Mirel Matei RÃÂdoi (born 22 March 1981) is a Romanian professional football manager and former player, currently in charge of Liga I club FCSB.
A defensive midfielder or a centre-back, RÃÂdoi began his playing career at Extensiv Craiova in 1999, before signing for Steaua BucureÃÂti one year later. Following eight-and-a-half seasons in the capital, he spent his later career with Al-Hilal, Al-Ain, Al-Ahli and Al-Arabi. Internationally, RÃÂdoi was capped 68 times by Romania, which he represented at the UEFA Euro 2008.
RÃÂdoi's first stint as a head coach was Steaua BucureÃÂti in 2015, where he stayed for six months. Three years later, he was appointed at the helm of the Romania under-21 national team, which he led to the semi-finals of the 2019 UEFA European Championship. This resulted in his promotion to the senior team in November 2019, but left after two years with less success.
RÃÂdoi started to play football at the age of eight, first as a goalkeeper and then as a defender. He started his youth career at Turnu Severin and there he was spotted by Sorin CârÃÂu, the coach of Extensiv Craiova, who was so impressed by him that he purchased RÃÂdoi in 1999, financing the transfer with his own money. RÃÂdoi made his professional debut in Divizia A in a defeat against Dinamo BucureÃÂti on 4 March 2000.
Just one year later, in the summer of 2000, RÃÂdoi joined Steaua BucureÃÂti for a fee of â¬110,000. Describing his first day at Steaua, he said, "It was like a positive shock for me. Suddenly I was in the same place with players like Iulian Miu, Marius Baciu and Miodrag Belodedici, players I saw on TV. It was like a dream."
His coach at Steaua was Victor PiÃÂurcÃÂ, the former Romania national team coach, who promoted him to the Steaua first team. He then became one of Steaua's most important players. In his first match for the club, a 4âÂÂ3 victory over FCM BacÃÂu at the Ghencea football stadium, RÃÂdoi scored the equalizer in the ninth minute after CÃÂtÃÂlin Cursaru had opened the scoring for BacÃÂu less than a minute before.
Steaua went on to win the Romanian league championship that year, as well as the Supercupa României against rivals Dinamo.
In 2005, RÃÂdoi won his second league title with the club, followed by a third in 2006. On 24 February 2005, he helped Steaua defeat defending champions Valencia in the UEFA Cup. In 2006, RÃÂdoi captained the team in the UEFA Cup semi-finals against Middlesbrough, which Steaua lost 4âÂÂ3 on aggregate.
In the summer of 2006, a rumour circulated that RÃÂdoi would sign for Premier League club Portsmouth as soon as the transfer window opened in England, with the transfer fee estimated at ã11 million. The transfer did not materialize, however, and many speculated that the ã11 million offer was no more than a ploy to jack up the player's potential transfer value before a move elsewhere. In the end, Steaua's owner Gigi Becali stated that he would not be selling RÃÂdoi after all.
RÃÂdoi was linked with a move to Inter Milan in October 2008, after manager José Mourinho expressed interest in signing him. Mourinho travelled to Bucharest to meet the player and discuss the potential transfer. However, negotiations collapsed after Steaua owner Gigi Becali demanded a transfer fee of approximately â¬12âÂÂ12.5 million, significantly higher than Inter's reported offer of around â¬7 million.
In January 2009, RÃÂdoi signed a three-year contract with Saudi Arabian club Al-Hilal which earned him â¬1.4 million annually. The transfer fee Steaua BucureÃÂti received was in the region of â¬6 million. RÃÂdoi made his debut for Al-Hilal in the local derby against Al-Nassr, which Al-Hilal won 2âÂÂ0 with RÃÂdoi scoring the second goal.
In his sixth match with the club, he won the Prince's Cup, defeating Al-Shabab in the final. Nicknamed "The Warrior" by Al-Hilal fans, he was voted Saudi Professional League Player of the Year in 2010. RÃÂdoi spent three years at the club, serving as captain and helping the team win two consecutive league titles.
In June 2011, RÃÂdoi signed with UAE Pro League club Al-Ain for a reported fee of â¬4.2 million. He agreed to a two-year contract worth â¬2.5 million per year. In April 2013, he extended his contract by one year, keeping him at the club until the summer of 2014. During his three seasons at Al-Ain, he won several domestic honours, including two consecutive league titles, as well as the UAE President's Cup in 2013âÂÂ14 and the UAE Super Cup in 2012.
In July 2014, RÃÂdoi signed a two-year contract with Al-Ahli Dubai of the UAE Arabian Gulf League, reuniting with manager Cosmin OlÃÂroiu. He made seven league appearances during the 2014âÂÂ15 season.
In early 2015, he joined Al-Arabi in the Qatar Stars League. He made six league appearances before announcing his retirement from professional football later that year.
RÃÂdoi made his senior debut in a friendly match against Algeria on 5 December 2000. He has been capped 68 times for Romania, scoring two goals. In 2005, Romanian team manager Victor PiÃÂurcÃÂ suspended him for leaving training camp without permission before matches against the Netherlands and Armenia. Coach PiÃÂurcÃÂ recalled him in February 2006 for a friendly tournament in Cyprus after RÃÂdoi apologised for his behaviour.
Although he was included in Romania's squad for UEFA Euro 2008, he suffered an eye injury and broken nose during the second group game against Italy after clashing heads with team-mate RÃÂzvan RaÃÂ, who emerged unscathed. RÃÂdoi played no further part in the tournament. After a confrontation with RÃÂzvan Lucescu in 2010, RÃÂdoi declared that he would retire from the national team.
He began his managerial career in 2015 with former club Steaua BucureÃÂti, where he served as head coach for six months.
In 2018, he was appointed as the head coach of the Romania U21 national team. Under his guidance, the team achieved significant success, notably reaching the semi-finals of the 2019 UEFA European Under-21 Championship, making Romania's best performance in the tournament's history.
RÃÂdoi became the head coach of the Romania national team after the resignation of Cosmin Contra in November 2019.
On 22 January 2023, RÃÂdoi was appointed as manager of Saudi Pro League club Al-Tai. He was sacked by the club on 18 May 2023. He coached Emirati club Al Jazira for three months in 2024.
RÃÂdoi was re-appointed as head coach of Universitatea Craiova on 28 January 2025, marking his second tenure at the club. His return came after a brief managerial hiatus and he took over the club during the latter half of the 2024âÂÂ25 season. His first match back resulted in a 4âÂÂ1 home victory against Politehnica IaÃÂi in Liga I.
In European competition, Craiova entered the 2025âÂÂ26 UEFA Conference League qualifying rounds, defeating FK Sarajevo 4âÂÂ0 in the second qualifying round, Spartak Trnava 3âÂÂ0 in the third qualifying round, and ðstanbul Baà Âakà Âehir 2âÂÂ1 away and 3âÂÂ1 at home in the play-off round, advancing to the league phase with a 5âÂÂ2 aggregate score.
On 10 November 2025, RÃÂdoi left his position as head coach of Universitatea Craiova by mutual agreement with club owner Mihai Rotaru, following a 1âÂÂ2 home defeat to UTA Arad in the league. During his time in charge, the club experienced a period of mixed results in domestic competition.
On 10 March 2026, RÃÂdoi returned to lead FCSB until the end of the 2025âÂÂ26 Liga I season.
Steaua BucureÃÂti
Al-Hilal
Al-Ain
Individual