Romania under-21 national team
Which team was coached by Mirel Rădoi from 2018 to 2019?
Mirel Rădoi Mirel Matei Rădoi ( born 22 March 1981 ) is a Romanian former footballer and the current head coach of the Romania national team . He played as a defensive midfielder or a central defender . Capped 67 times by the national team , he represented Romania at the UEFA Euro 2008 . Rădoi began his playing career at Extensiv Craiova in 1999 . The following year he signed for Steaua București where he amassed over 58 games in all competitions and won two domestic trophies over the course of two-and-a-half seasons . After playing for FCSB , he spent his later years with teams from the Arabian Peninsula starting with Al-Hilal in 2009 . Following his retirement as a player in 2015 , Rădoi immediately returned to FCSB as a head coach . The team failed to qualify for the group stages of European competitions , and he was sacked in December . Appointed manager of the Romania under-21 national team in 2018 , he led them to the semi-finals of the 2019 UEFA European Championship . Following the success of the under-21 side , Rădoi was named manager of the Romania senior team in November 2019 . Playing career . Extensiv Craiova . Rădoi started to play football at the age of eight , first as a goalkeeper and then as a defender . He started his youth career at Turnu Severin and there he was spotted by Sorin Cârțu , the coach of Extensiv Craiova , who was so impressed by him that he purchased Rădoi in 1999 , financing the transfer with his own money . Rădoi made his professional debut in 1999 , in a defeat against Dinamo București on 4 March 2000 . he left the club . Steaua București . Just one year later , in the summer of 2000 , Rădoi joined Steaua București for a fee of €110,000 . Describing his first day at Steaua , he said , It was like a positive shock for me . Suddenly I was in the same place with players like Iulian Miu , Marius Baciu and Miodrag Belodedici , players I saw on TV . It was like a dream . His coach at Steaua was Victor Pițurcă , the former Romania national team coach , who promoted him to the Steaua first team . He then became one of Steauas most important players . In his first match for the club , a 4-3 victory over FCM Bacău at the Ghencea football stadium , Rădoi scored the equalizer in the ninth minute after Cătălin Cursaru had opened the scoring for Bacău less than a minute before . Steaua would go on to win the championship of the Romanian league that year , as well as the Supercupa României against rivals Dinamo . FCSB . In 2005 , Rădoi won a second championship title ; and in 2006 , yet another : his third . On 24 February 2005 , he won an important match in the UEFA Cup against holder Valencia . In 2006 Rădoi captained the team in the UEFA Cup semi-final against Middlesbrough which FCSB lost 4–3 on aggregate . In the summer of 2006 , a rumour circulated that Rădoi would sign for Premier League club Portsmouth as soon as the transfer window opened in England , with the transfer fee estimated at around £11 million . The transfer did not materialize , however , and many speculated that the £11 million offer was no more than a ploy to jack up the players potential transfer value before a move elsewhere . In the end , FCSBs owner Gigi Becali stated that he would not be selling Rădoi after all . Due to injury , he only played his first official game in the 2006–07 season on 12 November , a 6–0 victory against Național București . Later career . In January 2009 , Rădoi signed a three-year contract with Saudi Arabian club Al-Hilal which earned him €1.4 million annually . The transfer fee FCSB received was in the region of €6 million . Rădoi made his debut for Al-Hilal in the local derby against Al-Nassr , which Al-Hilal won 2–0 with Rădoi scoring the second goal . In his sixth game with the club , he won the Princes Cup , defeating Al-Shabab in the final . Nicknamed The Warrior by his fans in Saudi Arabia , he was voted Saudi Professional League Player of the Year in 2010 . They even made a complete book about his career and has been published online with official website MRadoi.com . Rădoi spent three years at the club , becoming a legend , and the teams captain , before he was reunited with ex-Al-Hilal and Steaua manager Cosmin Olăroiu at Al Ain . In June 2011 , Rădoi was transferred to Al Ain for a fee of €4.2 million . He signed a two-year deal worth €2.5 million annually . International . [ Image:RO B ROMAUT Mirel Radoi 1.jpg|thumb|right|180px|Rădoi playing for Romania in 2009. ] ] Rădoi has been capped 67 times for the Romania , scoring two goals . In 2005 , Romanian team manager Victor Pițurcă suspended him for leaving training camp without permission before matches against the Netherlands and Armenia . Coach Pițurcă recalled him in February 2006 for a friendly tournament in Cyprus after Rădoi apologised for his behaviour . Although he was included in Romanias squad for UEFA Euro 2008 , he suffered an eye injury and broken nose during the second group game against Italy after clashing heads with team-mate Răzvan Raț , who emerged unscathed . Rădoi played no further part in the tournament . After a confrontation with Răzvan Lucescu in 2010 , Radoi declared that he would retire from the national team . Coaching career . In charge of National U21 selection , Radoi became head coach of the A selection after resignation of Cosmin Contra in Novembre 2019 . Career statistics . Club . Correct as of 8 August 2020 Honours . Player . Steaua București - Liga I : 2000–01 - Supercupa României : 2001 FCSB - Liga I : 2004–05 , 2005–06 - Supercupa României : 2006 Al-Hilal - Saudi Professional League : 2009–10 , 2010–11 - Crown Prince Cup : 2008–09 , 2009–10 , 2010–11 Al-Ahli - UAE Pro-League : 2011–12 , 2012–13 - UAE Super Cup : 2012 - UAE Presidents Cup : 2013–14 Individual - Gazeta Sporturilor Romanian Footballer of the Year : Runner-up 2005 - Saudi Professional League Player of the Year : 2010 External links . - The Leader Mirel Radoi