Personal information | |||
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Full name | Marius Silviu Alexe | ||
Date of birth | 22 February 1990 | ||
Place of birth | Bucharest, Romania | ||
Height | 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in) | ||
Playing position | Left Winger Striker |
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Club information | |||
Current club | Dinamo Bucureşti | ||
Number | 10 | ||
Youth career | |||
2000–2005 | Dinamo Bucureşti | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
2009– | Dinamo Bucureşti | 61 | (11) |
2008–2009 | → Astra Ploieşti (loan) | 26 | (8) |
National team‡ | |||
2009– | Romania U-21 | 11 | (0) |
2011– | Romania | 4 | (0) |
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 5 December 2011. † Appearances (Goals). |
Marius Silviu Alexe (born 22 February 1990) is a Romanian football striker who currently plays for Dinamo Bucureşti.
Chelsea is believed to want him after a great 2009-2010 season. Dinamo asks €5 million for the player.[1]
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Alexe started his football career when he was 10 years old at Dinamo Bucureşti. From the very beginning, the talented boy attracted the attention of his coach, who was impressed with his attacking attributes and used him as a forward and later as a left winger.
Alexe, nicknamed "Tweety" at a young age due to his fondness for wearing a Looney Toons Cartoon shirt, adjusted very well to his role and was a vital member of all of Dinamo's youth teams.
His great potential didn't go unnoticed by Europe's top clubs, and in 2006, when he was 16 years old, Glasgow Rangers made an offer for him (according to rumours they bid €250K for the gifted striker), with fellow Scottish outfits Hearts and Aberdeen also expressing interest in acquiring his services. But Alexe opted to stay at his home club and gain experience in his homeland before thinking about a move abroad.
He was loaned to the Romanian side Astra Ploieşti and helped the team get promoted to Romania's Liga I with six goals in 23 games. His debut in Romania's Liga I came on 2 August 2009 with Astra, but his loan spell was cut short when Dinamo called him back after only three games for his adopted side due to his great performance against rivals Rapid, against who he bagged a brace.
He returned to his home club and scored another five goals in 29 games, gaining experience and becoming a crucial component of the first-team squad. Alexe also played for Romania Under 21s alongside his teammate Gabriel Torje, another talented and promising young player, and together they led the team in some great performances, although they ultimately ended up losing to England in the Euro 2011 qualifiers.
But many believe that due to Romania's poor showing so far in the Euro 2012 qualification campaign, it is likely that Alexe will be called up for the senior side's upcoming games in order to help them revive their bid to qualify for the tournament.
Alexe is able to play both as a striker and as a left winger, but he seems to be most effective on the flank (although he once said that he would play even as a goalkeeper as long he is on the pitch). Alexe seems to have everything required in order to become a lethal winger.
His greatest assets are without a doubt his speed and technique. Alexe has great acceleration and very impressive pace, enabling him to dominate the left flank and leave opponents trailing in his wake. He possesses great dribbling skills, control and passing ability, which, along with his agility, make him a very tough player to mark.
He is very dangerous with the ball at his feet and even more dangerous when he has space, with his amazing maximum speed making him almost unstoppable.
Alexe is naturally right footed, but it is barely noticeable because he controls the ball so well with either foot. He is very elegant in his playing style, and just like Thierry Henry, he likes to wait on the left flank for the ball, before cutting into the middle and looking for the target.
Not only is Alexe able to produce scoring opportunities to his teammates, his great finishing allows him to score goals from almost any range, and that, together with his great heading ability, makes him an excellent option as a striker.
Alexe played his first match for Romania national football team in a game against Luxembourg on 29 March 2011. He came on in the 84th minute for Adrian Mutu.
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