Viorel Năstase

Viorel Năstase (born 7 October 1953) is a Romanian former professional footballer who played as a forward.

Viorel Năstase

Năstase Divizia A champion with Steaua București in 1978
Personal information
Date of birth	(1953-10-07) 7 October 1953 (age 71)
Place of birth	București, Romania
Height	1.79 m (5 ft 10 in)
Position(s)	Forward
Youth career
	Progresul București
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1969–1971	Progresul București	18	(9)
1971–1979	Steaua București	177	(77)
1980–1981	1860 Munich	25	(15)
1981–1984	Catanzaro	31	(3)
1984–1985	SV Salzburg	3	(0)
Total		254	(104)
International career
	Romania U-23	15	(7)
1971–1976	Romania[a]	2	(0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Club career

Viorel Năstase was born on 7 October 1953 in București, Romania and started to play football in the 1969–70 Divizia B season for Progresul București.^[3][4] In the following season he made his Divizia A debut on 7 October 1953 in a 2–1 away loss against Farul Constanța, having scored a total of 9 goals by the end of the season, being partner in the team's offence with Mircea Sandu.^[3][4][5] Afterwards he went to play for Steaua București for eight seasons, in the first one taking part in the club's 1971–72 European Cup Winners' Cup campaign, playing five games as the team reached the quarter-finals by eliminating Hibernians and Barcelona against whom he scored three goals, being eliminated after 1–1 on aggregate on the away goal rule by Bayern Munich.^{[3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13]} He won two Divizia A titles with The Military Men in the 1975–76 and 1977–78 seasons, being used by coach Emerich Jenei in 21 matches in which he scored four goals in the first one and in 12 games in which he scored six goals in the second.^[3][14] He also helped Steaua București win two Cupa României and played for the club in one more match against Barcelona in which he scored a goal from the 1977–78 UEFA Cup edition, however the game was lost with 5–1.^{[3][4][5][6][9][10][11][15]} He defected from Romania's communist regime to Switzerland where he asked for political asylum in 1979 after a game between Steaua and Young Boys Bern from the 1979–80 European Cup Winners' Cup.^{[4][5][9][10]} After being suspended one year from playing football which was a rule for players who defect from the Eastern Bloc to the West, he went to play in West Germany at Bundesliga club, 1860 Munich where he was the team's top-goalscorer in the 1980–81 season with 14 goals in 23 matches, including a hat-trick against Bayer Uerdingen, being partner in the offence with Rudi Völler, however the team relegated at the end of the season and also coach Carl-Heinz Rühl wanted to throw him out of the team before the start of the season because of his drunken escapades in bars.^{[3][4][5][6][9][10][11][16][17]} After playing two more games in the 1981–82 2. Bundesliga for 1860 Munich, he was transferred for 400.000 italian lira in Italy at Serie A club, Catanzaro where he was brought to replace Massimo Palanca, however during his three seasons spent at the club, of which the last was in Serie B, Năstase scored only three goals as his performance was affected by his excessive nightlife activity, getting drunk in parties and clubs.^{[4][5][6][9][10][11]} After three more games played in the 1984–85 Austrian Bundesliga season at SV Salzburg, Năstase retired from playing football at age 31.^{[4][6][10][11]} Viorel Năstase has a total of 193 matches and 86 goals scored in Divizia A, 23 matches and 14 goals scored in Bundesliga, 23 games and two goals scored in Serie A and 6 games played with four goals scored in European competitions.^[3]

International career

Năstase played one game at international level for Romania on 12 May 1976 under coach Ștefan Kovács in a 1–0 loss against Bulgaria from the 1973–76 Balkan Cup final.^[18][19]

Honours

Progresul București

• Divizia B: 1969–70^[3]

Steaua București

• Divizia A: 1975–76, 1977–78^[3]
• Cupa României: 1975–76, 1978–79^[3]
• Torneo di Viareggio Third place: 1973

Notes

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

References

1. "Viorel Năstase". European Football. Retrieved 27 January 2021.
2. Viorel Năstase at National-Football-Teams.com
3. Viorel Năstase at RomanianSoccer.ro (in Romanian)
4. "Stelistul rebel care a marcat pe Camp Nou: a fugit de Ceaușescu și a ajuns "regele petrecerilor" în Italia" [The rebel star player who scored at Camp Nou: ran away from Ceaușescu and became the "party king" in Italy] (in Romanian). Theplaymaker.ro. 30 December 2017. Retrieved 27 October 2022.
5. "Viorel Năstase - o legendă a Stelei, dispărută în anonimat. "Killer-ul" Barcelonei a împlinit 56 de ani" [Viorel Năstase - a legend of Steaua, disappeared into anonymity. Barcelona's "Killer" turned 56] (in Romanian). Antena3.ro. 7 October 2009. Retrieved 27 October 2022.
6. "Povestea lui Viorel Năstase" [The story of Viorel Năstase] (in Romanian). Welovesport.ro. 3 November 2021. Retrieved 13 April 2023.
7. "Season 1971–72" (in Romanian). romaniansoccer.ro. Retrieved 30 September 2012.
8. "Season 1971–72" (in Romanian). romaniansoccer.ro. Retrieved 30 September 2012.
9. "Românul care a devenit coșmarul Barcelonei, dispărut de mulți ani. Misterele lui Năstase" [The Romanian who became Barcelona's nightmare, missing for many years. The mysteries of Năstase] (in Romanian). Evz.ro. 9 May 2020. Retrieved 27 October 2022.
10. "Viorel Năstase, fotbalistul care a bătut de unul singur Barcelona, s-ar fi întors în țară: "Așa am auzit!". Au existat și zvonuri că ar fi murit" [Viorel Năstase, the footballer who single-handedly beat Barcelona, would have returned to the country: "That's what I heard!". There were also rumors that he had died] (in Romanian). Libertatea.ro. 30 August 2018. Retrieved 27 October 2022.
11. "Viorel Năstase" (in Romanian). Tikitaka.ro. Retrieved 27 October 2022.
12. "În 1972, Steaua a fost la un pas să o elimine pe Bayern" [In 1972, Steaua was one step away from eliminating Bayern] (in Romanian). Prosport.ro. 16 September 2008. Retrieved 27 October 2022.
13. "Cupa Cupelor, sezonul 1971/72, sferturi: Steaua 1-1 Bayern, 8 martie 1972" [Cup Winners' Cup, season 1971/72, quarter-finals: Steaua 1-1 Bayern, 8 March 1972]. Tikitaka.ro. Retrieved 27 October 2022.
14. "Romania National Champions". RomanianSoccer. Retrieved 27 October 2022.
15. "Season 1977–78" (in Romanian). romaniansoccer.ro. Retrieved 30 September 2012.
16. "Blick zurück: Saison 1980/1981" [Looking back: Season 1980/1981.] (in German). Tsv1860.de. Retrieved 27 October 2022.
17. "Heute vor 40 Jahren: Drei Tore von Nastase für den TSV 1860" [40 years ago today: Three goals by Nastase for TSV 1860] (in German). Sechzger.de. 21 March 2021. Retrieved 27 October 2022.
18. "Viorel Năstase". European Football. Retrieved 27 October 2022.
19. "Bulgaria – Romania 1:0". European Football. Retrieved 27 October 2022.

External links

• Viorel Năstase at WorldFootball.net