Ion Nicolaescu


Contributors to Wikimedia projects

Article Images

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. He is the all-time leading goal scorer for his country,[1][2][3] and was named Moldovan Footballer of the Year in 2023.[4]

Ion Nicolaescu

Nicolaescu with Heerenveen in 2023

Personal information
Date of birth 7 September 1998 (age 26)
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 25 (8)
International career‡
2016 Moldova U19[a] 2 (0)
2018 Moldova U21[a] 1 (0)
2018– Moldova 47 (16)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 22 September 2024
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 10 September 2024

On 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.[5] In the 2018 Moldovan National Division he scored 5 goals in 12 appearances and reached the final of the 2017–18 Moldovan Cup.

Nicolaescu 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.[6] In an interview, Nicolaescu said that this was due to the general director and the coach having a falling out.[7] He won the 2018–19 Belarusian Cup, playing in the both legs of the quarter-finals.

In January 2020 Nicolaescu went on loan to the Belarusian team Vitebsk.[8] He was the team's top goal scorer in the 2020 Belarusian Premier League, scoring 9 goals in 18 matches.[9]

Nicolaescu joined DAC Dunajská Streda of Fortuna Liga in September 2020. 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.[10]

Nicolaescu 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.[11][12] Nicolaescu scored 4 goals in a 6–3 win over Maccabi Netanya in an Israeli Premier League match.[13]

On 7 August 2023, Dutch side Heerenveen announced they had signed Nicolaescu to a three-year contract.[14] Five days later he scored the opening goal in his debut, a 3–1 win over RKC Waalwijk.[15] 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.[16] He scored the winner in his Derby of the North debut, a 2–1 win over Groningen.[17]

International career

edit

Nicolaescu debuted for Moldova on 8 September 2018 against Luxembourg in 2018–19 UEFA Nations League, coming on as a substitute in the 62nd minute.[18] 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.[19] 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.[20][21]

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.[4]

As of match played 10 September 2024[22]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
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 6 2
Total 47 16
Scores and results list Moldova's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Nicolaescu goal.[22]
List of international goals scored by Ion Nicolaescu
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

Zimbru Chișinău[6]

Shakhtyor Soligorsk[6]

DAC Dunajská Streda[6]

Beitar Jerusalem[6]

  1. ^ a b Only official UEFA matches included
  1. ^ "Ion Nicolaescu a devenit cel mai bun golgheter în istoria naționalei Moldovei" (in Romanian).
  2. ^ "Dvadsaťdvaročný útočník z Moldavska podpísal zmluvu na tri roky" (in Slovak).dac1904.sk
  3. ^ "Nicolaescu called up for Moldova U19 team" (in Russian).sports.md
  4. ^ a b c "Superlativele anului fotbalistic 2023" (in Romanian). Moldovan Football Federation. 31 December 2023. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  5. ^ "Academia vs Zimbru". Soccerway.
  6. ^ a b c d e "Moldova - I. Nicolăescu". Soccerway.
  7. ^ "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.
  8. ^ ""Шахтер" отдал нападающего в аренду "Витебску"" ["Shakhtyor" loaned striker to "Vitebsk"]. Football.by (in Russian). 21 January 2020.
  9. ^ "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.
  10. ^ "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.
  11. ^ "ההתאחדות לכדורגל בישראל - פרטי משחק". www.football.org.il.
  12. ^ "ההתאחדות לכדורגל בישראל - פרטי משחק". www.football.org.il.
  13. ^ "Beitar Jerusalem vs. Maccabi Netanya 6 - 3". Soccerway.
  14. ^ "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.
  15. ^ "Ion Nicolaescu a marcat un gol în meciul său de debut pentru Heerenveen în Țările de Jos". moldfootball.com (in Romanian).
  16. ^ "Heerenveen vs. NAC Breda 4 - 0". Soccerway.
  17. ^ "Heerenveen vs. Groningen 2 - 1". Soccerway.
  18. ^ "Luxembourg vs Moldova". Soccerway.
  19. ^ "Summary - UEFA Nations League". Soccerway.
  20. ^ "Summary - UEFA World Cup Qualifiers". Soccerway.
  21. ^ "Summary - UEFA Nations League". Soccerway.
  22. ^ a b Ion Nicolaescu at National-Football-Teams.com