Cosmin Aurelian OlÃÂroiu (born 10 June 1969) is a Romanian football manager and former player, who is currently the head coach of United Arab Emirates national team.
As a manager, he guided Steaua BucureÃÂti to the Divizia A title and Romanian Supercup both in 2006, and led his side to the semi-finals of the UEFA Cup in the same year.
He is considered one of the greatest managers in the Arabian Peninsula, having led the most decorated clubs of Saudi Arabia, Qatar and United Arab Emirates â Al Hilal, Al Sadd, Al Ain and Al Ahli â to new trophies. In 2020, he guided Jiangsu Suning to their first-ever title in China.
In May 2025, he led Sharjah FC to their first continental title, winning the AFC Champions League Two.
As a player, OlÃÂroiu's best-known clubs he played for are Universitatea Craiova and Naà £ional BucureÃÂti. However, he also played with success in K League for Suwon Samsung Bluewings where he helped the club to win two K League titles in 1998 and 1999. He also won the Korean League Cup and twice the Super Cup. He finished his playing career with JEF United Ichihara in 2000.
He started his coaching career during the 2000âÂÂ01 season at Naà £ional BucureÃÂti, leading them to a respectable 7th place in his first season. During the following season, he guided the club to a second-place finish in the league, finishing above clubs such as Steaua and Rapid BucureÃÂti.
In the summer 2002, OlÃÂroiu signed for Steaua BucureÃÂti. He resigned after only seven league games, blaming the decision on a lack of support from the board and players. The club president Viorel PÃÂunescu re-appointed Victor Pià £urcÃÂ, former manager before 2002 who wanted to return to head-coaching and was still highly regarded by the players.
After leaving Steaua BucureÃÂti, OlÃÂroiu returned to NaÃÂional BucureÃÂti, this time as a general manager. In 2003, he was named head coach again, replacing Walter Zenga.
In the winter of 2004, OlÃÂroiu joined FCU Poli Timià Âoara and brought with him the best players from NaÃÂional BucureÃÂti. He led them to a near historical fourth-place finish in Divizia A, but in November 2005 he was sacked by the club's owner Marian Iancu.
Just some days after, OlÃÂroiu was appointed manager by Gigi Becali, the new president, and this time owner, of Steaua BucureÃÂti, to replace Oleh Protasov. His first championship title as coach came in June 2006 and then one month later, he led the club to the conquest of the Supercupa României. In May 2006, OlÃÂroiu's side reached the semi-finals of the 2005âÂÂ06 UEFA Cup. He also helped Steaua to qualify for the UEFA Champions League group stages, where they played against Dynamo Kyiv, Real Madrid and Olympique Lyon. Steaua secured a third place and a spot in the UEFA Cup knockout rounds.
In June 2007, OlÃÂroiu signed for Al-Hilal. In 2008, he again proved his coaching worth, winning the Saudi Premier League and the Crown Prince Cup in his first season in charge. He led his side to a second Crown Prince Cup title before leaving the club in February 2009, while leading them to the first position in the league.
In April 2009, he signed a two-year contract with Al-Sadd. In December 2010, OlÃÂroiu announced his resignation as club boss immediately after leading his side to the Qatari Stars Cup.
On 5 May 2011, OlÃÂroiu was named supervisor for Steaua BucureÃÂti for the last three matches of Liga I in the 2010âÂÂ11 season and the 2011 Cupa României Final. Steaua's assistant coach, Gabriel Caramarin took charge of the team as caretaker manager, for the last remaining games.
In the summer of 2011, Cosmin OlÃÂroiu was hired as Al Ain manager on a two-year contract. He steered the club away from the relegation zone, before leading them to the UAE Pro-League title in the 2011âÂÂ12 season. On 18 September 2012, he also won the UAE Super Cup with Al Ain.
He then repeated the performance the following season, winning a consecutive title for Al Ain. In June 2013, OlÃÂroiu signed a contract extension with Al Ain reportedly worth â¬4 million a season after penning new two-year deal. However, the contract was terminated on 1 July 2013.
On 6 July 2013, it was announced that OlÃÂroiu signed a three-year contract with Dubai side Al Ahli. On 30 August, OlÃÂroiu won his first match in charge of Al Ahli against his former club Al Ain in the Super Cup final. In April 2014, Cosmin OlÃÂroiu mathematically won his third consecutive league title as Al Ahli won over arch rivals Al Wasl 2âÂÂ1. During his first season in charge, OlÃÂroiu won three domestic titles and was awarded as Coach of the Year by the UAE Pro League in 2014.
He guided the club to their first AFC Champions League final in 2015, where they lost 1âÂÂ0 on aggregate to China's Guangzhou Evergrande.
In the 2016âÂÂ17 season, OlÃÂroiu became one of the highest paid managers in world football, earning a sum of â¬6.5 million annually.
On 15 December 2014, it was announced that he will train the Saudi Arabia national football team for 2015 AFC Asian Cup as temporary coach. His first match in charge was a 4âÂÂ1 loss to Bahrain in a friendly match. OlÃÂroiu's side also lost two next matches, including a 1âÂÂ0 loss to China in 2015 AFC Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia's first match at the tournament. They won their next match 4âÂÂ1 against North Korea but lost 3âÂÂ1 their final match against Uzbekistan and were eliminated in the group stages. The results is a consequence of his not knowing his players well, having only been appointed in a hurriedly temporary agreement. At the end of the tournament, OlÃÂroiu returned to his club position.
On 28 March 2018, OlÃÂroiu was appointed at Jiangsu Suning in the Chinese Super League, replacing Fabio Capello. He took charge of his first match on 1 April in a home game against Tianjin Teda, which Jiangsu won 2âÂÂ1.
In his third season, Jiangsu Suning won the Super League title for the first time in the club's history. However, the club folded before the start of the 2021 season.
On 10 November 2021, OlÃÂroiu returned to the United Arab Emirates to help an out of form Sharjah stay competitive in the UAE Pro League. On 18 May 2025, OlÃÂroiu won the inaugural AFC Champions League Two with the club, the successor to the former AFC Cup. He became the fourth Romanian coach after CosticÃÂ ÃÂtefÃÂnescu, Valeriu TiÃÂa and Marin Ion, to win the competition.
On 18 April 2025, OlÃÂroiu was appointed as the new head coach of United Arab Emirates national team replacing Paulo Bento.
Suwon Samsung Bluewings
Steaua BucureÃÂti
Al Hilal
Al Sadd
Al Ain
Shabab Al Ahli
Jiangsu Suning
Sharjah