Gheorghe Bucur

Sportul Studențesc

Bucur was born on 8 April 1980 in Cernica, Romania and began playing junior-level football at the age of nine at Sportul Studențesc under coach Nicolae Mocanu and later Cornel Jurcă. He started his senior career at the club during the 1998–99 Divizia B season. He helped Sportul gain promotion to the first league by scoring four goals in the 2000–01 season. Subsequently, Bucur made his Divizia A debut on 3 August 2001 under coach Ioan Andone in a 3–0 victory against Petrolul Ploiești. About two weeks later, he scored his first goals in the competition, managing a brace in a 3–1 win over Ceahlăul Piatra Neamț. At the end of the 2002–03 season, the team suffered relegation. However, he stayed with the club, forming a prolific offensive partnership with Ionuț Mazilu, with Bucur scoring 29 goals in the 2003–04 season to help Sportul gain promotion back to the first league. In the next season, he scored 21 goals, including three hat-tricks in victories against Apulum Alba Iulia, Oțelul Galați and Gloria Bistrița, sharing the Divizia A top-scorer title with Claudiu Niculescu.

Politehnica Timișoara

In 2005, Bucur along with teammate Sorin Rădoi transferred from Sportul to Politehnica Timișoara, which paid $800,000 for Bucur's transfer. In the 2006–07 season, he helped the team reach the Cupa României final, where coach Valentin Velcea used him the entire match in the 2–0 loss to Rapid București. On 1 September 2007, Bucur netted a hat-trick in a…

Bucur played 26 matches and scored four goals for Romania, making his debut on 9 February 2005, when coach Victor Pițurcă sent him in the 70th minute to replace Daniel Niculae in a 2–2 friendly draw against Slovakia. Subsequently, he made four appearances during the 2006 World Cup qualifiers, scoring a brace in a 3–0 win against Armenia. Bucur played in a 6–1 home victory over Albania in the successful Euro 2008 qualifiers. On 25 March 2008, he was decorated by the president of Romania, Traian Băsescu, with the Ordinul "Meritul Sportiv" – (The Medal of "Sportive Merit") Class III for his performance in those qualifiers. However, coach Pițurcă did not select him to be part of the squad that participated in the final tournament. He played seven games during the 2010 World Cup qualifiers, scoring a goal in a 1–1 draw against Austria and adding another one in a 3–1 triumph over the Faroe Islands. Afterwards, he made three goalless appearances in the Euro 2012 qualifiers. Bucur's last matches for the national team took place during the 2014 World Cup qualifiers in a loss to Turkey and a win over Estonia.

Club

International

Scores and results list Romania's goal tally first

Sportul Studențesc

Divizia B: 2000–01, 2003–04 Politehnica Timișoara

Liga I runner-up: 2008–09 Cupa României runner-up: 2006–07, 2008–09 Kuban Krasnodar

Russian First Division: 2010 Russian Cup runner-up: 2014–15 Individual

Liga I top scorer: 2004–05 (21 goals, joint with Claudiu Niculescu), 2008–09 (17 goals, joint with Florin Costea) Divizia B top scorer: 2003–04 (29 goals) Romanian Footballer of the Year (fifth place): 2009