Ion Nicolaescu (born 7 September 1998) is a Moldovan professional footballer who plays as a forward for Dutch Eredivisie club Heerenveen and the Moldova national team. He is the all-time leading goal scorer for his country with 15 goals,[1][2][3] and was named Moldovan Footballer of the Year in 2023.[4]
 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 | 19 | (5) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2016 | Moldova U19[a] | 2 | (0) |
| 2018 | Moldova U21[a] | 1 | (0) |
| 2018– | Moldova | 45 | (15) |
|
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 18 June 2024 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 12 June 2024 | |||
Club career
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.[5]
DAC Dunajská Streda
editNicolaescu 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.[6]
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.[7][8] Nicolaescu scored 4 goals in a 6–3 win over Maccabi Netanya in a Israeli Premier League match.[9]
Heerenveen
editOn 7 August 2023, Dutch side Heerenveen announced they had signed Nicolaescu to a three-year contract.[10] Five days later he scored the opening goal in his debut, a 3–1 win over RKC Waalwijk.[11]
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.[12] 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.[13] 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.[14][15]
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.[16]
Career statistics
edit- As of 11 June 2024[17]
| 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 | 4 | 1 | |
| Total | 45 | 15 | |
- Scores and results list Moldova's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Nicolaescu goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 September 2020 | Stadio Ennio Tardini, Parma, Italy | 1–0 | 1–1 | 2020–21 UEFA Nations League C | |
| 2 | 25 March 2021 | Stadionul Zimbru, Chișinău, Moldova | 1–0 | 1–1 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification | |
| 3 | 12 October 2021 | Turner Stadium, Be'er Sheva, Israel | 1–2 | 1–2 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification | |
| 4 | 15 November 2021 | Wörthersee Stadion, Klagenfurt, Austria | 1–3 | 1–4 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification | |
| 5 | 24 March 2022 | Stadionul Zimbru, Chișinău, Moldova | 1–0 | 1–2 | 2020–21 UEFA Nations League | |
| 6 | 3 June 2022 | Rheinpark Stadion, Vaduz, Liechtenstein | 1–0 | 2–0 | 2022–23 UEFA Nations League | |
| 7 | 10 June 2022 | Stadionul Zimbru, Chișinău, Moldova | 1–0 | 2–4 | 2022–23 UEFA Nations League | |
| 8 | 14 June 2022 | Stadionul Zimbru, Chișinău, Moldova | 2–1 | 2–1 | 2022–23 UEFA Nations League | |
| 9 | 22 September 2022 | Skonto Stadium, Riga, Latvia | 2–0 | 2–1 | 2022–23 UEFA Nations League | |
| 10 | 24 March 2023 | Stadionul Zimbru, Chișinău, Moldova | 1–1 | 1–1 | UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying | |
| 11 | 20 June 2023 | Stadionul Zimbru, Chișinău | 1–2 | 3–2 | UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying | |
| 12 | 2–2 | |||||
| 13 | 12 October 2023 | Friends Arena, Stockholm, Sweden | 1–2 | 1–3 | Friendly | |
| 14 | 15 October 2023 | Stadion Narodowy, Warsaw, Poland | 1–0 | 1–1 | UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying | |
| 15 | 26 March 2024 | Mardan Sports Complex, Antalya, Turkey | 3–0 | 4–0 | Friendly |
Honours
editClub
editZimbru Chișinău[18]
- Moldovan Cup runner-up: 2017-18
Shakhtyor Soligorsk[18]
- Belarusian Premier League runner-up: 2018
- Belarusian Cup: 2018-19
DAC Dunajská Streda[18]
- Slovak First Football League runner-up: 2020-21
Beitar Jerusalem[18]
- 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" (in Romanian).
- ^ "Dvadsaťdvaročný útočník z Moldavska podpísal zmluvu na tri roky" (in Slovak).dac1904.sk
- ^ "Nicolaescu called up for Moldova U19 team" (in Russian).sports.md
- ^ "Superlativele anului fotbalistic 2023" (in Romanian). Moldovan Football Federation. 31 December 2023. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
- ^ "Academia vs Zimbru". Soccerway.
- ^ "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).
- ^ "Luxembourg vs Moldova". Soccerway.
- ^ "Summary - UEFA Nations League". Soccerway.
- ^ "Summary - UEFA World Cup Qualifiers". Soccerway.
- ^ "Summary - UEFA Nations League". Soccerway.
- ^ a b "Superlativele anului fotbalistic 2023". fmf.md. 31 December 2023. Retrieved 28 June 2024.
- ^ Ion Nicolaescu at National-Football-Teams.com
- ^ a b c d "Moldova - I. Nicolăescu". Soccerway.
External links
edit- Ion Nicolaescu at Soccerway
- Ion Nicolaescu at FootballFacts.ru (in Russian)
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