Gheorghe Bucur

Gheorghe "Gigel" Bucur (born 8 April 1980) is a Romanian former professional footballer who played as a winger or a striker.

Gigel Bucur

Bucur playing for Romania in September 2009
Personal information
Full name	Gheorghe Bucur
Date of birth	(1980-04-08) 8 April 1980 (age 45)
Place of birth	Cernica, Romania
Height	1.71 m (5 ft 7+1⁄2 in)
Position(s)	Winger, striker
Youth career
1993–1998	Sportul Studenţesc
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1998–2005	Sportul Studenţesc	170	(77)
2005–2009	Politehnica Timișoara	124	(53)
2010–2016	Kuban Krasnodar	156	(28)
2016–2019	Voința Crevedia
Total		450	(158)
International career
2001	Romania U21	3	(3)
2005–2013	Romania	26	(4)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals

Bucur has won the top league goalscorer award in the Romanian league twice, in the 2004–05 and in the 2008–09 seasons. He was tied on goals with another player on both occasions, first with Claudiu Niculescu and then with Florin Costea.

Club career

Before joining Politehnica Timișoara, Bucur had only played for Sportul Studenţesc, where he appeared in 170 matches and scored 77 goals in the first two Romanian leagues. He made his debut in the Divizia A during the 2001–02 season. After winning the title of Romanian top league goal scorer of the Divizia A in 2006, he was transferred to Timișoara, for a rumored sum of US$800,000.^[1] Sorin Rădoi also came to Poli as part of that deal.

In the autumn of 2009 he scored a brace in the Third Champions League Qualifying Round to help Politehnica Timișoara knockout Shakhtar Donetsk.^[2]

On 3 February 2010, he signed a 3-year contract with Russian club Kuban Krasnodar for a fee worth $1.8 million.^[3]

International career

Gigel Bucur first played for the Romania national team in 2005 and amassed twenty six appearances until 2013, scoring four goals, including a brace against Armenia for the 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification.^[4]

On 25 March 2008 he was decorated by the president of Romania, Traian Băsescu for the results on Qualifying to EURO 2008 and qualification to UEFA Euro 2008 Group C with Medalia "Meritul Sportiv" – (The Medal "The Sportive Merit") class III.

Career statistics

Club

Club	Season	League			Cup		Continental		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Sportul Studențesc	1998–99	Divizia B	16	2	0	0	–		–		16	2
	1999–2000		28	6	0	0	–		–		28	6
	2000–01		27	4	5	1	–		–		32	5
	2001–02	Divizia A	29	13	2	1	–		–		31	14
	2002–03		13	2	0	0	–		–		13	2
	2003–04	Divizia B	28	29	0	0	–		–		28	29
	2004–05	Divizia A	29	21	2	1	–		–		31	22
	Total		170	77	9	3	–		–		179	80
Politehnica Timișoara	2005–06	Divizia A	20	3	2	1	–		–		22	3
	2006–07	Liga I	29	9	4	2	–		–		33	11
	2007–08		28	16	2	1	–		–		30	17
	2008–09		31	17	4	2	2[a]	1	–		37	20
	2009–10		16	8	0	0	10[b]	3	–		26	11
	Total		124	53	12	6	12	4	–		148	63
Kuban Krasnodar	2010	Russian First Division	31	9	–		–		–		31	9
	2011–12	Russian Premier League	39	6	1	0	–		–		40	6
	2012–13		21	4	2	0	–		–		23	4
	2013–14		28	6	0	0	6[c]	1	–		34	7
	2014–15		24	3	3	0	–		–		27	3
	2015–16		13	0	1	0	–		2[d]	0	16	0
	Total		156	28	7	0	6	1	2	0	171	29
Career total			450	158	28	9	18	5	2	0	498	172

Notes

1. Appearances in UEFA Cup
2. Four appearances in UEFA Champions League and two goals, six appearances and one goal in UEFA Europa League
3. Appearances in UEFA Europa League
4. Appearances in Russian Premier League promotion/relegation play-offs

International

Appearances and goals by national team and year^[5]

National team	Year	Apps	Goals
Romania	2005	5	2
	2006	0	0
	2007	2	0
	2008	3	0
	2009	8	2
	2010	1	0
	2011	5	0
	2012	0	0
	2013	2	0
Total		26	4

Scores and results list Romania's goal tally first

List of international goals scored by Gigel Bucur

#	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	8 June 2005	Stadionul Farul, Constanţa, Romania	Armenia	2–0	3–0	2006 FIFA World Cup qualification
2				3–0
3	9 September 2009	Stadionul Steaua, Bucharest, Romania	Austria	1–0	1–1	2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
4	14 October 2009	Stadionul Ceahlăul, Piatra Neamţ, Romania	Faroe Islands	2–0	3–1	2010 FIFA World Cup qualification

Honours

Sportul Studențesc

• Divizia B: 2000–01, 2003–04

Politehnica Timișoara

• Cupa României runner-up: 2006–07, 2008–09

Kuban Krasnodar

• Russian First Division: 2010
• Russian Cup runner-up: 2014–15

Individual

• Liga I top scorer: 2004–05 (21 goals) (joint with Claudiu Niculescu), 2008–09 (17 goals) (joint with Florin Costea)
• Divizia B top scorer: 2003–04 (29 goals)