FC Viitorul Constanța

Fotbal Club Viitorul Constanța, commonly known as Viitorul Constanța (Romanian pronunciation: [vi.iˈtorul konˈstantsa]) or simply Viitorul, is a Romanian professional football club based in Ovidiu, Constanța County, currently playing in the Liga I.

Viitorul Constanța
Full nameFotbal Club Viitorul Constanța[1]
Nickname(s)Puștii lui Hagi (Hagi's Kids)
Short nameViitorul
Founded2009 (2009)
GroundViitorul
Capacity4,500
OwnerGheorghe Hagi
ChairmanGheorghe Popescu
ManagerRyan Minter
LeagueLiga I
2019–20Liga I, 7th of 14
WebsiteClub website

Founded in 2009 by Gheorghe Hagi, the club is particularly known for promoting young talents from its academy,[2] hence the nickname "Hagi's Kids". With the former Romanian international also acting as a coach, Viitorul had its first major success in the 2016–17 season, when they became the first team from the region of Dobruja to win the national title.[3] Two years later, Viitorul won the Romanian Cup and the Romanian Supercup.

They play their home matches in blue and black kits at the Stadionul Viitorul, situated a few kilometres north of the city of Constanța.

History
Former logo, now used by youth teams only.

Founding and early years (2009–2012)

Viitorul Constanța was founded in the summer of 2009 and enrolled in the Liga III, the third tier of the Romanian football league system, after acquiring the playing rights of CSO Ovidiu. It has been owned since its creation by former Romanian international Gheorghe Hagi.[2][4]

During the team's first season in Romanian football, they achieved promotion to the 2010–11 Liga II in round 33 after a fierce battle with ACS Berceni towards the end of the campaign. In the 2011–12 Liga II, Viitorul finished second in the standings and were promoted to the top-flight the following season.

Ascent in the first league (2012–)
Viitorul Constanța's players in August 2017.

In the 2012–13 season, Viitorul Constanța made its first appearance in the Liga I in the club's history. With 8 victories, 12 draws, and 13 defeats, they finished 13th place with 36 points thereby avoiding relegation. The club had notable victories, however, Viitorul continued to be an ever-present in relegation battles for the following two campaigns.

In 2016, Viitorul qualified for the championship play-offs by finishing in the 5th place, thus earning a spot in the third qualifying round of the UEFA Europa League and being drawn against Belgian side Gent. In their first European match, they were defeated 0–5 at the Ghelamco Arena.

On 13 May 2017, Viitorul Constanța managed to win the Liga I after a 1–0 home victory over CFR Cluj; the first major trophy in their history which also ensured qualification for the UEFA Champions League.[3] With the average age of the squad being 22.2 years, "Hagi's Kids" were the season's youngest league champion in Europe.[5][6] In the third qualifying round of the Champions League, after a 1–0 win against APOEL at home, Viitorul once again suffered a harsh away defeat (0–4 a.e.t.).

Youth program
Main article: Gheorghe Hagi Football Academy

Viitorul Constanța is known for developing young players in Romania and having one of the best facilities in the country.[7]

Grounds
Main article: Viitorul Stadium

They returned to the newly expanded Stadionul Viitorul in Ovidiu in the summer of 2015.

Honours

Leagues

Cups

Players

First team squad
As of 31 January 2021[8][9]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
77 DF  ROU Radu Boboc
4 DF  FRA Damien Dussaut
5 DF  ROU Sebastian Mladen
6 DF  NED Bradley de Nooijer
7 FW  ROU George Ganea
8 MF  ROU Carlo Casap
9 FW  LVA Valērijs Šabala
10 MF  MKD David Babunski
11 MF  ROU Florian Haită
12 GK  ROU Valentin Cojocaru
13 MF  ROU Cosmin Matei
14 MF  ROU Roberto Mălăele
15 DF  ROU Alexandru Georgescu
17 MF  ROU Andrei Ciobanu
18 MF  ROU Andrei Artean
No. Pos. Nation Player
19 DF  ROU Romario Benzar (on loan from Lecce)
20 MF  ROU Alexandru Mățan
21 DF  ROU Alin Dobrosavlevici
23 DF  ROU Virgil Ghiță
25 FW  ROU Aurelian Chițu
27 MF  CPV Ely Fernandes
28 MF  ESP Jon Gaztañaga
30 MF  ROU Răzvan Grădinaru
32 MF  ROU Nicolas Popescu
34 GK  ROU Cătălin Căbuz
42 DF  MDA Artur Crăciun (on loan from Budapest Honvéd)
66 MF  ESP Josemi Castañeda
80 FW  ROU Alexi Pitu
99 MF  ROU Ștefan Bodișteanu
— FW  BRA Jô Santos

