal Club Universitatea Craiova is a Romanian professional football club from Craiova. They became the first Romanian football team to reach the semi-finals of a European tournament, during the UEFA Cup in 1982–83...
||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"...
||15||1||||||||||15||1
|-
|1995/96||30||2||||||||||30||2
|-
|1996/97||29||7||||||||||29||7
|-
|1997/98||19||5||||||||||19||5
|-
|1997/98||Salamanca
UD Salamanca
Unión Deportiva Salamanca, S.A.D. is a Spanish football team based in Salamanca, in the autonomous community of Castile and León. Founded on 16 March 1923, it currently plays in Segunda División B – Group 2....
||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...
||15||5||||||||||15||5
|-
|1998/99||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...
||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...
||25||1||||||||||25||1
|-
|1999/00||Numancia
CD Numancia
Club Deportivo Numancia de Soria, S.A.D. is a Spanish football club based in Soria, in the autonomous community of Castile and León. Founded on 9 April 1945, it plays in Segunda División, holding home games at Nuevo Estadio Los Pajaritos, with a 10,200-seat capacity.Besides football it has other...
||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...
||7||1||||||||||7||1
|-
|1999/00||Dinamo Bucureşti||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"...
||9||0||||||||||9||0
|-
|2000/01||rowspan="2"|Naţional Bucureşti||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"...
||18||1||||||||||18||1
|-
|2001/02||29||4||||||||||29||4
|-
|2002||rowspan="3"|Suwon Samsung Bluewings||rowspan="3"|K-League
K-League
The Korea Professional Football League is South Korea's only fully professional association football league. At the top of the South Korean football league system, it is the country's highest and most prestigious level of football competition currently contested by 16 clubs.-Establishment:The...
||24||6||||||||||24||6
|-
|2003||31||6||||||||||31||6
|-
|2004||4||0||||||||||4||0
|-
|2004/05||Naţional Bucureşti||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"...
||11||1||||||||||11||1
|-
|2005||JEF United Ichihara Chiba
JEF United Ichihara Chiba
is a Japanese professional football club that plays in J. League Division 2. On February 1, 2005, the club changed its name from JEF United Ichihara to the current name after Chiba city had joined Ichihara, Chiba as its hometown in 2003. The club name, JEF -taken from JR East and Furukawa Electric-...
||J. League 1||7||1||0||0||7||5||14||6
225||21||||||||||225||21
47||6||||||||||47||6
59||12||||||||||59||12
7||1||0||0||7||5||14||6
338||40||0||0||7||5||345||45
|}
Club
Valencia- Spanish CupCopa 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 ....
: 1998–99 - 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...
: 1998–99
Dinamo Bucharest
- Romanian LeagueLiga ILiga 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"...
: 1999–00
Suwon Samsung Bluewings
- Korean LeagueK-LeagueThe Korea Professional Football League is South Korea's only fully professional association football league. At the top of the South Korean football league system, it is the country's highest and most prestigious level of football competition currently contested by 16 clubs.-Establishment:The...
: 2004 - Korean CupKorean FA CupThe Korean FA Cup is a national cup knockout competition involving K-League, National League, and various amateur and university-level clubs which is held by KFA....
: 2002
JEF United
- J. League CupJ. League CupJ. League Cup is a Japanese football competition organized by J. League. It is also known as Yamazaki Nabisco Cup or Nabisco Cup because confectionery/bakery company Yamazaki Nabisco have sponsored the competition since its inception in 1992.It is generally regarded as the Japanese equivalent to...
: 2005