Florinel Coman

Florinel Coman
Florinel Teodor Coman (born 10 April 1998) is a Romanian professional footballer who plays as a winger for Liga I club FCSB and the Romania national team.
After starting out at Viitorul Constanța and winning a national championship in his third season at the club, Coman signed with FCSB in August 2017 for an eventual transfer fee of €3 million. With the latter, he claimed a Cupa României trophy in the 2019–20 campaign. Individually, Coman was named to the Liga I Team of the Season four times.
Coman made his senior debut for Romania in October 2019, after previously being capped at under-17, under-19 and under-21 levels. He represented the latter side in the 2019 UEFA European Championship, where they were eliminated by Germany in the semi-finals.
Early life
Coman was born in the city of Brăila and grew up as a Dinamo București supporter.
Club career
Viitorul Constanța
Coman was selected from Viitorul Constanța's academy by first-team manager and owner Gheorghe Hagi, and made his professional debut by coming on as a substitute in a 2–0 Liga I win against Astra Giurgiu on 18 March 2015. On 14 August 2016, aged 18, he scored his first goal in a 3–1 league victory over ASA Târgu Mureș.
Coman was named the Liga I Player of the Month for February 2017 after scoring in wins against Dinamo București (2–1), Pandurii Târgu Jiu (3–0) and ACS Poli Timișoara (5–0), respectively. He was once again on the scoresheet on 18 March, opening a 3–1 home victory against FCSB. In the final fixture against CFR Cluj on 13 May, Coman won the penalty from which Gabriel Iancu netted the only goal of the match, thus being decisive in Viitorul's first national title conquest.
On 26 July 2017, Coman registered his debut in European competitions by coming on as a 66th-minute substitute in a 1–0 home win over APOEL in the third qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League.
FCSB
2017–2020: Adjustment to Bucharest
After Portuguese media reported that Benfica had shown interest in acquiring Coman, he moved to FCSB on 21 August 2017 for a reported €2 million plus €500,000 in add-ons. His release clause was set at a Romanian record €100 million, with former club Viitorul Constanța being entitled to 20% of a future transfer fee, economic rights which were bought in November for another €1 million.
Coman scored his first goals for the Roș-albaștrii on 22 October 2017, with two goals in a 7–0 thrashing of ACS Poli Timișoara.
On 2 November, he recorded his first European goal in a 1–1 draw with Hapoel Be'er Sheva in the Europa League group stage. Also in the latter competition, Coman entered the pitch after half-time in a 1–5 round of 32 loss to Lazio at the Stadio Olimpico and contributed to Harlem Gnohéré's goal, on 22 February 2018. After an inconsistent start at FCSB, he cemented his place in the starting eleven in his second season in Bucharest, with twelve goals from 38 appearances in all competitions.
On 14 July 2019, in the opening fixture of the 2019–20 Liga I, he scored and provided an assist in a 4–3 victory over Hermannstadt. He then went on to score one each in the two-legged tie against Alashkert in the Europa League second qualifying round, which his team won 5–3 on aggregate. FCSB failed to qualify for the group stage for a second year in a row after losing to Vitória Guimarães in the play-off round; Coman however rose to prominence individually, as he became the top scorer of the domestic league by the turn of the year with ten goals. His good form earned him the fifth place in Gazeta Sporturilors 2019 Romanian Footballer of the Year award, tied with Ianis Hagi.
2020–2022: Struggles with injuries
Coman spent roughly half of 2020 without playing, initially due to the setbacks caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and then after being injured in a match against TSC Bačka Topola in the Europa League qualifiers in September. He returned from the sidelines on 6 December 2020, coming on as a substitute and scoring a goal in a 3–0 win over UTA Arad; he broke down in tears and dedicated the goal to his late grandfather. He however picked up another injury in March 2021, and one more in August that year which required surgical intervention.
2022–present: Return to form
On 28 July 2022, Coman netted for the first time in almost a year in a 4–2 home defeat of Saburtalo Tbilisi counting for the Europa Conference League qualifiers. In the same match, he was also handed the captain armband as a result of Florin Tănase's imminent departure. On 9 October, he doubled the lead in a 2–0 away victory over newly-promoted Petrolul Ploiești, representing his first Liga I goal in 22 months.
In April 2023, Coman scored in three succesive league matches—namely against Sepsi OSK (2–1 win), CFR Cluj (1–1 draw) and Farul Constanța (2–1 win)—and was named the Romania Player of the Month by the Gazeta Sporturilor daily. His performances saw him earn a contract extension lasting until 2027, with his release clause dropping to €5 million in order to facilitate a transfer abroad. On 14 May, he scored again against CFR Cluj in a 1–0 home success. One week later, Coman assisted FCSB's second goal in a 2–3 away loss to eventual champions Farul Constanța.
On 16 July 2023, Coman converted a penalty in a 3–1 win against FC U Craiova in the campaign's opener. The next fixture, he netted again to help to a 2–1 derby defeat of Dinamo București. On the 26th, he scored the only goal of a Europa Conference League second qualifying round victory against CSKA 1948. Due to his exploits, Coman was named the Gazeta Sporturilor Romania Player of the Month for July 2023.
International career
Coman featured for Romania under-21 in the 2019 UEFA European Championship, mostly as a second-half substitute. In the group fixture on 21 June, he entered in the 63rd minute for Andrei Ivan, obtained a penalty and scored a double to help to a 4–2 victory against England. He then earned his first and only start in a goalless draw with France, with both teams progressing to the semi-finals, where Romania suffered a 2–4 defeat to Germany.
Coman made his full debut for Romania on 12 October 2019, starting in a Euro 2020 qualifier against the Faroe Islands. He was replaced after 69 minutes by Alexandru Mitriță in the eventual 3–0 victory of his nation. On 15 October 2023, Coman scored his first senior international goal in a 4–0 Euro 2024 qualifier win against Andorra.
Style of play
Coman is typically deployed as a left winger and has been praised for his pace and technical ability.
Personal life
On 22 February 2021, Coman was pulled over by the Romanian Police for exceeding the speed limit while driving on the A2 motorway. Upon inspection, they discovered that he had a fake Ukrainian license. If found guilty of operating a vehicle without a license, he could face from one to five years in prison.
Coman married his girlfriend Ioana Timofeciuc in June 2022. The following month, she gave birth to a girl whom they named Kasia.
Career statistics
Club
International
Scores and results list Romania's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Coman goal.
HonoursViitorul ConstanțaLiga I: 2016–17
Supercupa României runner-up: 2017FCSBCupa României: 2019–20
Supercupa României runner-up: 2020Individual'''
Liga I Team of the Season: 2016–17, 2018–19, 2019–20, 2022–23
DigiSport Liga I Player of the Month: February 2017Gazeta Sporturilor'' Romania Player of the Month: April 2023, July 2023
References
External links
FCSB official profile
1998 births
Living people
Sportspeople from Brăila
Romanian men's footballers
Men's association football forwards
Men's association football wingers
Liga I players
FC Viitorul Constanța players
FC Steaua București players
Romania men's youth international footballers
Romania men's under-21 international footballers
Romania men's international footballers