Ionel Daniel Dănciulescu (born 6 December 1976) is a Romanian former professional footballer who played as a forward.
He holds the all-time record for the most competitive appearances in Liga I, with 515 games played over the course of twenty years.[1][2][3] He is the second-highest goalscorer in the history of Liga I with 214 goals, only behind Dudu Georgescu with 252.[1][2] He also scored 35 goals in the Cupa României and he is the player with the most appearances, 36 in the Dinamo – Steaua derby in which he scored 13 goals (8 for Steaua and 5 for Dinamo) which makes him the top-goalscorer alongside Florea Voinea.[4][5][6][7][8][9][10]
Club career
Early years and Electroputere Craiova
Born in Slatina, Romania, Ionel Dănciulescu started playing football in his hometown as a youngster for CSȘ Slatina, alongside Claudiu Niculescu, Ionuț Luțu and Augustin Chiriță under coach Ion Pârvulescu and was said that he had a great potential for scoring goals.[1][11][12]
In the middle of the 2001–02 season, Dănciulescu had a conflict with coach Pițurcă, having to leave the team.[1][12][33][34][35]
Return to Dinamo București
He signed again with Dinamo București who paid $350.000 to Steaua for his transfer, but at the beginning of this second spell he had probably the hardest time of his career as Dinamo's fans were cussing him at games because he played for Steaua and scored against Dinamo.[1][12][34][36] He scored three goals in the 13 appearances given to him by coaches Cornel Dinu and Marin Ion as the team won the title at the end of the 2001–02 season, a period in which he even played in the second league at that time via Dinamo's satellite team Poiana Câmpina.[1][13][25][37] He came back strong during the following season, after he scored 16 goals in 26 games, also helping the club win the Cupa României, being used by coach Ioan Andone in all the minutes from the 1–0 victory in the final against Național București, the fans eventually accepting him as he became a top-scorer of the team, making a successful couple in the team's offence in the following years with Claudiu Niculescu, the Romanian press calling them the "N&D couple", a nickname inspired from the first letters of their family name and the Romanian pop band "N&D".[1][13][11][38][39][40]
In the 2006–07 season he was the team's second top-goalscorer after Claudiu Niculescu as he netted the goal 15 times in the 31 appearances given to him by coach Mircea Rednic, including a spectacular scissors kick goal in a 4–2 victory in a derby against Steaua, helping the team win the title, also appearing in 12 matches in which he scored 5 goals as the club reached the sixteenths-finals of the 2006–07 UEFA Cup where they lost with 3–1 on aggregate in front of Benfica.[13][25][54][55][56] In the following season Dinamo had the objective of reaching the Champions League group stage, Dănciulescu managing to score a goal with a header after a pass from Cristian Pulhac in the 1–1 draw from the first leg of the third qualifying round against Lazio Roma, however they did not qualify, losing with 3–1 the second leg.[13][46][57][58][59][60] He formed a couple in Dinamo's offence with Florin Bratu, the Romanian press called them "BD in action", a nickname inspired from the first letters of their family name and the Romanian movie "BD in action" and by the end of the 2007–08 season the team had no chance of winning the title, but rivalsSteaua were on the first position, having scheduled a match on Dinamo's ground which ended with The Red Dogs' 2–1 victory with each of them scoring a goal, a victory that helped CFR Cluj advance to the first position and becoming champions after the final round of the season, also Dănciulescu became the top-goalscorer of the season with 21 goals.[13][41][61][62][63][64]
