Claudiu Iulian Niculescu (born 23 June 1976) is a Romanian professional football coach and former striker, currently in charge of Liga I club Unirea Slobozia.
Niculescu was born on 23 June 1976 in Slatina, Romania. He began playing junior-level football in his hometown at CSàSlatina, alongside Ionel DÃÂnciulescu, IonuàLuÃÂu and Augustin ChiriÃÂÃÂ, being coached by Ion Pârvulescu. He started his senior career in 1994, playing for Jiul IELIF Craiova in Divizia B. Subsequently, he played for one season at Drobeta-Turnu Severin in Divizia C, returning for the following one and a half seasons to play in Divizia B for Electroputere Craiova.
Niculescu made his Divizia A debut on 1 March 1998, playing for Universitatea Craiova under coach José Ramón Alexanko in a 2âÂÂ1 victory against Petrolul PloieÃÂti in which he scored one goal. He spent three and a half years with The Blue Lions, scoring 41 goals in 93 league matches. Niculescu played in two Cupa României finals in 1998 and 2000 which were both lost to Rapid BucureÃÂti and Dinamo BucureÃÂti respectively. He also appeared in both legs of "U" Craiova's 2âÂÂ1 aggregate loss to Pobeda in the 2000âÂÂ01 UEFA Cup qualifying round.
In 2001 he went to play for Dinamo BucureÃÂti where in his first season he won the Divizia A title, being the second top-scorer of the league with 15 goals, as coaches Cornel Dinu and Marin Ion gave him 28 appearances. In 2002, shortly after defeating goalkeeper Iker Casillas with a spectacular 30-meter shot in a 5âÂÂ2 friendly loss to Real Madrid, Niculescu was transferred to Genoa in Serie B for a fee estimated by the Romanian press between â¬700,000 â 1 million. He spent only one year with The Griffin, being teammates with compatriots Adrian Mihalcea and Paul Codrea, making only 13 appearances in which he scored three goals as his stay there was affected by injuries. He returned to Dinamo who agreed to pay the Genovese team â¬800,000 to get him back.
In the first season, following his return to The Red Dogs, he helped them win The Double, contributing with 16 goals in 28 league matches under coach Ioan Andone and netted the second goal of the 2âÂÂ0 win over OÃÂelul GalaÃÂi in the Cupa României final. In the same season, he gave his contribution to the elimination of Shakhtar Donetsk by scoring a goal in each leg of the 5âÂÂ2 victory on aggregate in the UEFA Cup. On 21 November 2004, Niculescu was in the center of a controversy when during an away game against his former team, Universitatea Craiova, a fan entered the field and threw a "U" Craiova scarf in his face, after which he screamed:"You are a stinking traitor!". Shortly after, his teammate Adrian Mihalcea tackled the fan to the ground. In the 2004âÂÂ05 season he scored 21 goals, including all the goals in a 4âÂÂ0 victory against CFR Cluj, sharing the Divizia A top-scorer title with Gheorghe Bucur. He formed a successful partnership in Dinamo's offence with Ionel DÃÂnciulescu, and the Romanian press called them the "N&D couple", a nickname inspired by the first letters of their family names and the Romanian pop band "N&D". Niculescu started the following season by scoring the final goal of the 3âÂÂ2 victory against rivals Steaua BucureÃÂti which helped the club earn its first Supercupa României. Subsequently, he played in the 2005âÂÂ06 UEFA Cup where they eliminated Omonia against whom he scored a goal, then they got past Everton against whom he also netted a goal in a historical 5âÂÂ2 aggregate win. The club reached the group stage, where he scored a goal against goalkeeper Fabien Barthez from a 20-meter free kick in a 2âÂÂ1 away loss to Marseille, as the campaign ended.
