Miodrag Belodedici

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

You have new messages (last change).
Miodrag Belodedici
Image:1124536548696890.jpg
Personal information
Full name Miodrag Belodedici
Date of birth May 20, 1964
Place of birth Socol, Romania
Nickname Belo
Position Libero
Youth clubs
1978-82 Minerul Moldova Nouă
Professional clubs*
Years Club Apps (goals)
1982-88
1989-92
1992-94
1994-95
1995-96
1996-98
1998-01		 Steaua Bucureşti
Red Star Belgrade
Valencia CF
Real Valladolid
Villarreal CF
CF Atlante
Steaua Bucureşti		 167 (15)
63 (3)
48 (0)
31 (0)
16 (0)
65 (3)
69 (6)
National team**
1984-00 Romania 55 (5)

* Professional club appearances and goals
counted for the domestic league only and
correct as of June 30, 2006.
** National team caps and goals correct
as of June 30, 2006.

Miodrag Belodedici (the usual Romanian spelling of Belodedić; b. May 20, 1964) is a former Romanian football (soccer) defender. He was nicknamed the Deer due to his elegant tackles.

Contents

[edit] Biography

Belodedici was born in a family of Serbian ethnicity in the village of Socol, near the border with Serbia.

[edit] Club career prior to 1988

He joined the youth squad of Minerul Moldova Nouă in 1978, where his first coach was Olimp Mateescu. Three years later, he was selected to play for Luceafărul Bucureşti, a team formed by the Romanian Football Federation for the purpose of gathering all talented young players in the country in one squad. From Luceafărul, Belodedici was signed by Steaua Bucharest, after being selected by the club's chairman Ion Alecsandrescu after a search for an adequate sweeper.

Between 1982 and 1988, Belodedici had a rewarding career with Steaua, winning the Romanian championship in 1985, 1986, 1987 and 1988, the Romanian Cup in 1985, 1987 and 1988, as well as the European Cup in 1986, the European Supercup in 1987, and played the European Cup semifinal in 1988 (see European Cup and Champions League finals). During this period, Belodedici made his debut for the Romanian national team in 1984, playing in 18 other games and scoring four goals. During the time, Belodedici became frustrated in his ambitions to play for Red Star Belgrade, the team he supported in childhood, as the communist regime did not allow players to transfer abroad.

[edit] In Yugoslavia

In 1988, when the Nicolae Ceauşescu regime was still in power, he defected from his home country to the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.

He later gave an account of his escape to Belgrade: once he had seen himself in the city, Belodedici contacted the president of Red Star, but could not get trough due to widespread commotion in the team over the team's defeat in the derby with Partizan Belgrade. A Serbian friend attempted to have Belodedici agree to sign for Partizan instead, but Belodedici insisted that he would only play for Red Star. The president interrupted their conversation, and, when he realized that he was in fact the 1986 European Cup winner, he immediately signed him on the team as they where in need of a sweeper.

However, during his first year he had to play without a legal contract, and only in friendy matches, as the Romanian authorities forged his professional player contract, and UEFA suspended him for one year on the basis of data furnished. The Ceauşescu regime found him guilty of treason and sentenced him to ten years of prison in absentia. After the Romanian Revolution of 1989, all charges were dropped, and Belodedici returned to Bucharest.

[edit] Club career after 1989

In 1989, Belodedici was given the green light to play for Red Star Belgrade, and soon after became a permanent fixture on the squad. In 1991, he won the European Cup for the second time, scoring a goal in the final against Olympique de Marseille, during the penalties shoot-out. As a result, important European football showed a keen interest to sign him. He was a sought after by Sampdoria Genova, but signed with Valencia CF instead. During the period, Belodedici was called to play for the Romania national football team for the first time in four years.

After only two years at Valencia CF, Belodedici signed with Real Valladolid, and then with Villarreal CF in the 1995, leaving Spain to Mexico in 1996 to play for CF Atlante. In 1998, he returned to Steaua, and won another Romanian championship in 2001 and the Romanian Cup in 1999.

Currently, Belodedici works for the Romanian Football Federation, where he coordinates Romania's national youth teams.

[edit] Honours


Romania Romania squad - 1994 World Cup Quarter-finalists Romania

1 Prunea | 2 Petrescu | 3 Prodan | 4 Belodedici | 5 Lupescu | 6 Popescu | 7 Munteanu | 8 Chiriţă | 9 Răducioiu | 10 Hagi | 11 Dumitrescu | 12 Stelea | 13 Selymes | 14 Mihali | 15 Panduru | 16 Vlădoiu | 17 Moldovan | 18 Gâlcă | 19 Papură | 20 Stîngă | 21 Ivan | 22 Preda | Coach: Iordănescu
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org../../../m/i/o/Miodrag_Belodedici_45e6.html"