Ion Nicolaescu (born 7 September 1998) is a Moldovan professional footballer who plays as a forward for Eredivisie club Heerenveen and the Moldova national team.
 Nicolaescu with Heerenveen in 2023 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 7 September 1998 | ||
| Place of birth | Chișinău, Moldova | ||
| Height | 1.84 m (6 ft 0 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Forward | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Heerenveen | ||
| Number | 18 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2008–2014 | Cahul-2005 | ||
| 2014–2016 | Zimbru Chișinău | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2016–2017 | Zimbru-2 Chișinău | 37 | (13) |
| 2016–2018 | Zimbru Chișinău | 25 | (5) |
| 2018–2020 | Shakhtyor Soligorsk | 13 | (0) |
| 2020 | → Vitebsk (loan) | 18 | (9) |
| 2020–2022 | DAC Dunajská Streda | 39 | (5) |
| 2022 | → Maccabi Petah Tikva (loan) | 15 | (5) |
| 2022–2023 | Beitar Jerusalem | 27 | (15) |
| 2023– | Heerenveen | 29 | (8) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2016 | Moldova U19[a] | 2 | (0) |
| 2018 | Moldova U21[a] | 1 | (0) |
| 2018– | Moldova | 49 | (16) |
|
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 11 November 2024 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 20 November 2024 | |||
He is the all-time leading goal scorer for his country,[1] and was named Moldovan Footballer of the Year in 2023.[2]
Club career
editZimbru Chișinău
editOn 20 May 2016, Nicolaescu made his professional debut for Zimbru Chișinău in the Divizia Națională against Academia Chișinău, coming on as a 65th-minute substitute.[3] In the 2018 Moldovan National Division he scored 5 goals in 12 appearances and reached the final of the 2017–18 Moldovan Cup.
Shakhtyor Soligorsk
editNicolaescu joined Shakhtyor Soligorsk in August 2018. However, he was used as substitute and didn't score a single goal for the Belarusian team. Out of his 15 appearances during two seasons he started in only three matches.[4] In an interview, Nicolaescu said that this was due to the general director and the coach having a falling out.[5] He won the 2018–19 Belarusian Cup, playing in the both legs of the quarter-finals.
Vitebsk
editIn January 2020 Nicolaescu went on loan to the Belarusian team Vitebsk.[6] He was the team's top goal scorer in the 2020 Belarusian Premier League, scoring 9 goals in 18 matches.[7]
DAC Dunajská Streda
editNicolaescu joined DAC Dunajská Streda of Fortuna Liga in September 2020.[8] After mere two days with the club he contributed with two goals to a 5–3 victory over Jablonec, advancing the Slovak side to the Third Round of UEFA Europa League qualifying.[9]
Beitar Jerusalem
editNicolaescu scored 15 league goals and 3 goals in Israel State Cup at the 2022–23 season, helping Beitar Jerusalem win the Israeli State Cup. His three goals in the State Cup games, one against F.C. Kafr Qasim on 11 December 2022, one against Hapoel Afula, on 1 February 2023, during the 4–0 win and another goal at the finals against Maccabi Netanya.[10][11] Nicolaescu scored 4 goals in a 6–3 win over Maccabi Netanya in an Israeli Premier League match.[12]
Heerenveen
editOn 7 August 2023, Dutch side Heerenveen announced they had signed Nicolaescu to a three-year contract.[13] Five days later he scored the opening goal in his debut, a 3–1 win over RKC Waalwijk.[14] On 31 August 2024 he scored a brace in a 4–0 win over NAC Breda after coming on as a substitute in the 66th minute.[15] He scored the winner in his Derby of the North debut, a 2–1 win over Groningen.[16]
International career
editNicolaescu debuted for Moldova on 8 September 2018 against Luxembourg in 2018–19 UEFA Nations League, coming on as a substitute in the 62nd minute.[17] He scored his first goal for the national team against Kosovo in 2020–21 UEFA Nations League, which was Moldova's only goal in the league phase.[18] He was Moldova's top goal scorer in 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification and 2022–23 UEFA Nations League, scoring 3 out of 5 and 4 out of 10 team's goals, respectively.[19][20]
Nicolaescu became Moldova's top goal scorer after scoring his 11th and 12th goals in a 3–2 win over Poland in UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying. With 4 goals in the competition, he became the first Moldovan to be the top goal scorer of a qualifying group.[2]
Career statistics
editInternational
edit- As of match played 19 November 2024[21]
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Moldova | 2018 | 4 | 0 |
| 2019 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2020 | 6 | 1 | |
| 2021 | 10 | 3 | |
| 2022 | 8 | 5 | |
| 2023 | 10 | 5 | |
