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Ion Geolgău

Ion Geolgău
Personal information
Date of birth (1961-02-20) 20 February 1961 (age 64)
Place of birth Pielești, Dolj County, Romania
Height 1.77 m (5 ft 10 in)
Position(s) Midfielder
Youth career
1975–1976 Universitatea Craiova
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1976–1989 Universitatea Craiova 293 (33)
1989–1990 Argeș Pitești 11 (1)
1990–1991 Aris Limassol 21 (1)
1991–1992 Avenir Lembeek [nl]
1992–1993 Jiul Craiova
Total 325 (35)
International career
Romania U-21 20 (2)
1980–1988 Romania[a] 24 (3)
Managerial career
1994 Jiul Petroșani
1996–1997 Universitatea Craiova (assistant)
1997–2002 HB Tórshavn
2002–2003 B36 Tórshavn
2004 Fram Reykjavík
* Club domestic league appearances and goals

Ion Geolgău (born 20 February 1961) is a former Romanian football midfielder and manager. Playing 24 times for the Romanian national team, he spent the majority of his club career in CS Universitatea Craiova, where he later served as assistant manager. He also managed teams in the Faroe Islands and Iceland.

Club career

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Geolgău was born in Pielești, Dolj County, Romania.[3] On 7 November 1976, being 15 years and 9 months old, he made his Divizia A debut under coach Constantin Teașcă, playing for Universitatea Craiova in a 3–1 victory against UTA Arad.[3][4] Following his debut, writer Adrian Păunescu penned an article about him titled Visul lui Geolgău (Geolgău's dream).[4][5] In this article, Păunescu mistakenly referred to Geolgău by the first name Gheorghiță instead of Ion, which subsequently led to Gheorghiță becoming Geolgău's nickname.[4][5] On 16 March 1977, he scored his first Divizia A goal at the age of 16 in a 5–0 victory against Progresul București.[6][7] Geolgău went on to play 13+1⁄2 seasons with Universitatea Craiova, being part of the "Craiova Maxima" generation, helping them win two consecutive league titles in 1980 and 1981.[3][8] At the first one he contributed with two goals scored in the 24 appearances given to him by coach Valentin Stănescu and in the second he netted three goals in the 29 matches coach Ion Oblemenco used him.[3][8] He also won the Cupa României four times, in the years 1977, 1978, 1981 and 1983, but played only in the latter final.[3][9]

Geolgău played 38 games and scored eight goals for "U" Craiova in European competitions.[3] In the first round of the 1979–80 UEFA Cup he scored a goal that helped the team get past Wiener Sport-Club.[3][10] In the following round he played in both legs of the 4–0 aggregate win over Leeds United, thus Universitatea became the first Romanian club that eliminated a team from England in European competitions.[11] Afterwards, they reached the quarter-finals in the 1981–82 European Cup by eliminating Olympiacos and Kjøbenhavns Boldklub, being eliminated with 3–1 on aggregate by Bayern Munich, with Geolgău scoring his side's only goal.[3][12] He made nine appearances in the 1982–83 UEFA Cup campaign when they reached the semi-finals, scoring two goals against Bordeaux and 1. FC Kaiserslautern, being eliminated by Benfica on the away goal rule after 1–1 on aggregate.[3][13] In the first round of the 1985–86 European Cup Winners' Cup, Geolgău netted a double in a 3–0 win over AS Monaco, despite having lost the first leg with 2–0, being eliminated in the following round by Dynamo Kyiv who would win the competition.[3][14]

In the middle of the 1989–90 season, Geolgău joined Argeș Pitești where he would make his last Divizia A appearance on 5 June 1990 in a 1–0 home win over Universitatea Cluj, totaling 304 Divizia A matches with 34 goals in the competition.[3][15] Afterwards he went to play for Aris Limassol, making 21 appearances with one goal scored in his single season spent in the Cypriot First Division.[3][16] He then spent a year with Belgian side Avenir Lembeek before returning to Romania, where he retired in 1993 after playing for Jiul Craiova in Divizia B.[3]

