Denis Drăguș
Romanian footballer (born 1999)
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Denis Mihai Drăguș (Romanian pronunciation: [ˈdenis miˈhaj drəˈguʃ]; born 6 July 1999) is a Romanian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Süper Lig club Trabzonspor and the Romania national team.
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Drăguș with Viitorul Constanța in 2017 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Denis Mihai Drăguș[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 6 July 1999 | ||
| Place of birth | Bucharest, Romania | ||
| Height | 1.84 m (6 ft 0 in) | ||
| Position | Forward | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Trabzonspor | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2010–2012 | Sfântul Pantelimon | ||
| 2012–2014 | Pro Luceafărul București | ||
| 2014–2017 | Gheorghe Hagi Academy | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2015–2019 | Viitorul Constanța | 46 | (8) |
| 2019–2024 | Standard Liège | 55 | (11) |
| 2020–2021 | → Crotone (loan) | 9 | (0) |
| 2023 | → Genoa (loan) | 5 | (0) |
| 2023–2024 | → Gaziantep (loan) | 32 | (14) |
| 2024– | Trabzonspor | 18 | (2) |
| 2025–2026 | → Eyüpspor (loan) | 12 | (0) |
| 2026 | → Gaziantep (loan) | 11 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2016 | Romania U18 | 3 | (0) |
| 2018 | Romania U19 | 3 | (0) |
| 2018–2020 | Romania U21 | 8 | (2) |
| 2018– | Romania | 28 | (7) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 1 May 2026 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 6 June 2026 | |||
Drăguș began his senior career at Viitorul Constanța, before moving abroad to Standard Liège in 2019. After five years under contract at the Belgian club, which included several loan spells in Italy and Turkey, he transferred to Trabzonspor in 2024.
Internationally, Drăguș recorded his full debut for Romania in September 2018, in a 2–2 draw with Serbia. He represented his country in the UEFA Euro 2024, achieving first place in their group and advancing to the round of 16.
Club career
Viitorul Constanța
Born in Bucharest, Drăguș joined the academy of Viitorul Constanța in 2014. He made his senior debut for the club on 29 October 2015, aged 16, coming on as a 85th-minute substitute for Adnan Aganović in a 1–0 Cupa României win over Botoșani.
Drăguș recorded his debut in European competitions on 24 August 2017, replacing George Țucudean in the 24th minute of a 0–4 away loss to Red Bull Salzburg counting for the UEFA Europa League play-off round.[2] Three days later, he played his first Liga I game, also coming off the bench in a 1–2 loss to Concordia Chiajna.[3]
On 28 November 2017, Drăguș scored his first career goal in a 2–3 away defeat to Botoșani in the national cup. He netted his first Europa League goal on 12 July 2018, opening a 2–0 away victory over Racing FC in the first qualifying round.[4] On the 26th that month, he scored both goals in a 2–2 second qualifying round draw with Vitesse,[5] and one week later scored again in a 1–3 away loss at the GelreDome.[6]
Drăguș became a regular starter at Viitorul Constanța in the 2018–19 season, during which he amassed 31 matches and seven goals in the league championship.
Standard Liège
On 7 August 2019, Drăguș joined Belgian team Standard Liège in a deal reportedly worth €2 million plus 30% interest on a future transfer.[7][8] He recorded his debut for Les Rouches on 1 September 2019, in a 0–1 loss to rivals Anderlecht at the Constant Vanden Stock Stadium.
On 15 September 2020, Drăguș agreed to a one-season loan with an option to buy at Crotone.[9] He made his Serie A debut five days later, in a 4–1 defeat to Genoa. Drăguș made a total of nine appearances during his time in Italy, starting only once. Upon his return to Liège, he netted his first goal for Standard in a 5–2 loss to Antwerp on 8 August 2021.
On 16 January 2022, Drăguș scored an 89th-minute equaliser in a 1–1 draw at Anderlecht.[10] He achieved his highest goal tally at Standard in the 2021–22 campaign, amassing six goals from 28 league appearances. Drăguș moved on loan with an option to buy to Serie B club Genoa on 26 January 2023, but appeared sparringly during his five months at the club.[11]
On 13 September 2023, amid rumours of a transfer to Rapid București in his home country,[12] Standard sent Drăguș on a season-long loan to Süper Lig team Gaziantep.[13][14] Deployed as a main striker by his coach and compatriot Marius Șumudică, he played 32 games and scored 14 goals in the national championship.[15]
Trabzonspor
On 25 June 2024, Turkish side Trabzonspor announced the signing of Drăguș for a rumoured transfer fee of €1.7 million.[16] He registered his debut on 25 July, in a 2–0 away win over Ružomberok in the Europa League second qualifying round,[17] and one week later scored the only goal of the second leg.[18]
Drăguș scored his first Süper Lig goal for Trabzonspor on 30 November 2024, opening the scoring in the eighth minute of a 1–2 away defeat to Alanyaspor.[19] On 6 April 2025, on his first start of the year, he scored in a 1–4 league defeat to Fenerbahçe.[20]
On 18 July 2025, following an unconvincing debut campaign at Trabzonspor, he joined fellow Süper Lig side Eyüpspor on a one-year loan deal.[21]
International career
Drăguș made his senior debut for the Romania national team on 10 September 2018, appearing in a 2–2 UEFA Nations League draw with Serbia. The following year, he was set to represent the under-21 side at the 2019 European Championship, but was ruled out due to a calcaneus fracture.[22]
Drăguș scored his first senior international goal on 17 November 2022, in a 1–2 friendly defeat to Slovenia at Cluj Arena,[23] and three days later added another in a 5–0 win away to Moldova.
