Constantin Nica
Romanian footballer (born 1993)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Constantin "Costi" Nica (born 18 March 1993) is a Romanian professional footballer who plays as a right-back.
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Constantin Nica | ||
| Date of birth | 18 March 1993 | ||
| Place of birth | Afumați, Romania | ||
| Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | ||
| Position | Right-back | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1999–2012 | Dinamo București | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2010–2012 | Dinamo II București | 8 | (0) |
| 2012–2013 | Dinamo București | 22 | (0) |
| 2013–2018 | Atalanta | 7 | (0) |
| 2014–2015 | → Cesena (loan) | 8 | (0) |
| 2015–2016 | → Avellino (loan) | 22 | (0) |
| 2016–2017 | → Latina (loan) | 13 | (0) |
| 2017–2018 | → Dinamo București (loan) | 3 | (0) |
| 2018–2019 | Dunărea Călărași | 0 | (0) |
| 2019 | Voluntari | 2 | (0) |
| 2019–2020 | Vojvodina | 0 | (0) |
| 2021–2022 | Dinamo București | 0 | (0) |
| 2022 | Pistoiese | 12 | (0) |
| Total | 97 | (0) | |
| International career | |||
| 2011–2012 | Romania U19 | 6 | (0) |
| 2012–2013 | Romania U21 | 5 | (0) |
| 2013 | Romania B | 1 | (0) |
| 2013 | Romania | 1 | (0) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 31 May 2023 | |||
Club career
Dinamo București
Nica was born on 18 March 1993 in Afumați, Romania and began playing junior-level football in 1999 at Dinamo București.[1] In 2010, he started to play for the team's satellite team in Liga II.[1] He made his debut for the main squad under coach Dario Bonetti on 5 May 2012, in a 1–0 Liga I loss to CFR Cluj.[1][2] The team won the 2011–12 Cupa României, but he did not play in the 1–0 victory in the final against Rapid București.[1][3] Subsequently, Nica played the entire match under Bonetti during the penalty shoot-out victory against CFR Cluj in the 2012 Supercupa României.[1][4] He also played in the 2–1 loss to Metalist Kharkiv in the 2012–13 Europa League play-off round.[1][5]
Atalanta and loans
On 11 July 2013, Atalanta acquired 85% of the player's rights from Dinamo for a reported €1.6 million fee.[1][6] He made his first-team debut under coach Stefano Colantuono on 18 August 2013, in a 3–0 Coppa Italia win against Bari.[7] He made his Serie A debut as an 82nd-minute substitute for Cristiano Del Grosso in a 2–1 away loss to Cagliari.[8] On 26 October, he received a red card for a tackle against Éder in a 1–0 loss to Sampdoria.[8][9]
In July 2014, Atalanta sent Nica on a full-season loan to fellow Serie A club Cesena.[1][10] He made his debut under coach Pierpaolo Bisoli in a 3–0 Serie A loss against Juventus, coming on as a 77th-minute substitute for Luigi Giorgi.[11][12] In his second appearance, he scored an own goal in a 1–1 draw against Sampdoria.[11][13] Cesena suffered relegation at the end of the season.[14]
On 25 July 2015, Serie B club Avellino signed Nica on a full-season loan.[1][15] Subsequently, he joined Latina on loan for the 2016–17 Serie B season.[1][16] On 1 September 2017, Atalanta loaned him to Dinamo, the club from which he was transferred four years earlier.[1][17] However, he made only three league appearances for The Red Dogs.[1][18]
Late career
From 2018 to 2020, Nica had spells at Dunărea Călărași, Voluntari and Vojvodina, but made only two league appearances for Voluntari.[19][20]
On 1 September 2021, Nica signed a two-year contract with Dinamo after five months in which he trained with the team.[19][21][22][23] However, he made a single appearance for the club in a 2–1 loss to Argeș Pitești in the Cupa României.[21]
On 28 January 2022, Nica returned to Italy and joined Serie C club Pistoiese.[21][22][24] Between January and May 2022, he made 12 league appearances for them before retiring.[21] His career performances were limited by persistent knee injuries.[18][21][22]
International career
From 2011 to 2013, Nica was consistently featured for Romania's under-19 and under-21 sides.[1][25] He appeared in an unofficial friendly for Romania against Poland which ended with a 4–1 loss.[26] Subsequently, he played one friendly game for Romania on 14 August 2013 when coach Victor Pițurcă sent him in the 71st minute to replace Alexandru Mățel in a 1–1 friendly draw against Slovakia.[27]
Honours
Dinamo București