Daniel Bîrligea

Early career

Born in Brăila, Bîrligea spent part of his childhood in Constanța, where he started practising young football with local club Metalul. He also trained at the Gheorghe Hagi Academy, before returning to his native city at Luceafărul Brăila. Bîrligea relocated again at age 12, moving abroad to Italy with his mother and elder sister, and represented the academies of ASD Cantera Ribolla and Palermo. After the bankruptcy of Palermo, Bîrligea moved to Teramo in 2019. On 22 January 2020, he made his senior debut for in a 1–0 Serie C win over Catanzaro. Over the course of two years with Il diavolo, he amassed seven goals from 43 appearances in all competitions.

CFR Cluj

On 26 January 2022, Bîrligea returned to Romania by signing with four-time defending champions CFR Cluj. He made his debut on 5 February, coming on as a 87th-minute substitute for Claudiu Petrila in a 1–1 Liga I draw at Universitatea Craiova. Bîrligea scored his first goal for CFR Cluj on 1 May, in a 1–0 league defeat of Farul Constanța. Two weeks later, he started in a 2–1 home victory over Universitatea Craiova, as his club was crowned national champion one fixture prior to the end of the season. On 20 October 2022, Bîrligea scored his first Cluj derby goal in a 1–1 away draw with Universitatea Cluj in the Cupa României group stage. On 10 November, he netted his first career hat-trick in a 5–0 defeat of Dumbrăvița, also in the national cup. On 16 February 2023, Bîrligea recorded his…

Youth

Bîrligea made his debut for the Romania national under-21 team on 25 March 2022, equalising late in an eventual 2–1 friendly win against Finland at the Stadionul Arcul de Triumf in Bucharest. In June 2023, he was selected by manager Emil Săndoi in the squad for the 2023 UEFA European Under-21 Championship.

Senior

In September 2023, Bîrligea received his first call-up to the Romania national team for the Euro 2024 qualifying matches against Israel and Kosovo. He made his debut on 15 October that year, starting in a 4–0 home win over Andorra in the same competition. On 7 June 2024, he was selected in Romania's squad for the final tournament, but did not feature in any game. On 18 November 2024, Bîrligea scored his first senior international goal by opening a 4–1 Nations League win against Cyprus.

Bîrligea is a determined and physical forward, focused on exploiting spaces and contributing to his team's pressing efforts. Although primarily a striker, he can also play as a winger, utilising his high work rate to challenge defences. His play is defined by persistence and an understanding of goalscoring opportunities.

Bîrligea's parents separated when he was around eight or nine years old, and he was raised mainly by his mother. He stated that after relocating to Palermo at age 12, he managed to completely understand Italian and speak it well in only six months.