Ovidiu Stîngă

Ovidiu Stîngă
Personal information
Date of birth (1972-12-05) 5 December 1972
Place of birth Craiova, Romania
Height 1.72 m (5 ft 8 in)
Position Central midfielder
Team information
Current team
 Al Sadd U19 (head coach)
Youth career
–1990 Viitorul Craiova
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1990–1994 Universitatea Craiova 106 (29)
1991 → Jiul IELIF Craiova (loan)
1995–1996 Salamanca 50 (14)
1997–2001 PSV 52 (7)
2001–2002 Dinamo București 18 (0)
2002–2004 Universitatea Craiova 35 (5)
2004–2005 Helmond Sport 19 (1)
2005–2007 Universitatea Craiova 32 (5)
Total 312 (61)
International career
1992–1993 Romania U21 3 (0)
1993–1999 Romania 24 (0)
Managerial career
2005–2006 Universitatea Craiova (player/coach)
2007 Universitatea Craiova (caretaker)
2009–2010 PSV Eindhoven (youth)
2010–2011 Romania U18
2011–2012 Romania U19
2013–2014 CS Universitatea Craiova
2015–2020 PSV Women (assistant)
2020–2021 FC U Craiova
2021– Al Sadd U19
* Club domestic league appearances and goals

Ovidiu Stîngă (born 5 December 1972) is a Romanian professional football manager and former player, currently in charge of Al Sadd U19.

Club career

Universitatea Craiova and Jiul IELIF Craiova

Stîngă was born on 5 December 1972 in Craiova, Romania and began playing junior-level football at Viitorul.[1][2] He made his Divizia A debut by playing for Universitatea Craiova on 28 November 1990 under coach Sorin Cârțu in a 8–1 win over Corvinul Hunedoara.[1][2][3][4] That was his only appearance for the club that season, during which Universitatea won The Double.[1][2][4][5] In the middle of the campaign, he was loaned to Divizia C club Jiul IELIF Craiova, helping them secure promotion to the second league.[1][2] In the 1992–93 season, Stîngă scored a career-best 12 league goals for Universitatea, and played the entire match under coach Marian Bondrea in the 2–0 victory against Dacia Unirea Brăila in the 1993 Cupa României final.[1][2][6] The team reached another cup final in 1994, where he played the full 90 minutes under Bondrea in the 1–0 loss to Gloria Bistrița.[2][7]

Salamanca

In summer 1995, Stîngă went abroad to Spain to play for Salamanca which paid a $500,000 fee to "U" Craiova.[1][2] He debuted in Primera División on 3 September, when coach Juan Manuel Lillo sent him in the 60th minute to replace Joan Barbarà in a 3–1 win against Espanyol.[8][9] He scored his first goal in the competition on 5 November in a 4–1 victory against Barcelona.[8] During the 1995–96 season, he netted 11 goals, including a hat-trick in a 5–0 success over Racing Santander, but the club finished last and were relegated to Segunda División.[1][8][10] In the middle of the 1996–97 season, PSV acquired Stîngă for a $4.5 million transfer fee.[1][2] His time at Salamanca was considered a success by the club's officials, and in the following years other Romanian players were brought to the club, such as Bogdan Stelea, Cătălin Munteanu, Lucian Marinescu and Gabriel Popescu, with the team being nicknamed "Salamanca Rumana".[10]

PSV

Stîngă made his Eredivisie debut on 16 February 1997 under coach Dick Advocaat in a 1–0 loss to Vitesse.[11] He made seven league appearances over the course of the season, helping the team win the title.[1] On 4 October 1997, he scored his first league goal in a 3–1 win over Heerenveen.[1][12] PSV reached the 1997–98 KNVB Cup final, where he played as a starter under Advocaat in the 5–0 loss to Ajax.[13] Following an injury while playing for Romania during the 1998 World Cup, he missed the entire 1998–99 season.[1][2] Stîngă won another championship in the 1999–2000 season, playing 18 matches and scoring once under coach Eric Gerets.[1][14] His last Eredivisie appearance took place on 20 May 2001 when Gerets sent him on in the 73rd minute to substitute Björn van der Doelen in a 4–3 victory over De Graafschap, marking his only match of the 2000–01 season as the club secured another title.[1][15] During these years, Stîngă also made eight appearances in the Champions League over the course of two editions, including victories against Newcastle United and Bayern Munich.[16]

