# Louis Munteanu

Louis Munteanu (Romanian pronunciation:; born 16 June 2002) is a Romanian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Liga I club CFR Cluj.
Munteanu made his senior debut for Viitorul Constanța in 2019, aged 17, and the next year was transferred to Italian side Fiorentina. In 2022, he returned to his boyhood club, which had merged with Farul Constanța, and contributed to winning the national title during his first loan spell back. Two years later, Munteanu signed with CFR Cluj, also in the Liga I.
Internationally, Munteanu represented Romania under-21 in the 2023 UEFA European Championship. In October that year, he registered his full debut in a goalless draw with Belarus in the Euro 2024 qualifiers.

## Club career
### Viitorul Constanța

Munteanu made his professional debut for Viitorul Constanța on 27 October 2019, in a 2–3 away Liga I loss to Dinamo București. Five days later, he scored his first goal in a 3–0 home success over Chindia Târgoviște. Munteanu amassed three goals from 19 appearances during his first season as a senior, all in the league championship.

### Fiorentina

On 26 September 2020, Munteanu was transferred to Italian club Fiorentina for a rumoured fee of €2 million. During his initial two years with the Primavera side, he appeared in 40 matches and scored 13 goals.

#### First loan to Farul Constanța

On 15 August 2022, Munteanu rejoined the Romanian league by signing for Farul Constanța on loan until the end of the season. Before moving to Farul, he was close to being loaned to Rapid București, but the deal fell through because Fiorentina declined to include a permanent transfer clause. On the 28th that month, he scored his first two goals in a 3–1 away victory over defending champions CFR Cluj.
On 6 May 2023, Munteanu netted his second double of the campaign in a 7–2 home thrashing of Rapid București. Fifteen days later, he scored the winner in a 3–2 home success over league contenders FCSB, securing the national title for Farul with one match remaining. On 28 May, Munteanu ended his spell with ten goals in 29 matches by scoring twice in a 2–1 away victory at CFR Cluj, also missing a penalty.

#### Second loan to Farul Constanța

On 18 August 2023, Munteanu was sent on another year-long loan to Farul. He made his debut in European competitions six days later, coming on for Adrian Mazilu in a 2–1 home win over HJK in the UEFA Europa Conference League play-off round. On 27 August, he scored both goals in a 2–0 home win against Universitatea Craiova.
Munteanu surpassed his previous season's statistics by netting 12 goals in 34 Liga I appearances, and was voted Farul Player of the Year by the fans.

### CFR Cluj

On 31 July 2024, amid interest from fellow league clubs FCSB and Rapid București, CFR Cluj officially announced the transfer of Munteanu on a four-year contract. CFR Cluj owner Neluțu Varga admitted that the transfer fee was "around €2 million", contrasting some reports that indicated it might be as high as €2.8 million, and also stated that Fiorentina retained 50% participation rights in a co-ownership deal.
Munteanu registered his debut on 4 August 2024, starting in a 2–3 home Liga I loss to rivals Universitatea Cluj. One week later, he scored his first two goals in a 3–0 win over newly-promoted Unirea Slobozia. On 15 September, Munteanu netted another double in a 2–2 home derby draw with FCSB.

## International career

On 15 June 2023, Munteanu was selected in the Romania national under-21 team squad for the 2023 UEFA European Championship. He started in all three group games, as his side failed to score any goals and finished in last place. On 12 October that year, Munteanu made his full debut for Romania by coming on as a 77th-minute substitute for Denis Drăguș in a goalless draw with Belarus in the Euro 2024 qualifiers.
On 11 October 2024, Munteanu scored a hat-trick in a 6–2 away thrashing of Montenegro counting for the 2025 European Under-21 Championship qualifiers. Four days later, he provided two assists as Romania defeated Switzerland 3–1 at home and qualified for its fourth consecutive European Under-21 Championship by winning its group.

## Style of play

Munteanu is primarily deployed as a centre-forward, but can also play as a winger due to his refined technical ability and link-up play. He maintains precision and executes moves even at high speed, making him versatile across attacking positions.

## Personal life

On 16 October 2020, Munteanu tested positive for COVID-19.

## Career statistics
### Club

    As of match played 15 March 2025
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition :
| Club | Season | League | League | League | National Cup | National Cup | Continental | Continental | Other | Other | Total | Total |
| Club | Season | Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| Viitorul Constanța | 2019–20 | Liga I | 19 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 19 | 3 |
| Viitorul Constanța | 2020–21 | Liga I | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 2 | 0 |
| Viitorul Constanța | Total | Total | 21 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 21 | 3 |
| Fiorentina | 2020–21 | Serie A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 |
| Fiorentina | 2021–22 | Serie A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 |
| Fiorentina | Total | Total | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 |
| Farul Constanța (loan) | 2022–23 | Liga I | 29 | 10 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 29 | 10 |
| Farul Constanța (loan) | 2023–24 | Liga I | 34 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 36 | 12 |
| Farul Constanța (loan) | Total | Total | 63 | 22 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 65 | 22 |
| CFR Cluj | 2024–25 | Liga I | 26 | 20 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 29 | 20 |
| Career total | Career total | Career total | 110 | 45 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — | — | 115 | 45 |
* 1 2 Appearances in UEFA Europa Conference League

### International

    As of match played 12 October 2023
Appearances and goals by national team and year :
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
| Romania |
| Romania | 2023 | 1 | 0 |
| Total | Total | 1 | 0 |

## Honours

Farul Constanța
* Liga I: 2022–23