Out on loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK  ROU Árpád Tordai (to Fehérvár)
3 DF  ROU Tiberiu Căpușă (to Chindia Târgoviște)
31 GK  ROU Cosmin Dur-Bozoancă (to Farul Constanța)
— DF  ROU Marius Leca (to Farul Constanța)
No. Pos. Nation Player
— DF  ROU Robert Neciu (to Universitatea Cluj)
— DF  ROU Paul Iacob (to Chindia Târgoviște)
— MF  ROU Marco Dulca (to Chindia Târgoviște)
— MF  ROU Alexandru Stoica (to Farul Constanța)

Club officials

Records and statistics

European Cups history
Season Competition Round Opponent Home Away Aggregate
2016–17 UEFA Europa League 3Q Gent 0–0 0–5 0–5
2017–18 UEFA Champions League 3Q APOEL 1–0 0–4 (a.e.t.) 1–4
UEFA Europa League PO Red Bull Salzburg 1–3 0–4 1–7
2018–19 UEFA Europa League 1Q Racing FC 0–0 2–0 2–0
2Q Vitesse 2–2 1–3 3–5
2019–20 UEFA Europa League 2Q Gent 2–1 3–6 5–7
Notes
  • 1Q: First qualifying round
  • 2Q: Second qualifying round
  • 3Q: Third qualifying round
  • PO: Play-off round

European cups all-time statistics
As of 1 August 2019
Competition S P W D L GF GA GD
UEFA Europa League 4102351124−13
UEFA Champions League 1210114−3
Total5123361228−16

League history

References
  1. "Deciziile Comitetului Executiv din 3 iulie 2019" [The Executive Committee's decisions on 3 July 2019] (in Romanian). Romanian Football Federation. 3 July 2019. Retrieved 4 July 2019. FC Viitorul SA changes its name to Fotbal Club Viitorul Constanța SA.
  2. "Gheorghe Hagi creating a new legacy for Romanian football". World Soccer. 22 March 2015. Retrieved 14 October 2015.
  3. "Bucurie fără margini la Ovidiu! Hagi și căpitanul Benzar au ridicat trofeul. Sărbătoare şi la vestiar" [Boundless joy at Ovidiu! Hagi and captain Benzar lifted the trophy. Party in the locker room too] (in Romanian). Digi Sport. 13 May 2017. Retrieved 14 May 2017.
  4. "Gheorghe and Ianis Hagi building the future of Romanian football at Viitorul". ESPN. 26 August 2015. Retrieved 14 October 2015.
  5. "ANALIZĂ Viitorul lui Hagi, pe cale de a reuși imposibilul în fotbal. Constănțenii pot deveni sâmbătă cea mai tânără campioană din Europa, cu o medie de vârstă incredibilă!" [Hagi's Viitorul, on the road of managing the impossible in footbal. The Constanța People can become the youngest champion of Europe of Sunday, with an incredible average age!] (in Romanian). Dolce Sport. 11 May 2017. Retrieved 28 June 2017.
  6. "Viitorul, cea mai tânără campioană din Europa" [Viitorul, the youngest champion of Europe] (in Romanian). Sibiu 100%. 19 May 2017. Retrieved 28 June 2017.
  7. "Whatever I do, I am still only the son of Hagi". The Times. 12 October 2015. Retrieved 14 October 2015.
  8. "Echipa FC Viitorul" [FC Viitorul squad] (in Romanian). FC Viitorul Constanța. Retrieved 12 March 2020.
  9. "FC VIITORUL CONSTANTA" (in Romanian). Liga Profesionistă de Fotbal. Retrieved 28 June 2019.
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