| 2024 | 8 | 2 | |
| Total | 49 | 16 | |
- Scores and results list Moldova's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Nicolaescu goal.[21]
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 September 2020 | Stadio Ennio Tardini, Parma, Italy |  Kosovo |
1–0 | 1–1 | 2020–21 UEFA Nations League C |
| 2 | 25 March 2021 | Stadionul Zimbru, Chișinău, Moldova |  Faroe Islands |
1–0 | 1–1 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 3 | 12 October 2021 | Turner Stadium, Be'er Sheva, Israel |  Israel |
1–2 | 1–2 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 4 | 15 November 2021 | Wörthersee Stadion, Klagenfurt, Austria |  Austria |
1–3 | 1–4 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 5 | 24 March 2022 | Stadionul Zimbru, Chișinău, Moldova |  Kazakhstan |
1–0 | 1–2 | 2020–21 UEFA Nations League |
| 6 | 3 June 2022 | Rheinpark Stadion, Vaduz, Liechtenstein |  Liechtenstein |
1–0 | 2–0 | 2022–23 UEFA Nations League D |
| 7 | 10 June 2022 | Stadionul Zimbru, Chișinău, Moldova |  Latvia |
1–0 | 2–4 | 2022–23 UEFA Nations League D |
| 8 | 14 June 2022 | Stadionul Zimbru, Chișinău, Moldova |  Andorra |
2–1 | 2–1 | 2022–23 UEFA Nations League D |
| 9 | 22 September 2022 | Skonto Stadium, Riga, Latvia | Latvia |
2–0 | 2–1 | 2022–23 UEFA Nations League D |
| 10 | 24 March 2023 | Stadionul Zimbru, Chișinău, Moldova | Faroe Islands |
1–1 | 1–1 | UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying |
| 11 | 20 June 2023 | Stadionul Zimbru, Chișinău |  Poland |
1–2 | 3–2 | UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying |
| 12 | 2–2 | |||||
| 13 | 12 October 2023 | Friends Arena, Stockholm, Sweden |  Sweden |
1–2 | 1–3 | Friendly |
| 14 | 15 October 2023 | Kazimierz Górski National Stadium, Warsaw, Poland | Poland |
1–0 | 1–1 | UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying |
| 15 | 26 March 2024 | Mardan Sports Complex, Antalya, Turkey |  Cayman Islands |
3–0 | 4–0 | Friendly |
| 16 | 7 September 2024 | Stadionul Zimbru, Chișinău, Moldova |  Malta |
2–0 | 2–0 | 2024–25 UEFA Nations League D |
Honours
editClub
editZimbru Chișinău[4]
- Moldovan Cup runner-up: 2017–18
Shakhtyor Soligorsk[4]
- Belarusian Premier League runner-up: 2018
- Belarusian Cup: 2018–19
DAC Dunajská Streda[4]
- Slovak First Football League runner-up: 2020–21
Beitar Jerusalem[4]
- Israel State Cup: 2022–23
- Israel Super Cup runner-up: 2023
Individual
editNotes
editReferences
edit- ^ "Ion Nicolaescu a devenit cel mai bun golgheter în istoria naționalei Moldovei". moldfootball (in Romanian). 21 June 2023.
- ^ a b c "Superlativele anului fotbalistic 2023" (in Romanian). Moldovan Football Federation. 31 December 2023. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
- ^ "Academia vs Zimbru". Soccerway.
- ^ a b c d e "Moldova - I. Nicolăescu". Soccerway.
- ^ "Ион Николаеску: "Футбол в Словакии и в Беларуси и близко нельзя сравнивать"" [Ion Nicolaescu: "Football in Slovakia and Belarus are not even close to being comparable"]. football.by (in Russian). 6 June 2021.
- ^ ""Шахтер" отдал нападающего в аренду "Витебску"" ["Shakhtyor" loaned striker to "Vitebsk"]. Football.by (in Russian). 21 January 2020.
- ^ "Лучший бомбардир "Витебска" Ион Николаеску уехал в Словакию в "ДАК 1904"" [Vitebsk's top scorer Ion Nicolaescu left for Slovakia to join DAK 1904]. football.by (in Russian). 16 September 2020.
- ^ "Dvadsaťdvaročný útočník z Moldavska podpísal zmluvu na tri roky" (in Slovak).dac1904.sk
- ^ "Hrdina DAC prišiel pred dvomi dňami. Na tréningu nechápal, na obede sa pýtal trénera, čo má robiť". Šport.sk (in Slovak). 18 September 2020. Retrieved 4 January 2021.
- ^ "ההתאחדות לכדורגל בישראל - פרטי משחק". www.football.org.il.
- ^ "ההתאחדות לכדורגל בישראל - פרטי משחק". www.football.org.il.
- ^ "Beitar Jerusalem vs. Maccabi Netanya 6 - 3". Soccerway.
- ^ "SC HEERENVEEN VERSTERKT AANVAL MET MOLDAVISCHE SPITS ION NICOLAESCU" [SC HEERENVEEN STRENGTHENS ATTACK WITH MOLDOVAN STRIKER ION NICOLAESCU] (in Dutch). SC Heerenveen. 7 August 2023. Retrieved 7 August 2023.
- ^ "Ion Nicolaescu a marcat un gol în meciul său de debut pentru Heerenveen în Țările de Jos". moldfootball.com (in Romanian).
- ^ "Heerenveen vs. NAC Breda 4 - 0". Soccerway.
- ^ "Heerenveen vs. Groningen 2 - 1". Soccerway.
- ^ "Luxembourg vs Moldova". Soccerway.
- ^ "Summary - UEFA Nations League". Soccerway.
- ^ "Summary - UEFA World Cup Qualifiers". Soccerway.
- ^ "Summary - UEFA Nations League". Soccerway.
- ^ a b Ion Nicolaescu at National-Football-Teams.com
External links
edit- Ion Nicolaescu at Soccerway
- Ion Nicolaescu at FootballFacts.ru (in Russian)
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