In 2005, Dinamo loaned him out to Chinese side Shandong Luneng for $500.000, who paid Dănciulescu a salary of $350,000 for 11 months.[13][71][72] He worked with coach Ljubiša Tumbaković, scoring 10 goals in 26 league games which helped the team finish the championship on the third position, he also helped them reach the Chinese FA Cup final in which he played all the minutes in the 1–0 loss in front of Dalian Shide and managed to reach the AFC Champions League quarter-finals, scoring a brace in a 4–1 over BEC Tero from the group stage.[1][13][71][73][74][75][76][77][78]
After only one year with Hércules, his contract was terminated so Dănciulescu came back to Dinamo in July 2010 where he reunited with coach Ioan Andone.[1][65] On 26 September 2011, he scored his 198th goal in Liga I in a match against Petrolul Ploiești, thus joining Rodion Cămătaru as the second most prolific goalscorer and about three weeks later he scored his 200th goal in Liga I, during a match against Ceahlăul.[88][89][90][91][92][93] He helped the team win the 2011–12 Cupa României, being used by coach Dario Bonetti in the first 71 minutes when he replaced him with Cătălin Munteanu in the 1–0 victory from the final against Rapid București.[13][94] On 16 March 2013 after playing in a match against Petrolul, Dănciulescu became the first footballer that reached 500 appearances in the Romanian top-league Liga I.[95][96]
Ionel Dănciulescu made his last Liga I appearance on 6 October 2013, exactly 20 years since he made his debut, playing for Dinamo in a 1–1 against Ceahlăul, having a record of 515 matches played in the competition with 214 goals scored, which makes him the second best goalscorer after Dudu Georgescu who has 252.[1][12][13][36] He also scored 35 goals in the Cupa României and he is the player with the most appearances, 36 in the Dinamo – Steaua derby in which he scored 13 goals (8 for Steaua and 5 for Dinamo) which makes him the top-goalscorer alongside Florea Voinea.[4][5][6][7][8][9][10]
International career
Dănciulescu won his first Romania cap on 3 March 1999 against Estonia, in a 2–0 victory.[97][98] However, he was never in the plans of Victor Pițurcă, the man who brought him on the national team first time against Estonia, and was never called up again, due to the dispute he had with Pițurcă when he was at Steaua.[12][21] Dănciulescu played seven games including three at the 2006 and 2010 World Cup qualifiers during 2004 and 2009 being called up by Anghel Iordănescu and Răzvan Lucescu.[97]
He played only eight games for Romania, his best being a friendly against Germany which ended with a 5–1 victory when he scored his only two goals for the national team against goalkeeper Oliver Kahn.[97][99]
Managerial career
On 13 November 2014 after Flavius Stoican's departure from Dinamo București, the club's officials appointed Dănciulescu to lead the team in the remaining four games until the end of the first half of the season.[100][101][102] After a 6–1 loss in front Astra Giurgiu he announced that he was not interested in continuing to coach the team, staying just for the final game of the year when the team reached the Cupa Ligii semi-finals after eliminating Universitatea Cluj at the penalty shoot-out.[12][103][104][105][106]
Career statistics
Club
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition[13][107][108]
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^ ab""Ne calificam!"" ["We qualify!"] (in Romanian). Gsp.ro. 28 August 2007. Retrieved 22 September 2023.
^"Dinamo a invins pe Zilina cu 1-0" [Ionel Danciulescu: "We have the duel of specialists in the Romanian Cup"] (in Romanian). Hotnews.ro. 6 May 2016. Retrieved 22 September 2023.
^"Calificare la sacrificiu" [Sacrifice qualification] (in Romanian). Jurnalul.ro. 5 August 2004. Retrieved 22 September 2023.
^"Campioana scartaie" [The champion squeaks] (in Romanian). Jurnalul.ro. 9 August 2004. Retrieved 22 September 2023.
^"Performanta - Puiu, in semifinale" [Performance - Puiu, in the semi-finals] (in Romanian). Jurnalul.ro. 23 September 2005. Retrieved 22 September 2023.
