Ovidiu Marian Popescu (Romanian pronunciation: [oˈvidju mariˈan poˈpesku]; born 27 February 1994) is a Romanian professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder or a defender for Liga I club FCSB.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Ovidiu Marian Popescu | ||
| Date of birth | (1994-02-27) 27 February 1994 (age 28) | ||
| Place of birth | Reșița, Romania | ||
| Height | 1.81 m (5 ft 11 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Defensive midfielder, defender | ||
| Club information | |||
Current team | FCSB | ||
| Number | 23 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2004–2009 | Muncitorul Reșița | ||
| 2009–2013 | Școala de Fotbal Marcel Băban Jimbolia | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2013–2014 | UTA Arad | 24 | (6) |
| 2014–2016 | ACS Poli Timișoara | 47 | (5) |
| 2016– | FCSB | 157 | (2) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2015–2016 | Romania U21 | 8 | (1) |
| 2021– | Romania | 2 | (0) |
|
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 6 August 2022 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 28 March 2021 | |||
In June 2016, FCSB transferred Popescu for undisclosed fee, with the player penning a five-year deal with a €10 million buyout clause.[1] He made his debut in the Liga I on 12 August against FC Botoșani, a game Steaua went on to win 2–0.[2] On 8 September, also against Botoșani but in the Cupa Ligii, Popescu scored his first goal for the Roș-albaștrii.[3]
He finally scored his first league goal for the club with a free kick in a 2–0 victory over CFR Cluj on 12 March 2017.[4] During early April, following Popescu's good display, it was reported that Celtic and Southampton were interested in signing him.[5]
In June 2015, Popescu was selected in Romania's squad for the 2017 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualifier against Armenia.[6]
He made his debut for Romania national football team on 25 March 2021 in a World Cup qualifier against North Macedonia.[7]
| Club | Season | League | National Cup | League Cup | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
| UTA Arad | 2013–14 | 24 | 6 | 1 | 0 | – | – | – | 25 | 6 | ||||
| ACS Poli Timișoara | 2014–15 | 22 | 3 | 0 | 0 | – | – | – | 22 | 3 | ||||
| 2015–16 | 25 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 27 | 2 | ||||
| Total | 47 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | – | – | 49 | 5 | ||
| FCSB | 2016–17 | 27 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 0 | – | 37 | 3 | ||
| 2017–18 | 24 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | 8 | 0 | – | 33 | 0 | ||||
| 2018–19 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 2 | 0 | – | 12 | 0 | ||||
| 2019–20 | 27 | 1 | 4 | 0 | – | 8 | 0 | – | 39 | 1 | ||||
| 2020–21 | 35 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 38 | 0 | |||
| 2021–22 | 30 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | 2 | 0 | – | 33 | 0 | ||||
| 2022–23 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 3 | 0 | – | 7 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 157 | 2 | 9 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 29 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 199 | 4 | ||
| Career total | 228 | 13 | 12 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 29 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 273 | 15 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Romania | |||
| 2021 | 2 | 0 | |
| Total | 2 | 0 | |
ACS Poli Timișoara
FCSB[8]
FCSB – current squad | |
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