Dinamo București

In the summer of 2001 he returned to Romania, signing with Dinamo București.[1] His first match was a 2–1 loss to rivals Steaua București in the 2001 Supercupa României.[17] Stîngă made 18 goalless league appearances under coaches Marin Ion and Cornel Dinu, helping the team win the 2001–02 championship.[1][4][5][18] Dinamo also reached the Cupa României final, but he did not play in the 2–1 loss to Rapid București.[19]

Universitatea Craiova and Helmond Sport

In 2002, Stîngă returned to Universitatea Craiova.[1][3][2] For the 2004–05 season, he went to play for Dutch Eerste Divisie side Helmond Sport.[20] In 2005, he made a comeback to "U" Craiova as a player-coach in Divizia B and helped the team gain promotion in the first league in the 2005–06 season.[1][2][3][21] Subsequently, he made his last Divizia A appearance on 15 September 2006 in a 3–3 draw against Politehnica Iași, totaling 146 matches with 34 goals in the competition and 17 games in European competitions.[1][2]

International career

Early years and 1994 World Cup

Stîngă played 24 matches for Romania, making his debut on 31 January 1993 under coach Cornel Dinu in a 3–0 friendly loss to Ecuador.[22][23] Subsequently, he played in a 2–1 win over Cyprus in the successful 1994 World Cup qualifiers.[22] He was selected by coach Emerich Jenei to be part of the squad for the final tournament where the team reached the quarter-finals, but he did not play in any games in the campaign.[22][24]

Euro 1996 and 1998 World Cup

Stîngă was part of the Euro 1996 final tournament, where the team lost all three group stage games against France, Bulgaria and Spain.[22][25] Coach Anghel Iordănescu used him only in the 2–1 loss to the Spanish side in which Stîngă provided the assist to Florin Răducioiu's goal.[25]

During the 1998 World Cup qualifiers, Stîngă made two appearances in wins over Lithuania and Macedonia.[22] He played under coach Iordănescu in the victories against Colombia and England in the group stage of the final tournament, but suffered a knee injury in the latter game, causing him to miss the other matches.[22][2] The victories against the Colombians and the English secured the mathematical qualification before the last group match against Tunisia.[26] To celebrate, the team dyed their hair blonde and showed up on the pitch with their new look.[26] The campaign ended as they were defeated 1–0 by Croatia in the round of 16 after Davor Šuker scored from a penalty.[22][27]

Final years

Stîngă's last two matches for Romania were away victories against Slovakia and Liechtenstein in the Euro 2000 qualifiers.[22]

For representing his country at three final tournaments, Stîngă was decorated by President of Romania Traian Băsescu on 25 March 2008 with the Ordinul "Meritul Sportiv" – (The Medal "The Sportive Merit") class III.[28]

Managerial career

Stîngă began his managerial career in 2005, as a player-coach for Divizia B club Universitatea Craiova, helping them achieve promotion to the first league by the end of the 2005–06 season.[2][21] Following only one victory in the first nine rounds of the 2006–07 season, he was dismissed.[29] He came back to the team in August 2007, but his tenure lasted just two games, which were losses.[29][30]

From 2009 to 2010, Stîngă coached a youth squad of PSV Eindhoven.[2][20][31] In the following years, he worked for Romania's under-18 and under-19 national teams, teaching players such as Nicolae Stanciu, Florin Andone and Steliano Filip.[2][3][18][32]

In October 2013, Stîngă was appointed the head coach of second-tier club CS Universitatea Craiova, but he terminated his contract by mutual agreement in March 2014.[2][33][34][35] Between 2015 and 2020, he worked as an assistant for PSV Women's team.[2][20][31] In December 2020, he was named the head coach of Liga II side FC U Craiova.[33][21][34][36] He was dismissed in March 2021, after the team failed to win any of the three matches under his charge.[33][34][37]

In September 2021, Stîngă went back to working with juniors, signing with Al Sadd.[33][31][38]

Personal life

In 1994, Stîngă was named Honorary Citizen of Bucharest.[39]

Career statistics

International stats

Appearances and goals by national team and year[22]
National teamYearAppsGoals
Romania 199360
199430
199520
199650
199700
199860
199920
Total240