^"足协杯-舒畅韩鹏双双建功 鲁能客场2-1胜日之泉" [FA Cup - Shu Chang and Han Peng both contribute to Luneng's 2-1 away victory at the Spring of the Sun] (in Chinese). Sports.sina.com.cn. 18 June 2005. Retrieved 23 August 2022. "足协杯-锋线杀手主场逞威 强势鲁能上演翻盘好戏" [FA Cup - Striker killers show their strength at home and Luneng staged a good comeback] (in Chinese). Sports.sina.sn.com. 26 June 2005. Retrieved 21 March 2020. "足协杯-国际2人染红负山东 大羽吕征助鲁能赢先机" [FA Cup - 2 International players lose to Shandong Dayu Lu Zheng to help Luneng win] (in Chinese). Sports.sina.sn.com. 10 August 2005. Retrieved 23 August 2022. "足协杯-郑智吊射中横梁 鲁能总比分4-3淘汰国际" [FA Cup-Zheng Zhi lob hits the crossbar and Luneng eliminated the Inter with a total score of 4-3] (in Chinese). Sports.sina.sn.com. 7 September 2005. Retrieved 23 August 2022. "足协杯-鲁能工体复仇3-1擒现代 入决赛几成定局" [FA Cup - Luneng Workers' Revenge 3-1 captures Hyundai to enter the finals is almost a foregone conclusion] (in Chinese). Sports.sina.sn.com. 2 October 2005. Retrieved 23 August 2022. "足协杯-对攻战鲁能4-3再胜现代 晋级决赛对决实德" [FA Cup - Luneng defeats Hyundai 4-3 and advances to the final against Shide] (in Chinese). Sports.sina.sn.com. 5 October 2005. Retrieved 23 August 2022. "足协杯-实德1-0绝杀鲁能 历史第二次成为双冠王" [FA Cup - Shide 1-0 lore Luneng becomes the double champion for the second time in history] (in Chinese). Sports.sina.sn.com. 20 November 2005. Retrieved 23 August 2022. "中超杯-1分钟2球翻版冠军杯奇迹 北京2-2平山东" [Chinese Super Cup - 1 minute 2 goals replica Champions Cup miracle Beijing 2-2 draw with Shandong] (in Chinese). Sports.sina.sn.com. 5 June 2005. Retrieved 23 August 2022. "中超杯-郑智帽子戏法救鲁能 山东淘汰北京进四强" [Chinese Super Cup-Zheng Zhi hat-trick to save Luneng Shandong from knocking out Beijing into the semi-finals] (in Chinese). Sports.sina.sn.com. 12 June 2005. Retrieved 23 August 2022. "中超杯-郑智点球一锤定音 鲁能1-0武汉江城复仇" [Chinese Super Cup-Zheng Zhi Penalty Finalized Luneng 1-0 Wuhan Jiangcheng Revenge] (in Chinese). Sports.sina.sn.com. 8 October 2005. Retrieved 23 August 2022. "中超杯-120分钟未分胜负 武汉点球大战淘汰鲁能" [Chinese Super Cup - 120 minutes without a draw, Wuhan eliminated Luneng in a penalty shootout] (in Chinese). Sports.sina.sn.com. 16 October 2005. Retrieved 23 August 2022. "亚冠赛-高尧扫射得手 鲁能1-0横滨客场全取三分" [AFC Champions League - Gao Yao's sweep succeeds, Luneng 1-0 Yokohama to get all three points away] (in Chinese). Sports.sohu.com. 9 March 2005. Retrieved 23 August 2022. "亚冠赛-大羽一锤定音 鲁能1-0泰国BEC获两连胜" [AFC Champions League - Dayu's final word, Luneng 1-0 Thailand BEC won two consecutive victories] (in Chinese). Sports.sohu.com. 16 March 2005. Retrieved 23 August 2022. "亚冠杯-韩鹏头锤定胜局 鲁能1-0马卡萨取三连胜" [AFC Champions League - Han Peng's head hammered the victory, Luneng 1-0 Makassar for three straight victories] (in Chinese). Sports.sohu.com. 6 April 2005. Retrieved 23 August 2022. "亚冠-郑智梅开二度鲁能翻盘 五连胜提前出线 评" [AFC Champions League-Zheng Zhimei scored twice and Luneng made a five-game winning streak to qualify for the line in advance] (in Chinese). Sports.sohu.com. 11 May 2005. Retrieved 23 August 2022. "亚冠-鲁能大开杀戒 四球轻取BEC六连胜晋级 评" [AFC Champions League - Luneng's four-goal win over BEC 's six-game winning streak] (in Chinese). Sports.sohu.com. 25 May 2005. Retrieved 23 August 2022. "亚冠-李霄鹏建功避免败局 鲁能1-1伊蒂哈德 评" [AFC Champions League - Li Xiaopeng's contribution to avoid defeat Luneng 1-1 Etihad Review] (in Chinese). Sports.sohu.com. 14 September 2005. Retrieved 23 August 2022.