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| Cosmin Contra | ||
| Personal information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Cosmin Marius Contra | |
| Date of birth | December 15, 1975 | |
| Place of birth | Timişoara, Romania | |
| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | |
| Playing position | Right defender | |
| Club information | ||
| Current club | Getafe | |
| Number | 2 | |
| Senior clubs1 | ||
| Years | Club | App (Gls)* |
| 1993–1996 1996–1999 1999–2001 2001–2002 2002–2005 2004–2005 2005 2005– |
Politehnica Timişoara Dinamo Bucureşti Deportivo Alavés AC Milan Atlético Madrid → West Bromwich Albion (loan) → FCU Politehnica Timişoara (loan) Getafe |
51 (1) 101 (8) 66 (6) 29 (3) 34 (0) 5 (0) 14 (0) 46 (9) |
| National team2 | ||
| 1996– | Romania | 69 (7) |
|
1 Senior club appearances and goals |
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Cosmin Marius Contra (born December 15, 1975 in Timişoara) is a Romanian football player, who currently plays for Getafe CF. He usually plays on the right side, and is an attacking full-back.
Career
The Romanian international started his footballing career at Politehnica Timişoara where he played for three seasons before moving to arch-rivals Dinamo Bucharest. After four season with the capital-based team, he was transferred for 800.000 dollars to Deportivo Alavés, where he was a vital player in the UEFA Cup campaign which saw Alavés come second in the competition. His performances in that season earned him a place in the 2001 UEFA Team of the Year. Contra then managed yet another excellent move, as Italian giants AC Milan bought him from the Spanish team, but his spell in Italy lasted only one season. In September 2002 he changed clubs once more and went to Atlético Madrid,[1] playing with the colchoneros two seasons.
Contra moved to West Bromwich Albion on loan in August 2004,[2] making his debut in a 2–1 League Cup defeat to Colchester United on 21 September 2004.[3] His Premiership debut for Albion came almost two months later when Albion lost 2–1 at home to Middlesbrough.[4] The loan was not particularly successful, with Contra playing just six times and receiving a red card in the last game of his spell in a 5–0 home defeat to Liverpool. He then returned to the Romanian first Division, at the club which brought him up as a player, Politehnica Timisoara. He managed to be recalled at the national side due to his good performances at Poli and the next season saw him move, on loan once more, at his current club, Getafe, where he managed to keep hold of a place in the first eleven.
Contra is known to be a rash player, his conflict with Juventus player Edgar Davids while he was in Italy being one of the reasons for his quick departure from Milan. Since September, 2006, he is a naturalized spanish citizen.
It is rumored that the Timişoara born player will return to his home city after the 2007/2008 season to join his ex-team Politehnica. Club owner Marian Iancu has made a statement in this regard in early March.[5]
Contra has played for the Romanian national team over 50 times. He played for his country in Euro 2000 and Euro 2008.
References
- ^ "Contra deal goes through", BBC Sport (2002-09-02). Retrieved on 2008-03-14.
- ^ "Baggies snap up Contra", BBC Sport (2004-08-31). Retrieved on 2008-03-14.
- ^ "Colchester vs WBA", West Bromwich Albion F.C. (2004-09-21). Retrieved on 2008-03-14.
- ^ "WBA vs Middlesbrough", West Bromwich Albion F.C. (2004-11-14). Retrieved on 2008-03-14.
- ^ "Iancu: "Contra vine din vară"", Gazeta Sporturilor (2008-10-03). Retrieved on 2008-12-03.
External links
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| Awards | ||
|---|---|---|
Preceded by Cristian Chivu |
Romanian Footballer of the Year 2001 |
Succeeded by Cristian Chivu |
