Florin Bratu

Florin Daniel Bratu (born 2 January 1980) is a Romanian football coach and former player, who played as forward, who is currently in charge of Cypriot First Division club Karmiotissa.

Florin Bratu

Bratu in 2010
Personal information
Full name	Florin Daniel Bratu
Date of birth	(1980-01-02) 2 January 1980 (age 43)
Place of birth	Bucharest, Romania
Height	1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)
Position(s)	Forward
Team information
Current team	Karmiotissa (head coach)
Youth career
1988–1991	Voința București
1991–1992	Dinamo București
1992–2000	Rapid București
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2000–2003	Rapid București	48	(15)
2000–2001	→ Tractorul Brașov (loan)	27	(8)
2003–2004	Galatasaray	25	(6)
2004–2007	Nantes	13	(2)
2005–2006	→ Dinamo București (loan)	23	(6)
2006–2007	→ Valenciennes (loan)	22	(1)
2007–2010	Dinamo București	44	(22)
2010	→ Litex Lovech (loan)	7	(2)
2011–2012	Gaz Metan Mediaș	11	(1)
2012	Gloria Bistrița	9	(1)
Total		229	(64)
International career
2001–2002	Romania U21	3	(2)
2003–2008	Romania	14	(2)
Managerial career
2014–2015	Dinamo II București
2015–2016	Tunari
2016–2017	Dinamo București U19
2017–2018	Romania U18
2018	Dinamo București
2018–2019	Aerostar Bacău
2019	Turris Turnu Măgurele
2020	Concordia Chiajna
2021–2022	Romania U21
2023–	Karmiotissa
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Club career

Florin Bratu was born on 2 January 1980 in Bucharest, Romania where in 1986 he started to play tennis for one year and a half, afterwards switching to football, playing a few years at the junior squads of Voința București, then moving for about one year at his childhood favorite team Dinamo București where he was coached by Iosif Varga but as he was unsatisfied with the poor training conditions that were at the club during that time, in 1992 after seeing an article in Gazeta Sporturilor that Rapid București was organizing trials, he went there and got accepted after impressing the coach with his speeding ability.^[1][2][3] Shortly after joining Rapid's senior squad, he was loaned to Divizia B club Tractorul Brașov in 2000 where in his only season spent at the club he scored eight goals in 27 Divizia B games.^[1][4] He then returned to Rapid where on 5 August 2001 he made his Divizia A debut in a 3–0 away victory against UM Timișoara, by the end of the season winning the first trophy of his career, the 2001–02 Cupa României where in the 2–1 victory against Dinamo from the final, coach Mircea Rednic used him as a starter until the 68th minute when he replaced him with Dennis Șerban.^[1][5][6] In the following season Rednic put Bratu to make a couple in the offence with Daniel Niculae, the team starting the season by winning the 2002 Supercupa României with Bratu opening the score in the 2–1 victory against Dinamo, finishing the season champions with Bratu being the team's top-goalscorer with 11 goals in 27 matches.^{[1][5][7][8][9]} In 2003, Bratu started the season at Rapid, winning another Supercupa României as Rednic used him until the 68th minute when he replaced him with Robert Niță who scored the goal in the 1–0 victory in front of Dinamo, also Bratu scored a goal against Anderlecht in the second leg of the 2003–04 Champions League second qualifying round, having a 2–0 advantage by halftime, however they did not qualify further as they eventually lost with 3–2.^{[1][5][10][11]}