In June 2024, Drăguș was named in Romania's squad for Euro 2024.[24] At the tournament, he scored in the 3–0 victory over Ukraine in their opening group match, helping secure the country's first European Championship win in 24 years.[25] He featured in all four of Romania's matches, as the team topped its group before being eliminated by the Netherlands in the round of 16.[26]
In 2025, Drăguș was involved in Romania's 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign, notably scoring twice in the opening 20 minutes of a 2–2 draw with Cyprus on 9 September,[27] and being sent off one minute after coming on as a substitute in a 3–1 defeat to Bosnia and Herzegovina on 15 November.[28][29] Romania ultimately finished third in their group but advanced to the second round via their Nations League ranking,[30] where they were eliminated by Turkey.
Style of play
Drăguș is a dynamic and versatile forward, beginning his career as a winger but also performing proficiently as a main striker.[15][31] According to his Trabzonspor coach Şenol Güneş, he possesses a combination of talent, physical strength, and speed, which makes him a constant threat to opposing defences. Güneş also noted that while Drăguș excels in one-on-one situations and frequently finds himself in goalscoring opportunities, his finishing can be inconsistent.[32]
Personal life
Drăguș's father, Mihai, was also a professional footballer who played in South Korea and Russia, as well as in his home country.[33]
Drăguș and his wife Vanessa have two children together. In 2021, following the birth of their first daughter, he did not invite his parents to attend her baptism.[34][35]
Career statistics
Club
- As of match played 1 May 2026[36]
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Viitorul Constanța | 2015–16 | Liga I | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2017–18 | Liga I | 14 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1[b] | 0 | — | 16 | 2 | ||
| 2018–19 | Liga I | 31 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 4[b] | 4 | — | 38 | 11 | ||
| 2019–20 | Liga I | 1 | 0 | — | 1[b] | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | |||
| Total | 46 | 8 | 5 | 1 | 6 | 4 | — | 57 | 13 | |||
| Standard Liège | 2019–20 | Belgian First Division A | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 4 | 0 | |
| 2021–22 | Belgian First Division A | 28 | 6 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 30 | 6 | |||
| 2022–23 | Belgian First Division A | 19 | 4 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 21 | 4 | |||
| 2023–24 | Belgian First Division A | 6 | 1 | — | — | — | 6 | 1 | ||||
| Total | 55 | 11 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 61 | 11 | |||
| Crotone (loan) | 2020–21 | Serie A | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 9 | 0 | ||
| Genoa (loan) | 2022–23 | Serie B | 5 | 0 | — | — | — | 5 | 0 | |||
| Gaziantep (loan) | 2023–24 | Süper Lig | 32 | 14 | 3 | 1 | — | — | 35 | 15 | ||
| Trabzonspor | 2024–25 | Süper Lig | 18 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 6[c] | 1 | — | 26 | 3 | |
| Eyüpspor (loan) | 2025–26 | Süper Lig | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 12 | 0 | ||
| Gaziantep (loan) | 2025–26 | Süper Lig | 11 | 0 | 1 | 2 | — | — | 12 | 2 | ||
| Career total | 188 | 35 | 17 | 4 | 12 | 5 | — | 217 | 44 | |||
- Includes Cupa României, Belgian Cup, Turkish Cup
- Appearance(s) in UEFA Europa League
- Four appearances and one goal in UEFA Europa League, two appearances in UEFA Conference League
International
- As of match played 6 June 2026[37]
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Romania | 2018 | 2 | 0 |
| 2022 | 3 | 2 | |
| 2023 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2024 | 12 | 3 | |
| 2025 | 7 | 2 | |
| 2026 | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 28 | 7 | |
- Scores and results list Romania's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Drăguș goal.[37]
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 17 November 2022 | Cluj Arena, Cluj-Napoca, Romania |  Slovenia | 1–2 | 1–2 | Friendly |
| 2. | 20 November 2022 | Zimbru Stadium, Chișinău, Moldova |  Moldova | 2–0 | 5–0 | |
| 3. | 17 June 2024 | Allianz Arena, Munich, Germany |  Ukraine | 3–0 | 3–0 | UEFA Euro 2024 |
| 4. | 6 September 2024 | Fadil Vokrri Stadium, Pristina, Kosovo |  Kosovo | 3–0 | 3–0 | 2024–25 UEFA Nations League C |
| 5. | 15 October 2024 | Darius and Girėnas Stadium, Kaunas, Lithuania |  Lithuania | 2–1 | 2–1 | |
| 6. | 9 September 2025 | GSP Stadium, Nicosia, Cyprus |  Cyprus | 1–0 | 2–2 | 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 7. | 2–0 | |||||
