Iulian Cristea
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.jpg) Cristea with FCSB in 2022 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Lucian Iulian Cristea | ||
| Date of birth | 17 July 1994 | ||
| Place of birth | Mediaș, Romania | ||
| Height | 1.84 m (6 ft 0 in) | ||
| Positions | |||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Universitatea Cluj | ||
| Number | 6 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2007–2013 | Gaz Metan Mediaș | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2014–2019 | Gaz Metan Mediaș | 109 | (6) |
| 2014 | → Metalurgistul Cugir (loan) | ||
| 2019–2023 | FCSB | 120 | (8) |
| 2023–2024 | Rapid București | 14 | (0) |
| 2024– | Universitatea Cluj | 63 | (3) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2014–2016 | Romania U21 | 6 | (0) |
| 2019–2022 | Romania | 4 | (0) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 25 April 2026 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 4 June 2022 | |||
Lucian Iulian Cristea (Romanian pronunciation: [lutʃiˈan juliˈan ˈkriste̯a]; born 17 July 1994) is a Romanian professional footballer who plays as a centre-back or a defensive midfielder for Liga I club Universitatea Cluj.
After playing over 110 matches in all competitions for his hometown club Gaz Metan Mediaș, Cristea moved to fellow Liga I team FCSB on 26 February 2019.[1] He signed a five-year contract for a €150,000 transfer fee.[2]
On 13 June 2023, after being released by FCSB, Cristea moved to cross-town rivals Rapid București on a two-year deal.[3] He terminated his agreement with Rapid București on 31 May 2024,[4] and on 5 June Universitatea Cluj announced the signing of Cristea as a free agent.[5]
International career
On 10 June 2019, Cristea made his debut for the Romania national team in a 4–0 win against Malta counting for the UEFA Euro 2020 qualifiers.[6]
Style of play
Cristea has been described as versatile, due to his ability to play equally well as either a centre-back or a defensive midfielder, and has been noted for his aerial prowess.[7]