Artur Ioniță (Romanian pronunciation: [arˈtur joˈnitsə]; born 17 August 1990) is a Moldovan professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for the Serie C club Lecco and the Moldova national team.
.jpg) Ioniță with Moldova in 2014 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 17 August 1990 | ||
| Place of birth | Chișinău, SSR Moldova, Soviet Union | ||
| Height | 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Lecco | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1997–2007 | Zimbru Chișinău | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2007 | Zimbru Chișinău | 3 | (1) |
| 2008–2009 | Iskra-Stal Rîbnița | 41 | (11) |
| 2009–2014 | Aarau | 142 | (16) |
| 2014–2016 | Hellas Verona | 49 | (6) |
| 2016–2020 | Cagliari | 132 | (6) |
| 2020–2022 | Benevento | 78 | (4) |
| 2022–2024 | Pisa | 16 | (1) |
| 2023 | → Modena (loan) | 10 | (0) |
| 2023–2024 | → Lecco (loan) | 36 | (4) |
| 2024– | Lecco | 1 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2009–2012 | Moldova U21 | 22 | (5) |
| 2009– | Moldova | 75 | (5) |
|
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 4 October 2024 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 15 October 2024 | |||
Club career
editArtur Ioniță made his professional debut at the Moldovan Divizia Națională club Zimbru Chișinău in 2007. In the 2008–09 season he played for FC Iskra-Stal Rîbniţa.
From 2009 to 2014 he played for the Swiss team FC Aarau, with which he transferred from the Swiss Challenge League to the Swiss Super League.
Ioniță was then transferred to Italian Serie A club Hellas Verona in July 2014 on a free transfer.[1] He made his début against Atalanta, as a substitute for Mounir Obbadi. At Hellas Verona, Ioniță became teammates with one of his idols Rafael Márquez.[2]
Ioniță scored his first goal for Hellas during his second appearance for the club, as a substitute in the second half of the match and securing a goal against Torino F.C. on the 65th minute giving his team a 1–0 win. This made him the first Moldovan footballer to score a goal in Serie A.
He scored his second goal for Hellas Verona in a game against Genoa, playing the full 90 minutes of the game; also providing an assist for Panagiotis Tachtsidis on the 52nd minute.
After an impressive 2015–16 season in Serie A in which he scored 4 goals and provided 2 assists in 31 matches, Ioniță was targeted by Juventus, Napoli and Swansea.[3][4]
In July 2016, Ioniță transferred to newly promoted Serie A club, Cagliari.[5]
On 20 August 2020, Ioniță signed a contract with Benevento ahead of their return to Serie A.[6]
On 11 August 2022, Ioniță moved to Pisa on a two-year contract.[7] On 31 January 2023, he was loaned to Modena.[8] On 1 September 2023, Ioniță joined Lecco on loan with an option to buy.[9] After being a free agent for two months, he signed a new contract with Lecco on 30 September 2024.[10]
International career
editIoniță made his debut appearance for Moldova in 2009, in the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification match against Switzerland. Moldova lost the match 0–2. He scored his first international goal during a 5–2 win in Podgorica against Montenegro and then scored again in a 1–1 draw at home to Lithuania.
