Alexandru Albu
Romanian footballer (born 1993)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Alexandru Cristian Albu (Romanian pronunciation: [alekˈsandru kristiˈan ˈalbu]; born 17 August 1993) is a Romanian professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder or a defender for Liga I club Unirea Slobozia.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Alexandru Cristian Albu[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 17 August 1993 | ||
| Place of birth | Bucharest, Romania | ||
| Height | 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)[1] | ||
| Position(s) | |||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Unirea Slobozia | ||
| Number | 25 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2002–2004 | Palatul Național | ||
| 2004–2009 | Inter Sport | ||
| 2009–2011 | Unirea Urziceni | ||
| 2011–2012 | Concordia Chiajna | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2012–2016 | Concordia II Chiajna | ||
| 2015–2022 | Concordia Chiajna | 119 | (9) |
| 2020 | → Academica Clinceni (loan) | 16 | (2) |
| 2020–2021 | → UTA Arad (loan) | 36 | (2) |
| 2021–2022 | → Rapid București (loan) | 34 | (7) |
| 2022–2024 | Rapid București | 61 | (3) |
| 2024 | Al-Hazem | 3 | (0) |
| 2024 | Al-Safa | 11 | (0) |
| 2025 | Botoșani | 0 | (0) |
| 2025 | Chindia Târgoviște | 14 | (4) |
| 2026– | Unirea Slobozia | 10 | (2) |
| International career | |||
| 2021 | Romania | 1 | (0) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 16 March 2026 | |||
Albu started out his professional career at Concordia Chiajna in 2015, where he spent several seasons playing in the Liga I before relegating to the second division. Following loans to Academica Clinceni, UTA Arad, and Rapid București, respectively, he signed a permanent contract with the latter in 2021.
Internationally, Albu made his senior debut for Romania in October 2021, in a 1–2 away FIFA World Cup qualifier loss to Germany.
Early life
Albu was born in Bucharest and is of Romani ethnicity.[2] He grew up supporting Steaua București.[3]
Club career
Concordia Chiajna
Albu made his professional debut for Concordia Chiajna on 1 May 2015, coming on as an 89th-minute substitute for Hristijan Dragarski in a 1–0 home Liga I win over Pandurii Târgu Jiu.[4] He became a regular starter for the club in the 2016–17 season, and on 7 September 2016 scored his first goal in a 1–2 Cupa Ligii loss to ACS Poli Timișoara.[5]
On 4 March 2017, Albu recorded his first league goal in a 1–1 draw against the same opponent.[6] He amassed totals of 99 appearances and three goals in the top flight for "the Green Eagles", before relegating to the Liga II at the end of the 2018–19 campaign.[7]
Various loans
In January 2020, Albu returned to the Liga I by signing for newly-promoted Academica Clinceni on loan for the remainder of the season. On 16 August, he moved to UTA Arad on a one-year loan.[8]
On 16 June 2021, Albu was loaned again to Rapid București,[9] totalling 36 games and a career-best seven goals in all competitions during the 2021–22 season.
Rapid București
In the summer of 2022, Albu joined Rapid București on a permanent basis after the team paid a previously-agreed €150,000 to Concordia Chiajna.[10] On 23 April 2023, he scored the only goal of a home derby victory over FCSB in the Liga I.[11]
On 25 February 2024, he and his teammate Andrei Borza were expelled from the squad for an undetermined period—later revealed as one match—because they partied in a nightclub after a 1–3 loss to Politehnica Iași.[12]
International career
Albu made his debut for the Romania national team on 8 October 2021, coming on as an 82nd-minute substitute for Nicolae Stanciu in a 1–2 away loss to Germany counting for the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.[13]
Style of play
Albu played as a defender during the first part of his career, mostly as a centre-back, and later developed into a defensive midfielder.[7]
Career statistics
Club
- As of match played 16 March 2026[14]
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | League cup[b] | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Concordia Chiajna | 2014–15 | Liga I | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | |||
| 2016–17 | Liga I | 35 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | — | — | 37 | 3 | |||
| 2017–18 | Liga I | 38 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 39 | 0 | ||||
| 2018–19 | Liga I | 25 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 25 | 1 | ||||
| 2019–20 | Liga II | 20 | 6 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 21 | 6 | ||||
| Total | 119 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | — | — | 123 | 10 | ||||
| Academica Clinceni (loan) | 2019–20 | Liga I | 16 | 2 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 17 | 2 | |||
| UTA Arad (loan) | 2020–21 | Liga I | 36 | 2 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 37 | 2 | |||
| Rapid București (loan) | 2021–22 | Liga I | 34 | 7 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 36 | 7 | |||
| Rapid București | 2022–23 | Liga I | 32 | 3 | 3 | 2 | — | — | — | 35 | 5 | |||
| 2023–24 | Liga I | 29 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | 32 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 95 | 10 | 8 | 2 | — | — | — | 103 | 12 | |||||
| Al-Hazem | 2024–25 | Saudi First Division League | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 3 | 0 | ||||
| Al-Safa | 2024–25 | Saudi First Division League | 11 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 12 | 0 | |||
| Botoșani | 2024–25 | Liga I | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Chindia Târgoviște | 2025–26 | Liga II | 14 | 4 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 16 | 4 | |||
| Unirea Slobozia | 2025–26 | Liga I | 10 | 2 | — | — | — | — | 10 | 2 | ||||
| Career total | 304 | 29 | 15 | 2 | 2 | 1 | — | — | 321 | 32 | ||||
- Includes Cupa României, King's Cup
- Includes Cupa Ligii
International
- As of match played 8 October 2021[15]
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Romania | 2021 | 1 | 0 |
| Total | 1 | 0 | |
Honours
Concordia Chiajna[14]
- Cupa Ligii runner-up: 2015–16