In September 2003, Turkish club Galatasaray announced that they had reached an agreement with Rapid for the transfer of Bratu with the player agreeing to a four-year deal and Galatasaray paying Rapid $2,75 million.^[1][12][13] He eventually spent only one season alongside compatriots Gabriel Tamaș and Ovidiu Petre with the Cim Bom Bom side, being used regularly by coach Fatih Terim but when fellow Romanian Gheorghe Hagi came as head coach to the club he started to play more rarely, eventually being sold at the end of the season to French side Nantes for €2.5 million, signing a four-year contract.^{[1][14][15][16][17]} He spent only one season with The Canaries, claiming he had problems adapting to the fact that French football was relying too much on physical strength.^[1][18] In 2005 Nantes wanted to loan him to Romania, so Bratu went to train with his former club Rapid București for a few weeks but they did not want to keep him because they considered they had enough forwards in the squad, so he went to play for Dinamo București where in his first game coach Ioan Andone used him as a starter and he scored a goal in the 3–2 victory against rivals Steaua București which helped the team earn for the first time in its history the Supercupa României, also Andone used him in 8 games from the 2005–06 UEFA Cup campaign when the team eliminated Everton against whom he scored a double in a historical 5–2 on aggregate, reaching the group stage.^{[1][2][5][18][19][20][21][22]} In 2006 Bratu returned to Ligue 1 football, playing one season for Valenciennes on loan from Nantes, having a total of 35 appearances and three goals scored in the competition.^[1][18][23]

In the 2007–08 season he was signed by Dinamo București from Nantes for a €700.000 fee, reuniting with his former coach from Rapid, Mircea Rednic with the objective of reaching the Champions League group stage, scoring a goal in the second leg of the third qualifying round against Lazio Roma after a prolonged sprint, leaving his opponent Guglielmo Stendardo behind and executing Marco Ballotta with a dry shot, however they did not qualify, losing with 4–2 on aggregate.^{[1][23][24][25][26][27][28][29]} He formed a couple in Dinamo's offence with Ionel Dănciulescu, the Romanian press called them "BD in action", a nickname inspired from the first letters of their family name and the Romanian movie "BD in action" and by the end of the 2007–08 season the team had no chance of winning the title, but rivals Steaua were on the first position, having scheduled a match on Dinamo's ground which ended with The Red Dogs's 2–1 victory with Bratu scoring a goal and providing a assist to the one scored by Dănciulescu, a victory that helped CFR Cluj advance to the first position and becoming champions after the final round of the season, also after Bratu scored his goal from a penalty he celebrated it by taking the corner flag and "machine-gunning" Steaua's fans with it, thus earning the nickname "Mitraliera" (The Machine gun).^{[30][31][32][33][34][35][36]} In the following season, after 10 games Dinamo was on the first position with Bratu in a good shape, as he scored six goals but in the 32nd minute of a match against CFR Cluj due to the difficult terrain and after a duel with the strong Álvaro Pereira, Bratu suffered a sprained knee, with damage to the cruciate ligaments which kept him off the field for about one year, being unable to fully recover after that, also Dinamo eventually lost the title that season.^[37][38][39]

In the summer of 2010 Bratu joined Litex Lovech on loan from Dinamo where he stayed until December of the same year, winning a Bulgarian Supercup.^[40][41][42] In January 2011, he signed for Liga I team Gaz Metan Mediaș where he spent one year and a half, playing only 11 league games with one goal scored in August 2011 against Voința Sibiu.^[1][43][44] In the summer of 2012, Bratu signed a one-year contract with Gloria Bistrița, where he made his last Liga I appearance on 2 November 2012 in a 1–1 against Viitorul Constanța, having a total of 135 matches with 45 goals scored in the competition, also he has a total of 29 games in which he scored 7 goals in European competitions.^[1][45][46]

International career

Bratu played 14 games and scored two goals at international level for Romania, making his debut on 12 February 2003 when coach Anghel Iordănescu sent him on the field in order to replace Adrian Mutu in the 90+2 minute of a friendly against Slovakia which ended with a 2–1 victory.^[47][48] He scored his first goal in a friendly which ended with a 1–0 victory against Lithuania.^[47][49] Bratu played four games and scored one goal in a 4–0 victory against Luxembourg at the Euro 2004 qualifiers.^[47][50] He also played in one game at the 2006 World Cup qualifiers, one at the Euro 2008 qualifiers and two at the 2010 World Cup qualifiers.^[47]

International stats

Romania national team
Year	Apps	Goals
2003	9	2
2004	2	0
2005	0	0
2006	0	0
2007	1	0
2008	3	0
Total	15	2