Honours

Player

Jiul IELIF Craiova

Universitatea Craiova

PSV

Dinamo București

Manager

Universitatea Craiova

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 Ovidiu Stîngă at RomanianSoccer.ro (in Romanian)
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 "Declarațiile lui Ovidiu Stângă: "Dacă selecționerul nu e ajutat, 50 de ani nu mergem la Mondiale! În România, bagi bani azi, vrei rezultate de ieri"" (in Romanian). Libertatea.ro. 23 March 2017. Retrieved 28 July 2026.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Ovidiu Stângă este noul antrenor al CSU Craiova. Erik Lincar a fost demis după startul ratat de sezon" (in Romanian). Adevarul.ro. 1 October 2013. Retrieved 28 July 2026.
  4. 1 2 3 "Romania National Champions". RomanianSoccer. Retrieved 28 July 2026.
  5. 1 2 "Marele Stângă" (in Romanian). Welovesport.ro. 4 December 2025. Retrieved 28 July 2026.
  6. ↑ "Romanian Cup – Season 1992–1993". RomanianSoccer. Retrieved 28 July 2026.
  7. 1 2 "Romanian Cup – Season 1993–1994". RomanianSoccer. Retrieved 28 July 2026.
  8. 1 2 3 "Ovidiu Stîngă. Primera División 1992/1993". WorldFootball. Retrieved 28 July 2026.
  9. ↑ "Espanyol - Salamanca 1:3". WorldFootball. Retrieved 28 July 2026.
  10. 1 2 "Salamanca Rumana: de la Stîngă și Stelea la Alex Țîrlea" (in Romanian). Welovesport.ro. 15 April 2020. Retrieved 28 July 2026.
  11. ↑ "Ovidiu Stîngă. Eredivisie 1996/1997". WorldFootball. Retrieved 2 March 2025.
    "Vitesse - PSV 1:0". WorldFootball. Retrieved 2 March 2025.
  12. ↑ "Ovidiu Stîngă. Eredivisie 1997/1998". WorldFootball. Retrieved 2 March 2025.
  13. 1 2 "Ajax 5:0 PSV Eindhoven". WorldFootball. Retrieved 2 March 2025.
  14. ↑ "PSV and Gerets part company". Uefa.com. 20 May 2002. Retrieved 23 July 2026.
  15. ↑ "PSV Eindhoven 3:2 De Graafschap". WorldFootball. Retrieved 2 March 2025.
  16. ↑ "Ovidiu Stîngă. Champions League 1997/1998". WorldFootball. Retrieved 2 March 2025.
    "Ovidiu Stîngă. Champions League 1999/2000". WorldFootball. Retrieved 2 March 2025.
  17. 1 2 "Romanian Supercup – Season 2001". RomanianSoccer. Retrieved 17 November 2021.
  18. 1 2 "Ovidiu Stângă despre șansele Craiovei la titlu: "Nu se apără bine, o adversară bună te face avion!" Cum vede Dinamo salvându-se de la retrogradare" (in Romanian). Gsp.ro. 23 March 2024. Retrieved 28 July 2026.
  19. 1 2 "Romanian Cup – Season 2001–2002". RomanianSoccer. Retrieved 6 September 2024.
  20. 1 2 3 "Ovidiu Stinga crede ca suntem cu 7-8 ani in urma Olandei: "Amatorii lor au conditii mai bune decat echipele din Liga 1!"" (in Romanian). Sport.ro. 24 March 2021. Retrieved 28 July 2026.
  21. 1 2 3 4 "Oficial: FC U Craiova 1948 și-a numit noul antrenor: "Sperăm ca divinitatea să fie la fel de generoasă cu noi ca acum 15 ani"" (in Romanian). Gsp.ro. 24 December 2020. Retrieved 28 July 2026.
  22. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "Ovidiu Stîngă". European Football. Retrieved 28 July 2026.
  23. ↑ "Ecuador 1-4 Romania". European Football. Retrieved 28 July 2026.
  24. ↑ ""Ei sunt jucătorii din Generația de Aur care nu driblau". Dezvăluirea făcută de Ilie Dumitrescu" (in Romanian). Digisport.ro. 23 November 2019. Retrieved 28 July 2026.
  25. 1 2 "România la Euro 1996: am început prost, am încheiat în genunchi. Generația de Aur zdruncinată din temelii, acuze de blat și adio pentru Răducioiu" (in Romanian). Gsp.ro. 9 June 2024. Retrieved 28 July 2026.
