Octavian Brânzei
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 28 September 1928 | ||
| Place of birth | Beba Veche, Romania[1] | ||
| Date of death | 28 July 1994 (aged 65)[2] | ||
| Place of death | Constanța, Romania[2] | ||
| Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)[1] | ||
| Position | Defender[1] | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1947–1949 | Electrica Timișoara | ||
| 1949–1958 | Știința Timișoara[a] | 151 | (6) |
| 1958–1959 | CFR Timișoara | ||
| 1960–1962 | Farul Constanța[b] | 34 | (0) |
| 1963 | IMU Medgidia | ||
| Total | 185 | (6) | |
| International career | |||
| 1956–1957 | Romania | 2 | (0) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Octavian Brânzei (28 September 1928 – 28 July 1994) was a Romanian footballer who played as a defender.[3][4]
Brânzei was born on 28 September 1928 in Beba Veche, Romania and began playing football in 1947 at Electrica Timișoara.[1] Two years later he moved to neighboring club Știința, where on 19 March 1950 he made his Divizia A debut under coach Rudolf Bürger in a 0–0 draw against Locomotiva București.[1][5] At the end of the 1951 season, the team was relegated to Divizia B, but Brânzei stayed with the club, helping it get promoted back after one year.[1] He was part of Știința's team that won the 1957–58 Cupa României, the first trophy in the club's history.[6] However, coach Dincă Schileru did not use him in the final.[6][7] In 1958 he went to play for one season at Divizia B team, CFR Timișoara.[1]
Afterwards he switched clubs again, joining Farul Constanța with whom he was relegated at the end of his first season.[1] He helped the club get promoted back to the first league after one year.[1] He made his last Divizia A appearance on 2 December 1962 in Farul's 4–1 home victory against Dinamo Bacău, totaling 185 matches with six goals in the competition.[1] Brânzei ended his career in 1963 at Divizia B club, IMU Medgidia.[1]
International career
Brânzei played two games for Romania, making his debut under coach Gheorghe Popescu in a 2–0 friendly loss to Bulgaria.[2][8] He also played in a 3–0 victory against Greece in the 1958 World Cup qualifiers.[2][9]