International career

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Geolgău played for Romania in 23 matches, scoring three goals, making his debut on 10 September 1980 when coach Valentin Stănescu sent him in the 60th minute to replace Tudorel Stoica in a friendly that ended with a 2–1 away victory against Bulgaria.[1][17] He played four games in the Euro 1984 qualifiers, scoring the decisive goal that mathematically qualified Romania to the final tournament in a 1–1 draw against Czechoslovakia at Tehelné pole in Bratislava, earning him the nickname "The hero from Bratislava".[1][18][19] After that game, Adrian Păunescu dedicated the following verses to him:"From Pielești to Bratislava / From Craiova to Glasgow / Europe hums / Come on Geolgău, Geolgău, Geolgău!".[4] He also played three matches in the 1986 World Cup qualifiers, scoring one goal in a 3–2 loss to Northern Ireland.[1][20] His last match for the national team was on 1 June 1988 in a 2–0 away loss in a friendly against Netherlands.[1][21] Geolgău also made an appearance for Romania's Olympic team in a 0–0 draw against Italy in the 1984 Summer Olympics qualifiers.[22]

International goals

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Scores and results list Romania's goal tally first.[1]
# Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1. 30 November 1983 Tehelné pole, Bratislava  Czechoslovakia 1–0 1–1 Euro 1984 qualifier
2. 12 September 1984 Windsor Park, Belfast  Northern Ireland 2–3 2–3 1986 World Cup qualifier
3 30 March 1988 Kurt-Wabbel-Stadion, Halle  East Germany 3–3 3–3 Friendly

Managerial career

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Geolgău started his coaching career in 1994 at Jiul Petroșani and from 1996 until 1997 he was an assistant coach at Universitatea Craiova.[15][23] In 1997 he went to coach in the Faroe Islands at HB Tórshavn where he spent five years, winning the title and the cup in 1998.[15][23][24] In 2002 he moved to B36 Tórshavn where he stayed until 2003 when he won a cup.[15][23][24] In 2004 Geolgău had his last coaching experience at Fram Reykjavík in Iceland.[15][23][25]

Personal life

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Geolgău stated that he was born on 19 February 1961 but his birth date was declared by his father to the People's Council only on 20 February 1961.[19][26]