Career statistics
editClub
edit- As of match played 4 October 2024[11]
| Club | Season | League | National cup | Other | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Zimbru Chișinău | 2007–08 | Moldovan National Division | 3 | 0 | – | – | 3 | 0 | ||
| Iskra-Stal | 2008–09 | 41 | 11 | 0 | 0 | – | 41 | 11 | ||
| Aarau | 2009–10 | Swiss Super League | 8 | 0 | – | – | 8 | 0 | ||
| 2010–11 | Swiss Challenge League | 25 | 0 | – | – | 25 | 0 | |||
| 2011–12 | 27 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2[a] | 0 | 29 | 4 | ||
| 2012–13 | 35 | 5 | 2 | 1 | – | 37 | 6 | |||
| 2013–14 | Swiss Super League | 34 | 6 | 2 | 0 | – | 36 | 6 | ||
| Total | 129 | 15 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 135 | 16 | ||
| Hellas Verona | 2014–15 | Serie A | 18 | 2 | 1 | 0 | – | 19 | 2 | |
| 2015–16 | 31 | 4 | 1 | 0 | – | 35 | 4 | |||
| Total | 49 | 6 | 2 | 0 | – | 54 | 6 | |||
| Cagliari | 2016–17 | Serie A | 18 | 3 | 1 | 0 | – | 19 | 3 | |
| 2017–18 | 13 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | 14 | 0 | |||
| 2018–19 | 37 | 3 | 2 | 0 | – | 39 | 3 | |||
| 2019–20 | 34 | 0 | 3 | 0 | – | 37 | 0 | |||
| Total | 102 | 6 | 7 | 0 | – | 109 | 6 | |||
| Benevento | 2020–21 | Serie A | 36 | 2 | 1 | 0 | – | 37 | 2 | |
| 2021–22 | Serie B | 39 | 2 | 2 | 0 | – | 41 | 2 | ||
| Total | 75 | 4 | 3 | 0 | – | 78 | 4 | |||
| Pisa | 2022–23 | Serie B | 16 | 1 | 0 | 0 | – | 16 | 1 | |
| Modena (loan) | 2022–23 | Serie B | 10 | 0 | – | – | 10 | 0 | ||
| Lecco (loan) | 2023–24 | Serie B | 36 | 4 | 0 | 0 | – | 36 | 4 | |
| Lecco | 2024–25 | Serie C | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 37 | 4 | 0 | 0 | – | 37 | 4 | |||
| Career totals | 449 | 47 | 15 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 469 | 48 | ||
- ^ Appearance in promotion/relegation playoff
International
edit- As of match played 10 October 2024[12]
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Moldova | 2009 | 1 | 0 |
| 2013 | 9 | 2 | |
| 2014 | 8 | 0 | |
| 2015 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2016 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2017 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2018 | 7 | 1 | |
| 2019 | 9 | 0 | |
| 2020 | 8 | 0 | |
| 2021 | 8 | 0 | |
| 2022 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2024 | 7 | 2 | |
| Total | 74 | 5 | |
- Scores and results list Moldova's goal tally first.[13]
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 15 October 2013 | Stadion Pod Goricom, Podgorica, Montenegro |  Montenegro |
4–1 | 5–2 | 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 2. | 18 November 2013 | Zimbru Stadium, Chișinău, Moldova |  Lithuania |
1–1 | 1–1 | Friendly |
| 3. | 27 March 2018 | Stade Pierre Brisson, Beauvais, France |  Ivory Coast |
1–2 | 1–2 | Friendly |
| 4. | 26 March 2024 | Mardan Sports Complex, Antalya, Turkey |  Cayman Islands |
2–0 | 4–0 | Friendly |
| 5. | 10 October 2024 | Zimbru Stadium, Chișinău, Moldova |  Andorra |
1–0 | 2–0 | 2024–25 UEFA Nations League |
Honours
editAarau
Individual
- Moldovan Footballer of the Year: 2014,[14] 2019[15]
References
edit- ^ "Ufficiale: Artur Ionita in gialloblù da luglio" (in Italian). Hellas Verona F.C. 12 February 2014. Archived from the original on 11 September 2019. Retrieved 30 June 2014.
- ^ Internaţionalul moldovean Artur Ioniţă s-a ales cu un coleg celebru la Verona[permanent dead link]
- ^ Juventus rival Napoli for €8m Verona midfielder[permanent dead link]
- ^ Swansea City linked with Verona midfielder Artur Ionita – but face serious competition
- ^ Chi è Artur Ionita, nuovo centrocampista del Cagliari
- ^ "Artur Ionita è un giocatore del Benevento" (in Italian). Benevento Calcio. 20 August 2020. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
- ^ "Artur Ionita è Nerazzurro" (in Italian). Pisa. 11 August 2022. Retrieved 16 August 2022.
- ^ "CALCIOMERCATO: ARTUR IONITA È GIALLOBLÙ" (in Italian). Modena. 31 January 2023. Retrieved 31 January 2023.
- ^ "Ufficiale: arriva Artur Ionita a titolo temporaneo" [Official: Artur Ionita arrives on a temporary basis] (in Italian). Lecco. 1 September 2023. Retrieved 2 September 2023.
- ^ "Artur Ioniță a semnat cu Lecco". Moldovan Football Federation (in Romanian). 30 September 2024.
- ^ Artur Ioniță at Soccerway
- ^ "Ioniţă, Artur". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
- ^ Artur Ioniță at Soccerway
- ^ Artur Ionița – cel mai bun în 2014 (video) Archived 15 December 2014 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Gala Fotbalului 2019: Cine sunt cei mai buni jucători din Moldova". stiri.md. Retrieved 11 December 2022.
External links
edit- Artur Ioniţă player info at Sport1.de (in German)
- Swiss Super League profile (in German)