International goals

Scores and results list Romania's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Bratu goal.^[47]

List of international goals scored by Florin Bratu

#	Date	Venue	Cap	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	30 April 2003	Darius and Girėnas Stadium, Kaunas, Lithuania	3	Lithuania	1–0	1–0	Friendly
2	6 September 2003	Stadionul Astra, Ploiești, Romania	5	Luxembourg	4–0	4–0	Euro 2004 qualifiers

After retirement

Since retiring from football in the middle of the 2012–13 season, Bratu has gone into punditry and worked for a while as a commentator for Digi Sport (Romania).

In March 2014, Bratu became the head of the scouting department at his former club Dinamo București.^[51]

Coaching career

In August 2014, Bratu started his coaching career as head coach of the second team at Dinamo II București.^[52] On 25 February 2018, he was appointed head coach of Dinamo București.^[53] He was sacked in September 2018.^[54]

On 9 August 2021, he was named the head coach of Romania U-21.^[55]

Managerial statistics

As of 16 December 2023^[56][57]

Team	From	To	Record
			G	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Win %
Dinamo II București	20 August 2014	14 June 2015	27	14	2	11	48	43	+5	051.85
CS Tunari	13 July 2015	6 July 2016	25	5	5	15	33	55	−22	020.00
Romania U18	12 July 2017	28 January 2018	5	0	3	2	4	7	−3	000.00
Dinamo București	25 February 2018	23 September 2018	24	14	2	8	41	28	+13	058.33
Aerostar Bacău	17 October 2018	6 May 2019	21	7	3	11	38	33	+5	033.33
Turris Turnu Măgurele	3 October 2019	22 October 2019	4	1	1	2	5	6	−1	025.00
Concordia Chiajna	8 January 2020	6 November 2020	14	5	3	6	23	22	+1	035.71
Romania U21	9 August 2021	15 August 2022	8	2	2	4	12	17	−5	025.00
Karmiotissa	25 March 2023	Present	26	7	6	13	27	44	−17	026.92
Total			154	55	27	72	231	255	−24	035.71

Honours

Rapid București

• Divizia A: 2002–03^[1][7]
• Cupa României: 2001–02^[1]
• Supercupa României: 2002, 2003^[1]

Dinamo București

• Supercupa României: 2005^[1]

Litex Lovech

• Bulgarian Supercup: 2010^[1]

