Doru Nicolae (born 22 March 1952) is a Romanian former professional footballer who played as a forward. He was one of few Romanian footballers who was transferred in a foreign country during the communist regime. Nicolae played seven games at international level for Romania.
Nicolae, nicknamed Colombo, was born on 22 March 1952 in Bucharest, Romania and began playing junior-level football at Abatorul BucureÃÂti under the guidance of coach Jean BârlÃÂgeanu. In 1971 he joined Petrolul PloieÃÂti where on 19 December, coach Ilie Oanàgave him his Divizia A debut in a 2âÂÂ0 home loss to UTA Arad. Two years later, Nicolae arrived at Steaua BucureÃÂti, but after playing only one league game, he went to Divizia C side, ÃÂoimii TAROM BucureÃÂti. In 1974 he joined Gloria BistriÃÂa which he helped earn promotion to Divizia B. Nicolae went for the second half of the 1975âÂÂ76 season to Dinamo BucureÃÂti, but did not play very much as he was competing in the offence with Dudu Georgescu, Florea Dumitrache and Mircea Lucescu.
In 1976 Nicolae signed with ArgeàPiteÃÂti where in the 1978âÂÂ79 UEFA Cup edition he helped them eliminate Panathinaikos in the first round, scoring a goal in the 5âÂÂ1 aggregate victory. In the following round they met Valencia led by Mario Kempes, earning a 2âÂÂ1 win in the first leg, but they lost the second one with 5âÂÂ2, thus the campaign ended. In the same season he formed a successful offensive trio with Nicolae Dobrin and Marin Radu, scoring four goals in the 33 appearances given to him by coach Florin Halagian. One of these goals was netted in the final game of the season against Dinamo BucureÃÂti which ended with a 4âÂÂ3 victory that helped Argeàwin the title. In the following season he scored two goals in the 3âÂÂ2 aggregate victory against AEK Athens in the first round of the 1979âÂÂ80 European Cup, the team being eliminated in the following one by title holders and eventual winners, Nottingham Forest. In the same season he also netted a personal record of 11 goals in first league football.
In 1980, the communist regime permitted Nicolae to transfer to Panathinaikos in Greece, a club that had expressed interest in him after observing his performance in European competitions. He spent two seasons with The Greens, scoring nine goals in 57 Alpha Ethniki appearances. During this time, he earned a runner-up position in the 1981âÂÂ82 edition and won the 1981âÂÂ82 Greek Cup, where coach ÃÂtefan Kovács played him for the entire match in the 1âÂÂ0 victory over AEL in the final. He also played in a 4âÂÂ2 home victory over Juventus in the first round of the 1980âÂÂ81 UEFA Cup, but they did not manage to qualify further as the first leg was lost with 4âÂÂ0.
After the spell in Greece, Nicolae returned to Romania at Gloria BistriÃÂa in Divizia B. After half a year, he moved back to Divizia A football at Bihor Oradea, but a year later, Nicolae rejoined Gloria, where he unsuccessfully pursued promotion to the first league for several seasons. In 1987 Nicolae had a short spell at Universitatea Craiova where on 10 May he made his last Divizia A appearance in a 1âÂÂ0 home win over Universitatea Cluj, totaling 156 matches with 26 goals in the competition. He ended his career in 1988 after another spell at Gloria in the second league.
Nicolae played seven matches for Romania, making his debut under coach ÃÂtefan Kovács on 14 May 1978 in a 1âÂÂ0 friendly loss to the Soviet Union. He played in a win over Yugoslavia and a draw against Cyprus in the Euro 1980 qualifiers. Nicolae made his last appearance for the national team on 6 June 1980 in a friendly against Belgium that ended with a 2âÂÂ1 loss.
Gloria BistriÃÂa
ArgeÃÂ PiteÃÂti
Panathinaikos