Romanian Footballer of the Year (Gazeta Sporturilor)
Annual football award
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The Romanian Footballer of the Year (Romanian: Fotbalistul român al anului), also known as the Nicolae Dobrin Trophy (Romanian: Trofeul Nicolae Dobrin), is an annual association football award given by the Gazeta Sporturilor newspaper to the Romanian player adjudged to have been the best during a calendar year. The current holder is Andrei Rațiu, who won the award for his performances in 2025 representing Rayo Vallecano.[1]
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Gheorghe Hagi won the award a record of seven times. | |
| Sport | Association football |
|---|---|
| Competition | All levels of Romanian and international football |
| Local name | Jucătorul român al anului / Trofeul Nicolae Dobrin (Romanian) |
| Country | Romania |
| Presented by | Gazeta Sporturilor |
| History | |
| First award | 1966 |
| Editions | 60 |
| First winner | Nicolae Dobrin |
| Most wins | Gheorghe Hagi
|
| Most recent | Andrei Rațiu |
| Website | Official website |
It has been presented since 1966 and is currently named after Nicolae Dobrin, the first recipient of the award and one of Romania's most notable footballers.[2] Gheorghe Hagi, the joint leading goalscorer of the national team alongside Adrian Mutu, has received the trophy a record of seven times.
Other annual honours handed out by Gazeta Sporturilor include the Foreign Player of the Year in Romania and the Romania Coach of the Year awards.
Winners
Breakdown of winners
By number of wins
| Player | Win(s) | Year(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Gheorghe Hagi | 7 | 1985, 1987, 1993, 1994, 1997, 1999, 2000 |
| Gheorghe Popescu | 6 | 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1995, 1996 |
| Adrian Mutu | 4 | 2003, 2005, 2007, 2008 |
| Cristian Chivu | 3 | 2002, 2009, 2010 |
| Cornel Dinu | 3 | 1970, 1972, 1974 |
| Nicolae Dobrin | 3 | 1966, 1967, 1971 |
| Dennis Man | 2 | 2020, 2024 |
| Ilie Balaci | 2 | 1981, 1982 |
| László Bölöni | 2 | 1977, 1983 |
| Florea Dumitrache | 2 | 1968, 1969 |
| Ion Dumitru | 2 | 1973, 1975 |
| 24 others | 1 | — |
By club
| Club | Win(s) (outright wins/shared titles by two teams) |
Year(s) (* title was shared by two teams) |
|---|---|---|
| Steaua București / FCSB | 12 (10/2) | 1973, 1975, 1979, 1980, 1986, 1987, 2006, 2012, 2013*, 2014, 2017*, 2020 |
| Dinamo București | 9 (8/1) | 1968, 1969, 1970, 1972, 1974, 1976, 1988, 2004, 2011* |
| Universitatea Craiova | 5 (4/1) | 1981, 1982, 1984, 1989, 1990* |
| Argeș Pitești | 3 (3/0) | 1966, 1967, 1971 |
 Fiorentina | 3 (3/0) | 2007, 2008, 2015 |
 Galatasaray | 3 (3/0) | 1997, 1999, 2000 |
 PSV Eindhoven | 3 (2/1) | 1990*, 1991, 1992 |
 Barcelona | 3 (1/2) | 1994*, 1995*, 1996 |
| ASA Târgu Mureș | 2 (2/0) | 1977, 1983 |
| Genoa | 2 (2/0) | 2019, 2023 |
| Astra Giurgiu | 2 (1/1) | 2016, 2017* |
| Brescia | 2 (1/1) | 1993, 1994* |
| Inter Milan | 2 (2/0) | 2009, 2010 |
 Tottenham Hotspur | 2 (0/2) | 1995*, 2013* |
| Parma | 2 (1/1) | 2003*, 2024 |
| Ajax | 1 (1/0) | 2002 |
| CFR Cluj | 1 (1/0) | 2018 |
| Juventus | 1 (1/0) | 2005 |
 Sparta Prague | 1 (1/0) | 2021 |
| Sportul Studențesc | 1 (1/0) | 1985 |
| Târgoviște | 1 (1/0) | 1978 |
| Valencia | 1 (1/0) | 1998 |
 Wuhan Three Towns | 1 (1/0) | 2022 |
| Rayo Vallecano | 1 (1/0) | 2025 |
| Alavés | 1 (0/1) | 2001* |
| Chelsea | 1 (0/1) | 2003* |
| Milan | 1 (0/1) | 2001* |
| Udinese | 1 (0/1) | 2011* |
See also
- Gazeta Sporturilor Foreign Player of the Year in Romania
- Gazeta Sporturilor Romania Coach of the Year
- Gazeta Sporturilor Monthly Football Awards