| Iulian Cristea | |
| Upright: | 0.8 |
| Fullname: | Lucian Iulian Cristea |
| Birth Date: | 17 July 1994 |
| Birth Place: | Mediaș, Romania |
| Height: | 1.84 m |
| Position: | Centre-back, defensive midfielder |
| Currentclub: | Universitatea Cluj |
| Clubnumber: | 6 |
| Youthyears1: | 2007–2013 |
| Youthclubs1: | Gaz Metan Mediaș |
| Years1: | 2014–2019 |
| Clubs1: | Gaz Metan Mediaș |
| Caps1: | 109 |
| Goals1: | 6 |
| Years2: | 2014 |
| Clubs2: | → Metalurgistul Cugir (loan) |
| Years3: | 2019–2023 |
| Clubs3: | FCSB |
| Caps3: | 120 |
| Goals3: | 8 |
| Years4: | 2023–2024 |
| Clubs4: | Rapid București |
| Caps4: | 14 |
| Goals4: | 0 |
| Years5: | 2024– |
| Clubs5: | Universitatea Cluj |
| Caps5: | 17 |
| Goals5: | 1 |
| Nationalyears1: | 2014–2016 |
| Nationalteam1: | Romania U21 |
| Nationalcaps1: | 6 |
| Nationalgoals1: | 0 |
| Nationalyears2: | 2019– |
| Nationalteam2: | Romania |
| Nationalcaps2: | 4 |
| Nationalgoals2: | 0 |
| Club-Update: | 23 November 2024 |
| Nationalteam-Update: | 4 June 2022 |
Lucian Iulian Cristea (pronounced as /ro/; born 17 July 1994) is a Romanian professional footballer who plays as a centre-back or a defensive midfielder for Liga I club Universitatea Cluj.
After playing over 110 matches in all competitions for his hometown club Gaz Metan Mediaș, Cristea moved to fellow Liga I team FCSB on 26 February 2019.[1] He signed a five-year contract for a €150,000 transfer fee.[2]
On 13 June 2023, after being released by FCSB, Cristea moved to cross-town rivals Rapid București on a two-year deal.[3] He terminated his agreement with Rapid București on 31 May 2024,[4] and on 5 June Universitatea Cluj announced the signing of Cristea as a free agent.[5]
On 10 June 2019, Cristea made his debut for the Romania national team in a 4–0 win against Malta counting for the UEFA Euro 2020 qualifiers.[6]
Cristea has been described as versatile, due to his ability to play equally well as either a centre-back or a defensive midfielder, and has been noted for his aerial prowess.[7]
| Club | Season | League | National Cup | League Cup | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
| Gaz Metan Mediaș | 2014–15 | Liga I | 15 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 16 | 0 | |||
| 2015–16 | Liga II | 22 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 22 | 1 | |||||
| 2016–17 | Liga I | 28 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 29 | 1 | ||||
| 2017–18 | Liga I | 21 | 1 | 5 | 0 | — | — | — | 26 | 1 | |||||
| 2018–19 | Liga I | 23 | 3 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 24 | 3 | |||||
| Total | 109 | 6 | 8 | 0 | — | — | — | 117! | 6 | ||||||
| FCSB | 2018–19 | Liga I | 10 | 1 | — | — | — | — | 10 | 1 | |||||
| 2019–20 | Liga I | 28 | 1 | 3 | 0 | — | 7 | 1 | — | 38 | 2 | ||||
| 2020–21 | Liga I | 35 | 4 | 0 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 36 | 4 | |||
| 2021–22 | Liga I | 33 | 2 | 1 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | — | 35 | 2 | ||||
| 2022–23 | Liga I | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 14 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 120 | 8 | 4 | 0 | — | 9! | 1 | 0 | 0 | 133 | 9 | ||||
| Rapid București | 2023–24 | Liga I | 14 | 0 | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | 16 | 1 | ||||
| Universitatea Cluj | 2024–25 | Liga I | 17 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 17 | 1 | ||||
| Career total | 260 | 15 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 283 | 17 | |||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Romania | ||||
| 2019 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2020 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 2022 | 1 | 0 | ||
| Total | 4 | 0 | ||
Gaz Metan Mediaș
FCSB
Individual