In the 2006âÂÂ07 season under coach Mircea Rednic, Niculescu won another championship title with Dinamo and became the top-scorer of the league with 18 goals, four of which were scored in a 4âÂÂ1 win over rivals Rapid BucureÃÂti and two in a 4âÂÂ2 derby victory against Steaua. Niculescu scored eight goals in the 2006âÂÂ07 UEFA Cup, being the second-highest scorer in the competition, having three fewer goals than Espanyol's Walter Pandiani. Four of these goals came in the group stage against Beà Âiktaà Â, Club Brugge, and a double in a 2âÂÂ1 victory against Bayer Leverkusen that earned him a grade 10 in the Gazeta Sporturilor newspaper. His performance helped The Red Dogs reach the round of 32, where they were eliminated by Benfica. In the following season, Dinamo aimed to reach the Champions League group stage, with Niculescu playing in both legs of the third qualifying round against Lazio Roma, which was lost with 4âÂÂ2 on aggregate.
In January 2008, Niculescu was transferred from Dinamo to MSV Duisburg for â¬700,000, where he was wanted by coach Rudi Bommer, being teammates with fellow Romanians Mihai Tararache and Iulian Filipescu. He made his Bundesliga debut on 2 February, providing an assist for Tobias Willi in a 3âÂÂ3 draw against Borussia Dortmund. He played 15 league matches in which he scored four goals against VfL Wolfsburg, VfB Stuttgart, VfL Bochum and Eintracht Frankfurt. At the end of the season he was transferred to Omonia in Cyprus for â¬200,000.
In 2009 he returned for a third spell at Dinamo which lasted one and a half years. During this period he helped the club fulfill "The wonder from Liberec" by winning with 3âÂÂ0 the away game against Slovan Liberec, as the first leg was lost with the same score, qualifying after the penalty shoot-out to the group stage of the 2009âÂÂ10 Europa League. With 43 games and 18 goals scored for Dinamo in European matches, Niculescu is the player with the most appearances and top scorer in European competitions for the club.
In the summer of 2010 he joined Universitatea Cluj. The highlights of this period were a brace in a 4âÂÂ3 victory over his former team, Dinamo, then another goal against them in a 2âÂÂ1 win, and he also scored a goal directly from a corner kick in a 1âÂÂ1 draw against Astra PloieÃÂti. He made his last Liga I appearance on 12 March 2012, playing for "U" Cluj in a 1âÂÂ0 home loss to Steaua, totaling 326 matches with 156 goals in the competition. Niculescu was a striker skilled in free kicks, being nicknamed "Lunetistul" (The Sniper) by the Romanian press.
Niculescu played eight games for Romania, making his debut when coach László Bölöni sent him to replace Marius Niculae in the 81st minute of a 2âÂÂ1 friendly victory against FR Yugoslavia. He also played two games in the 2006 World Cup qualifiers and one during the Euro 2008 qualifiers. Niculescu's last appearance for the national team took place on 22 August 2007 in a 2âÂÂ0 home win in a friendly against Turkey.
Niculescu's first experience as a coach was in November 2010 for two matches at Universitatea Cluj, where he was at the same time an active player. His second experience as a coach started in March 2012 which was also at "U" Cluj and also being in the same time an active player. In 15 games under his command, the club won four games, draw in six and lost five. Niculescu resigned after the first game of the 2012âÂÂ13 season, a loss 6âÂÂ2 at Pandurii Târgu Jiu.
On 25 September 2012, Niculescu was installed as the head coach of Liga II team Bihor Oradea with an objective to help the team promote to the first division. In December, Niculescu ended his contract, after only eight games (two wins, three draws and three losses).
In January 2013, Niculescu took over Damila MÃÂciuca, in Liga II.
September 2018, Niculescu was appointed coach of Dinamo BucureÃÂti, following the dismissal of Florin Bratu. He signed a contract until 2020.
On 7 January 2021, Niculescu signed a contract with Liga II side Concordia Chiajna.
Niculescu's father, Marin, was a football coach in the Romanian lower leagues. His brothers Mihai and DragoÃÂ and his cousin Ovidiu were footballers in the Romanian lower leagues. In 1998 he married Lidia and they had two kids together, Alexandru and Rebecca. They divorced in 2006. In June 2007, he married Diana Munteanu who was a TV host, and their wedding was considered the wedding of the year by the Romanian press. Together they had a son named David Cristian. He and Diana divorced in 2014.
In 2025, Niculescu was named Honorary Citizen of Slatina.
Universitatea Craiova
Dinamo BucureÃÂti
Voluntari