References

1. Florin Bratu at RomanianSoccer.ro (in Romanian)
2. "Anunțul din ziar care i-a schimbat cariera lui Florin Bratu: "Eram dinamovist, dar ne antrenam cu o singură minge!"" [The newspaper ad that changed Florin Bratu's career:"I was a Dinamo fan, but we trained with only one ball!"] (in Romanian). Gsp.ro. 2 July 2021. Retrieved 16 September 2023.
3. "Florin Bratu, vitezist încă de mic. Modul inedit în care a ajuns la Rapid. "Ok, de astăzi rămâi la antrenament!" De ce a plecat de la Dinamo" [Florin Bratu, vitezist încă de mic. Modul inedit în care a ajuns la Rapid. "Ok, de astăzi rămâi la antrenament!" De ce a plecat de la Dinamo] (in Romanian). As.ro. 29 April 2021. Retrieved 16 September 2023.
4. "Meciul pe care Florin Bratu nu a vrut să-l rateze:"Un spectacol, iar peste doi ani era antrenorul meu!"" [The match that Florin Bratu did not want to miss: "A show, and in two years he was my coach!"] (in Romanian). Digisport.ro. 26 May 2021. Retrieved 16 September 2023.
5. "Dinamovist cu sufletul, rapidist cu CV-ul. 4 momente decisive în care Florin Bratu a subordonat-o pe Dinamo" [Dinamo fan with the soul, Rapid fan with the CV. 4 decisive moments in which Florin Bratu subordinated Dinamo] (in Romanian). Gsp.ro. 28 February 2018. Retrieved 16 September 2023.
6. "Romanian Cup – Season 2001–2002". RomanianSoccer. Retrieved 16 September 2023.
7. "Romania National Champions". RomanianSoccer. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
8. "Romanian Super Cup – Season 2002". RomanianSoccer. Retrieved 16 September 2023.
9. "Bratu vrea să câștige în Giulești:"NU e un meci special pentru mine"" [Bratu wants to win in Giulesti: "It's NOT a special match for me"] (in Romanian). Prosport.ro. 30 March 2011. Retrieved 16 September 2023.
10. "Romanian Super Cup – Season 2003". RomanianSoccer. Retrieved 16 September 2023.
11. "Florin Bratu, dezvăluiri după 16 ani! Ce s-a întâmplat la pauza meciului Anderlecht-Rapid" [Florin Bratu, revelations after 16 years! What happened at halftime of the Anderlecht-Rapid match] (in Romanian). Digisport.ro. 12 September 2009. Retrieved 16 September 2023.
12. "Gazeta Sporturilor vă prezintă sumele şi tranzacţiile reale în cele 12 transferuri instrumentate de DNA: "Căpu$ele de milioane"" [Gazeta Sportulor presents the real amounts and transactions in the 12 transfers instrumented by DNA: "Million heads"] (in Romanian). Gsp.ro. 5 January 2009. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
13. "Galatasaray swoop for Romanians" (in Romanian). Uefa.com. 1 September 2003. Retrieved 16 September 2023.
14. "Bratu:"La Nantes, vreau sa redevin jucatorul de la Rapid"" [Bratu:"At Nantes, I want to become the Rapid player again"] (in Romanian). Libertatea.ro. 21 July 2004. Retrieved 16 September 2023.
15. "Antrenorul căruia îi e recunoscător Florin Bratu: "A fost ca un tată pentru mine, iar Hagi m-a scos din echipă!"" [The coach to whom Florin Bratu is grateful: "He was like a father to me, and Hagi removed me from the team!"] (in Romanian). Gsp.ro. 2 January 2022. Retrieved 16 September 2023.
16. "Poveste genială cu Gabi Tamaș: "Bă, haideți cu mine în bazar să-mi iau un lanț de aur!"" [Brilliant story with Gabi Tamaș: "Well, come with me to the bazaar to buy a gold chain!"] (in Romanian). Gsp.ro. 18 July 2021. Retrieved 16 September 2023.
17. "Bratu completes Nantes switch" (in Romanian). Uefa.com. 22 July 2004. Retrieved 16 September 2023.
18. "Florin Bratu i-a șocat pe șefii lui Nantes: "Tu sigur ai făcut fotbal până acum?"" [Florin Bratu shocked the Nantes bosses: "Are you sure you have played football before?"] (in Romanian). Gsp.ro. 15 May 2019. Retrieved 16 September 2023.
19. "Bratu heads back to Bucharest" (in Romanian). Uefa.com. 24 June 2005. Retrieved 16 September 2023.
20. "Dinamo invinge Steaua si castiga Supercupa Romaniei" [Dinamo defeats Steaua and wins the Romanian Supercup] (in Romanian). Hotnews.ro. 2 August 2005. Retrieved 16 September 2023.