    "Cel mai valoros lot al României trimis la EURO a fost cel din 1996. Generația de Aur nu s-a ridicat la așteptări" (in Romanian). Euronews.ro. 17 June 2024. Retrieved 28 July 2026.
  26. 1 2 "ProSport vă prezintă povestea adevărată a "Generației de Aur" vopsite în galben!" (in Romanian). Prosport.ro. 8 June 2010. Retrieved 28 July 2026.
    "Cu totii in GALBEN! Ultima nationala care i-a scos in strada pe romani! Generalul si puii de gaina care au dus Romania la ultimul mondial!" (in Romanian). Sport.ro. 18 October 2013. Retrieved 28 July 2026.
    "Generația (cu părul) de Aur. Imagini în premieră cu momentele în care s-au vopsit tricolorii, în 1998" (in Romanian). Digisport.ro. 9 January 2017. Retrieved 28 July 2026.
  27. ↑ "N-au fost 20, sunt 25 de ani! Profeția lui Gică Hagi a fost mai aspră decât se preconiza. La 30 iunie 1998, naționala României juca ultimul ei meci la un Campionat Mondial" (in Romanian). Prosport.ro. 30 June 2023. Retrieved 28 July 2026.
  28. ↑ "DECRET privind conferirea Ordinului și Medaliei Meritul Sportiv" (PDF). Monitorul Oficial al României Nr. 241. 28 March 2008. p. 3. Retrieved 28 July 2026.
  29. 1 2 "Ovidiu Stanga a demisionat de la Universitatea Craiova" (in Romanian). Ziare.com. 18 September 2007. Retrieved 28 July 2026.
  30. ↑ "Ovidiu Stângă, noul antrenor al Universităţii Craiova" (in Romanian). Mediafax.ro. 28 August 2007. Retrieved 28 July 2026.
  31. 1 2 3 "Românul cu domiciliul în Olanda a radiografiat adversara din "optimi": "Au mărit terenul, sunt contestați". Cum ar putea surprinde tricolorii: "N-au fundași centrali!"" (in Romanian). Gsp.ro. 29 June 2024. Retrieved 28 July 2026.
  32. ↑ "Ovidiu Stângă, antrenor U19: "Suntem praf la juniori!"" (in Romanian). Digisport.ro. 1 June 2012. Retrieved 28 July 2026.
  33. 1 2 3 4 "Ce mai face Ovidiu Stângă. Unde antrenează în prezent și ce spune despre posibila revenire în fotbalul româesc: "Mi s-au oferit condiții"" (in Romanian). Iamsport.ro. 5 September 2023. Retrieved 28 July 2026.
  34. 1 2 3 "A antrenat ambele Craiove și nu mai suportă: "Ne tot scăldăm în mediocritate, mă deranjează!"" (in Romanian). Gsp.ro. 24 May 2024. Retrieved 28 July 2026.
  35. ↑ "Stângă și-a reziliat contractul cu CSU Craiova. Napoli e favoritul postului!" (in Romanian). Digisport.ro. 11 March 2014. Retrieved 28 July 2026.
    "Ovidiu Stângă este noul antrenor al lui FC Universitatea Craiova. "Sperăm ca divinitatea să fie la fel de generoasă!"" (in Romanian). Fcuniversitatea.ro. Retrieved 28 July 2026.
  36. ↑ "Ovidiu Stângă, noul antrenor al echipei FC U Craiova 1948" (in Romanian). Replicaonline.ro. 25 December 2020. Retrieved 28 July 2026.
  37. ↑ "Ovidiu Stângă, demis de la FC "U" Craiova, după doar trei meciuri. Oltenii au picat de pe locul 1 și tremură pentru play-off" (in Romanian). Liga2.prosport.ro. 13 March 2021. Retrieved 28 July 2026.
    "Ovidiu Stângă, demis de la U Craiova 1948 după doar 3 meciuri. Anunțul clubului" (in Romanian). Digisport.ro. 13 March 2021. Retrieved 28 July 2026.
  38. ↑ "Românul care lucrează la Al-Sadd, detalii despre situația lui Răzvan Lucescu: "Așa suntem priviți aici"" (in Romanian). Iamsport.ro. 12 June 2026. Retrieved 28 July 2026.
  39. ↑ "Cetățeni de onoare" (in Romanian). Pmb.ro. Retrieved 28 July 2026.
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