| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Aurelian Cosmin Olăroiu | ||
| Date of birth | 10 June 1969 | ||
| Place of birth | Bucharest, Romania | ||
| Height | 1.87 m (6 ft 1 1⁄2 in) | ||
| Playing position | Manager (former Center back) | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Al Ain | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1989–1990 | Gloria Buzău | ||
| 1990–1991 | MECON Bucureşti | ||
| 1991–1992 | Girueta Bucureşti | ||
| 1992–1995 | Naţional Bucureşti | 80 | (8) |
| 1995–1997 | Universitatea Craiova | 37 | (2) |
| 1997–2000 | Suwon Samsung | 56 | (4) |
| 2000 | JEF United | 10 | (0) |
| Total | 183 | (14) | |
| Teams managed | |||
| 2000–2002 | Naţional Bucureşti | ||
| 2002 | Steaua Bucureşti | ||
| 2002–2005 | Naţional Bucureşti | ||
| 2005 | Politehnica Timişoara | ||
| 2006–2007 | Steaua Bucureşti | ||
| 2007–2009 | Al-Hilal | ||
| 2009–2011 | Al Sadd | ||
| 2011– | Al Ain | ||
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals). |
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Aurelian Cosmin Olăroiu (born 10 June 1969 in Bucharest) is a former Romanian football player and football manager.
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As a player, Olăroiu's best-known clubs he played for are Universitatea Craiova and Naţional Bucureşti. However, he also played with success in K-League for Suwon Samsung Bluewings and helped the team to win two league titles (1998, 1999). He also won the Korean League Cup and twice the Korean Supercup.
At the age of only 37, Olăroiu managed some impressive results in his very short coaching career, winning the Romanian football championship and the Supercupa României with Steaua Bucureşti, both in 2006, and qualifying the team in the semifinals of the UEFA Cup in the same year.
He started his coaching career in 2000 at Naţional Bucureşti, finishing a respectable 7th in his first season. During the following season, Naţional Bucureşti became a challenger to the Romanian football championship title. However they lost the leader position in the last game of the season, against Universitatea Craiova.
In 2002, Olăroiu signs for Steaua Bucureşti but resists only seven games, championship start in. At the time of his resignation there were voices that said that Olăroiu managed results with Naţional Bucureşti because there was no pressure—Naţional Bucureşti being renowned as a team with only few, but devoted supporters—while at Steaua Bucureşti pressure is everywhere. It has been also told that Olăroiu was sacked by the club president Viorel Păunescu as advised by Victor Piţurcă, head coach before 2002 and general manager at that time, who wanted to return to head-coaching.
After leaving Steaua Bucureşti, Olăroiu returns to Naţional Bucureşti, this time as a general manager. In 2003 he is named head coach again, replacing Walter Zenga.
In the winter of 2004 a very controversial Romanian businessman, Marian Iancu buys Politehnica Timişoara, and, at his request, Olăroiu is signed head coach. Olăroiu did not go emptyhanded at Politehnica Timişoara but together with the best players from Naţional Bucureşti. He managed some interesting results, finishing fourth in Divizia A, but in November 2005 he was sacked by the same Marian Iancu.
Just days after being sacked from Politehnica Timişoara, where he left the team fourth in the league, Olăroiu is signed by Gigi Becali, the new president, and this time owner, of Steaua Bucureşti, to replace Oleh Protasov.
Olăroiu's first championship title as coach came in June 2006 and then one month later his team also won the Supercupa României. In May 2006, Steaua Bucureşti coached by Olăroiu reached the semifinals of the UEFA Cup. A season later Olăroiu qualified in the UEFA Champions League groups where they played against Dinamo Kiev (crushing them 4–1), Real Madrid and Olympique Lyon. There, Olăroiu obtained the third place, securing a UEFA Cup place.
In 2007, Olăroiu signed for Al-Hilal, supposedly drawn by the more attractive financial aspects that are typical of Saudi football. In 2008, he again proved his coaching worth, reaching the U-23 cup final, winning the Crown Prince Cup and the league title with Al-Hilal. He also won his second Crown Prince Cup before leaving the team in February 2009, while leading them to the first position in the Saudi League.
On April 2009, he signed a two-year contract with Al-Sadd of Qatar.[1] On 24 December 2010, Olăroiu resigned his contract with Al Sadd.[2]
On 5 May 2011, Olăroiu was named supervisor for Steaua Bucureşti for the last three matches of Liga I in the 2010–11 season and 2011 Cupa României Final. Steaua's assistant coach, Gabriel Caramarin took charge of the team as caretaker manager, for the last remaining games.
| Club performance | League | Cup | League Cup | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Club | League | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| Japan | League | Emperor's Cup | J. League Cup | Total | ||||||
| 2000 | JEF United Ichihara | J. League 1 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 0 |
| Country | Japan | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 0 | |
| Total | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 0 | ||
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