Serghei CleÃÂcenco (; born 20 May 1972) is a Moldovan football coach and a former player. He was most recently the head coach of the Moldova national team, for which he held the records for most goals and most appearances as a player.
He holds the record for the most goals scored in a single season by a foreigner in Israel. He is a former manager of Zimbru ChiÃÂinÃÂu, where he also spent large parts of his playing career.
Aged 17, CleÃÂcenco made his debut for Nistru ChiÃÂinÃÂu as substitute in the 72nd minute in a 1990 Soviet First League match against Kotayk Abovyan. He played for half of the season at Spartak Oryol, where he was invited by the Moldovan coach Valentin Goian. In the following season of the Soviet First League he played for Zimbru ChiÃÂinÃÂu.
From 1992 to 1996 CleÃÂcenco played in the Moldovan National Division, winning the championship four times. He made his debut in the National Division in a match against Speranà £a Nisporeni in which he scored. In 1994 he was chosen as the Moldovan Footballer of the Year, and also the best Moldovan forward in 1994, 1995, 1998 and 1999. In 1996 he joined the Dutch side Go Ahead Eagles, for which he played two seasons. He scored a brace in a 2âÂÂ2 draw against Feyenoord. CleÃÂcenco returned to Zimbru, which won the Moldovan double in the 1997âÂÂ98 season. He scored 25 goals in 20 matches, being the top goal scorer in the National Division.
After a successful period with Zimbru, CleÃÂcenco was taken on trial by English club Watford in early 1998. He impressed, but work permit issues, along with Zimbru ChiÃÂinÃÂu asking for too much money prevented the deal from going through.
In 1998 CleÃÂcenco joined Zenit St. Petersburg. He debuted on 1 July as a substitute in a 5âÂÂ0 win over FC Tyumen. During the half of the year he spent at the club, he played only 175 minutes in 7 matches. After returning to Zimbru he played 8 more matches.
In 1999, CleÃÂcenco joined Maccabi Haifa. It was one of the most successful starts ever for a foreigner in Israel as he bagged 22 goals in his first season topping the record set by Polish striker Andrzej Kubica for most goals scored by a foreigner in Israel in a single season. After another strong season in Haifa, he moved to Hapoel Tel Aviv, where he was part of the squad that reached the quarter-finals of the UEFA Cup. He scored one of the goals as they memorably knocked out Chelsea. He was nicknamed "Kalashnikov" by the Israeli fans after scoring four goals during 30 minutes in a 5âÂÂ2 win over Hapoel Petah Tikva.
In 2003 CleÃÂcenco transferred to Chernomorets Novorossiysk. After 6 matches for the Russian side, he returned to Israel, signing for Bnei Yehuda Tel Aviv, scoring one goal in 14 appearances. The following season he returned to Zimbru, scoring one goal in 18 matches. CleÃÂcenco spent the rest of his playing career in Russia, playing for Sibir Novosibirsk and Metallurg-Kuzbass Novokuznetsk.
Aged 19, CleÃÂcenco made his international debut as a substitution in Moldova's first official match, a 2âÂÂ4 loss against Georgia in 1991. He scored his first goals for the national team as a brace in a 2âÂÂ1 win over Azerbaijan in a friendly match. In a 2006 friendly against Lithuania he scored his 11th and last goal for the national team, remaining Moldova's top goalscorer until 2023. In the same year, he made his 69th and last appearance for Moldova against Bosnia and Herzegovina in UEFA Euro 2008 qualification, which was another record at the time.
CleÃÂcenco started his managerial career in 2008 at Moldova under-16 and under-17 teams. He led the Moldova under-19 team to 2011 UEFA European Under-19 Championship elite qualification. In 2012 he won the Moldovan Cup and Moldovan Super Cup with Milsami Orhei. From 2012 to 2014 he was executive assistant at Zimbru ChiÃÂinÃÂu. During this period the club won the Moldovan Cup and Moldovan Super Cup. In 2014 he was invited by Alexander Tolstikov to work at União Leiria. He worked as a sporting director and assistant coach. In 2017 he was Leonid Kuchuk's assistant at Rostov.
From 2018 to 2020 he headed the Moldova under-20 and under-21 teams. Between 2019 and 2021, CleÃÂcenco was an assistant coach to Engin Fñrat and Roberto Bordin at Moldova's national team. He became the head coach on 3 December 2021. He debuted in a match against Kazakhstan in 2020âÂÂ21 UEFA Nations League relegation play-outs. The Moldovans lost at penalties and were relegated to 2022âÂÂ23 UEFA Nations League D. Moldova placed second in its group, being tied to points with Latvia, but had a lower goal difference, failing to achieve promotion.
In UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying Moldova obtained a historic shock 3âÂÂ2 comeback win over Poland. Moldova acquired ten points in a group of five, and also were undefeated at home throughout the qualification. However, the Moldovans did not achieve qualification.
On 11 September 2025, following an 11âÂÂ1 loss to Norway two days earlier, CleÃÂcenco resigned from his position.
CleÃÂcenco's son, Nicky CleÃÂcenco, is also a footballer who has appeared for the Moldova national team.
Zimbru ChiÃÂinÃÂu
Maccabi Haifa
Hapoel Tel Aviv
Individual
Milsami