21. "Romanian Super Cup – Season 2005". RomanianSoccer. Retrieved 16 September 2023.
22. "VIDEO 15 ani de la istoricul Dinamo - Everton 5-1. 3 dintre oamenii-cheie au rememorat meciul pentru GSP: "Sincer să fiu, am fost cel mai bun!"" [VIDEO 15 years since the historic Dinamo - Everton 5-1. 3 of the key people recalled the match for GSP:" To be honest, I was the best! "] (in Romanian). Gsp.ro. 16 September 2020. Retrieved 16 September 2023.
23. "Florin Bratu "latra"" [Florin Bratu "barks"] (in Romanian). Evz.ro. 13 May 2007. Retrieved 15 September 2023.
24. "Bratu rejoins Dinamo from Nantes" (in Romanian). Uefa.com. 8 June 2007. Retrieved 16 September 2023.
25. "Dinamo bring back old boys" (in Romanian). Uefa.com. 9 June 2007. Retrieved 16 September 2023.
26. "Rapusi in 20 de minute" [Destroyed in 20 minutes] (in Romanian). Ziaruldeiasi.ro. 29 August 2007. Retrieved 16 September 2023.
27. "Dinamo: Visul frumos s-a terminat" [Dinamo: The beautiful dream is over] (in Romanian). Evz.ro. 29 August 2007. Retrieved 16 September 2023.
28. "Dezastru pentru echipa lui Rednic: Dinamo 1 - 3 Lazio" [Disaster for Rednic's team: Dinamo 1 - 3 Lazio] (in Romanian). Sport.ro. 6 December 2021. Retrieved 16 September 2023.
29. "Florin Bratu nu a uitat nici acum eșecul cu Lazio. "Nu a fost nimic necurat"" [Florin Bratu has not forgotten the failure with Lazio even now. "There was nothing unclean"] (in Romanian). Playsport.ro. 29 August 2007. Retrieved 16 September 2023.
30. "Talnar: "A intrat in actiune BD"" [Talnar: "BD came into action"] (in Romanian). Prosport.ro. 23 February 2008. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
31. "BD in actiune si Clujul aproape campioana! Se pregateste statuia spartanului necunoscut!" [BD in action and Cluj almost champion! The statue of the unknown Spartan is being prepared!] (in Romanian). Sport.ro. 5 May 2008. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
32. "BD în acţiune! Din nou. Bratu – Dănciulescu au trecut la munca de birou. Gazeta Sporturilor îţi prezintă locul de muncă al noilor şefi" [BD in action! Again. Bratu – Dănciulescu went to office work. Gazeta Sportulor presents you the job of the new bosses] (in Romanian). Gsp.ro. 18 March 2014. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
33. "Se împlinesc 12 ani de la un meci istoric. Florin Bratu se amuză pe seama partidei cu Steaua: "Am avut noroc! Dacă dădeam gol la cealaltă poartă, se descărca mitraliera până ajungeam în dreptul galeriei rivalilor"" [It's been 12 years since a historic match. Florin Bratu is amused by the match with Steaua: "I was lucky! If I scored a goal at the other goal, the machine gun would have been unloaded until I reached the opponents' gallery"] (in Romanian). Prosport.ro. 4 May 2020. Retrieved 16 September 2023.
34. "FCSB - DINAMO. VIDEO EXCLUSIV Omul care i-a luat un titlu rivalei FCSB vorbește despre momentul din Derby care i-a adus porecla: "Totul a fost premeditat"" [FCSB - DINAMO. EXCLUSIVE VIDEO The man who took a title from rivals FCSB talks about the Derby moment that earned him the nickname: "It was all planned"] (in Romanian). Gsp.ro. 3 October 2020. Retrieved 16 September 2023.
35. "Bratu 'Mitraliera' a explicat momentul din derbyul care i-a suflat titlul FCSB-ului! Cine poate decide acum CLASICUL Romaniei" [Bratu 'The Machine Gun' explained the moment in the derby that took away FCSB's title! Who can decide now the CLASSIC of Romania] (in Romanian). Sport.ro. 3 October 2020. Retrieved 16 September 2023.
36. "A copiat celebra "mitralieră" a lui Florin Bratu și i-a scos din minți pe fanii adversarei! I-a "împușcat" cu steagul de corner" [He copied the famous "machine gun" of Florin Bratu and drove the opponent's fans out of their minds! He "shot" them with the corner flag] (in Romanian). Digisport.ro. 3 October 2020. Retrieved 16 September 2023.