Honours

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Player

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Universitatea Craiova

Manager

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HB Tórshavn

B36 Tórshavn

Notes

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  1. ^ Including one appearance for Romania's Olympic team.[1][2]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f "Ion Geolgău". European Football. Retrieved 28 January 2021.
  2. ^ a b c Ion Geolgău at National-Football-Teams.com
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Ion Geolgău at RomanianSoccer.ro (in Romanian)
  4. ^ a b c d "Descoperitorul de talente" [The talent discoverer] (in Romanian). Mesagerulneamt.ro. 26 March 2017. Retrieved 6 July 2022.
  5. ^ a b "Citeşte aici cîteva episoade memorabile cu Adrian Păunescu!" [Read here some memorable episodes with Adrian Păunescu!] (in Romanian). Gsp.ro. 4 November 2010. Retrieved 6 July 2022.
  6. ^ "Enes Sali, cel mai tânăr marcator din istoria Ligii 1! A doborât un record vechi de 44 de ani" [Enes Sali, the youngest scorer in the history of League 1! He broke a 44-year-old record] (in Romanian). Prosport.ro. 13 September 2021. Retrieved 6 July 2022.
  7. ^ "Moment istoric! Enes Sali a devenit cel mai tânăr debutant din istoria României, la 15 ani, 8 luni și 22 de zile" [Historic moment! Enes Sali became the youngest debutant in the history of Romania, at 15 years, 8 months and 22 days] (in Romanian). Digisport.ro. 14 November 2021. Retrieved 6 July 2022.
  8. ^ a b "Romania National Champions". RomanianSoccer. Retrieved 13 September 2023.
  9. ^ "Romanian Cup – Season 1976–1977". RomanianSoccer. Retrieved 8 August 2025.
    "Romanian Cup – Season 1977–1978". RomanianSoccer. Retrieved 8 August 2025.
    "Romanian Cup – Season 1980–1981". RomanianSoccer. Retrieved 8 August 2025.
    "Romanian Cup – Season 1982–1983". RomanianSoccer. Retrieved 8 August 2025.
  10. ^ "Rodion Cămătaru. UEFA Cup 1979/1980". WorldFootball. Retrieved 8 August 2025.
  11. ^ "38 de ani de la o performanță senzațională! Universitatea Craiova, prima echipă din România care elimina o grupare din Anglia" [38 years since a sensational performance! Universitatea Craiova, the first team in Romania to eliminate a group from England] (in Romanian). Orangesport.ro. 7 November 2017. Retrieved 8 August 2025.
    "Au trecut 43 de ani de la Leeds United – Universitatea Craiova 0-2. Amintirile lui Aurel Beldeanu: "M-au aplaudat și englezii". Exclusiv" [43 years have passed since Leeds United – Universitatea Craiova 0-2. Aurel Beldeanu's memories: "The English applauded me too." Exclusive] (in Romanian). Fanatik.ro. 7 November 2022. Retrieved 8 August 2025.
  12. ^ "Ion Geolgău. Champions League 1981/1982". WorldFootball. Retrieved 8 August 2025.
  13. ^ "EXCLUSIV. Dezvăluiri explozive despre cum "i-a luat" naționala calificarea Craiovei Maxima în finala Cupei UEFA : "S-au făcut multe greșeli după România-Italia"" [EXCLUSIVE. Explosive revelations about how the national team "took away" Craiova Maxima's qualification for the UEFA Cup final: "Many mistakes were made after Romania-Italy"] (in Romanian). Playsport.ro. 20 April 2021. Retrieved 14 September 2022.
    "Ion Geolgău. UEFA Cup 1982/1983". WorldFootball. Retrieved 8 August 2025.
  14. ^ "După 39 de ani, Universitatea Craiova încearcă o altă remontada europeană de la 0-2. Cine a fost eroul din 1985 al oltenilor" [After 39 years, Universitatea Craiova is trying another European comeback from 0-2. Who was the 1985 hero of the Oltenians] (in Romanian). Ziuaconstanta.ro. 30 July 2024. Retrieved 8 August 2025.
    "Francezii nu au uitat că Universitatea Craiova i-a făcut de rușine! France Football şi-a adus aminte de oltenii care o umileau pe AS Monaco! Video" [The French have not forgotten that Universitatea Craiova put them to shame! France Football remembered the Oltenians who humiliated AS Monaco! Video] (in Romanian). Ziuaconstanta.ro. 7 November 2018. Retrieved 8 August 2025.
    "Ion Geolgău. Cup Winners Cup 1985/1986". WorldFootball. Retrieved 8 August 2025.
  15. ^ a b c d e "Cu "eroul de la Bratislava" pe OZN-ul din Bănie: "Craiova va reintra în circuitul internațional odată cu inaugurarea stadionului"" [With the "hero from Bratislava" on the UFO from Bănie: "Craiova will re-enter the international circuit with the inauguration of the stadium"] (in Romanian). Prosport.ro. 12 January 2017. Retrieved 6 July 2022.
  16. ^ "Trei decenii de la Marele Exod" [Three decades since the Great Exodus] (in Romanian). Wesport.ro. 7 September 2020. Retrieved 6 July 2022.
  17. ^ "Bulgaria 1-2 Romania". European Football. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
  18. ^ "Czechoslovakia 1-1 Romania". European Football. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
  19. ^ a b "Ion Geolgău, "eroul de la Bratislava", a ajuns la borna 60:"Am fost un fotbalist bun. Mari au fost alții!" Exclusiv" [Ion Geolgău, "the hero from Bratislava", reached the 60th milestone:"I was a good footballer. Great footballers were others!" Exclusive] (in Romanian). Fanatik.ro. 19 February 2021. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
  20. ^ "Northern Ireland 3-2 Romania". European Football. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
  21. ^ "Netherlands 2-0 Romania". European Football. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
  22. ^ "Romania 0-0 Italy". 11v11. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
  23. ^ a b c d e f g "Geolgău avertizează România înaintea meciului cu Insulele Feroe, țară în care a antrenat șase ani: "Nu sunt pescari, dar nici de speriat"" [Geolgău warns Romania before the match with the Faroe Islands, a country where he trained for six years: "They are not fishermen, but not to be afraid of"] (in Romanian). Prosport.ro. 29 March 2015. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
  24. ^ a b "Ion Geolgău a reușit eventul cu HB în 1998" [Ion Geolgău won the double with HB in 1998] (in Romanian). Prosport.ro. 8 September 2008. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
  25. ^ "Geolgau va antrena in Islanda" [Geolgau will coach in Islanda] (in Romanian). Libertatea.ro. 10 January 2004. Retrieved 6 July 2022.
  26. ^ "Gheorghiță Geolgău nu e născut de ziua lui! Mezinul Craiovei Maxima a împlinit azi 56 de ani" [Gheorghiță Geolgău was not born on his birthday! The youngest of Craiova, Maxima, turned 56 today] (in Romanian). Libertatea.ro. 20 February 2017. Retrieved 6 July 2022.
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