37. ""Nu mi-am mai revenit niciodată" Florin Bratu a vorbit despre cel mai greu moment din carieră, dar și despre marele său regret" ["I never recovered" Florin Bratu spoke about the hardest moment in his career, but also about his great regret] (in Romanian). Gsp.ro. 17 February 2022. Retrieved 16 September 2023.
38. "Intoarcerea fiului accidentat. 10 ani de suferinta pentru Bratu si Dinamo" [The return of the injured son. 10 years of suffering for Bratu and Dinamo] (in Romanian). Sport.ro. 26 February 2018. Retrieved 16 September 2023.
39. "Florin Bratu:"Mi-era dor de fotbal, nu am uitat acest joc"" [Florin Bratu:"I missed football, I haven't forgotten this game"] (in Romanian). Adevarul.ro. 6 December 2010. Retrieved 16 September 2023.
40. "UPDATE: Bratu la Litex" [UPDATE: Bratu at Litex] (in Romanian). Prosport.ro. 29 May 2010. Retrieved 16 September 2023.
41. "E OFICIAL! Dinamo a anuntat transferul temporar al lui Bratu la bulgari!" [IT'S OFFICIAL! Dinamo announced the temporary transfer of Bratu to the Bulgarians!] (in Romanian). Sport.ro. 29 May 2010. Retrieved 16 September 2023.
42. "Bratu vine ca să plece" [Bratu comes to leave] (in Romanian). Adevarul.ro. 6 December 2010. Retrieved 16 September 2023.
43. "Florin Bratu a semnat cu Gaz Metan Medias! A plecat însă Vîtcă la Lankaran" [Florin Bratu signed with Gaz Metan Medias! But Vitca went to Lankaran] (in Romanian). Gsp.ro. 13 January 2011. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
44. "Bratu e convins de calificare: "Dau gol și cu austriecii"" [Bratu is convinced of the qualification: "I will also score with the Austrians"] (in Romanian). Prosport.ro. 24 August 2011. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
45. "Florin Bratu a semnat cu Bistrița. "Am de luat o revanșă față de mine"" [Florin Bratu signed with Bistrița. "I have to take revenge on myself"] (in Romanian). Digisport.ro. 6 July 2012. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
46. "S-a retras "Mitraliera"! Bratu, despre SCANDALUL care a dus la îndepărtarea sa de la Dinamo:"M-a durut mult!". Momentele care i-au marcat cariera:" [The "Machine Gun" has retired! Bratu, about the SCANDAL that led to his removal from Dinamo: "It hurt me a lot!". The moments that marked his career:] (in Romanian). Prosport.ro. 7 February 2013. Retrieved 16 September 2023.
47. "Florin Bratu". European Football. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
48. "Romania – Slovakia 2:1". European Football. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
49. "Lithuania – Romania 0:1". European Football. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
50. "Romania – Luxembourg 4:0". European Football. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
51. "Florin Bratu s-a intors la Dinamo" (in Romanian). LPF.ro. 12 March 2014. Retrieved 13 March 2014.
52. (in Romanian). fcdinamo.ro. Archived from the original on 30 September 2015. Retrieved 7 August 2014.
53. "El e alesul! Dinamo și-a găsit antrenor: un mare dinamovist a semnat contractul în această seară" (in Romanian). gsp.ro. Retrieved 25 February 2018.
54. Apostol, Eduard; Gafiuc, Justin; Vrînceanu, Victor (23 September 2018). "GALERIE FOTO OFICIAL Niculescu a semnat cu Dinamo! Staff-ul noului antrenor, detaliile contractului, imagini de la RIN". Gazeta Sporturilor (in Romanian). Retrieved 1 October 2018.
55. Visu, Andreea (9 August 2021). "Florin Bratu îl înlocuiește pe Adrian Mutu pe banca României U21". ProSport (in Romanian). Retrieved 10 August 2021.
56. "Florin Bratu, prezentat oficial la Dinamo: "Disciplină, respect reciproc, atitudine!"" (in Romanian). Digi Sport. 29 April 2019. Retrieved 29 April 2018.
57. Florin Bratu at Soccerway

External links

• Florin Bratu at WorldFootball.net
• Florin Bratu at National-Football-Teams.com
• Florin Bratu at L'Équipe Football (in French)