Andrei Florin Rațiu (Romanian pronunciation: [anˈdrej floˈrin ˈrat͡sju]; born 20 June 1998) is a Romanian professional footballer who plays as a right-back for La Liga club Rayo Vallecano and the Romania national team.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Andrei Florin Rațiu | ||
| Date of birth | 20 June 1998 | ||
| Place of birth | Aiud, Romania | ||
| Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Right-back | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Rayo Vallecano | ||
| Number | 2 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Águaviva | |||
| –2010 | Andorra | ||
| 2010–2016 | Villarreal | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2016–2018 | Villarreal C | 65 | (4) |
| 2017–2021 | Villarreal B | 58 | (1) |
| 2019–2021 | Villarreal | 0 | (0) |
| 2020–2021 | → ADO Den Haag (loan) | 10 | (0) |
| 2021–2023 | Huesca | 72 | (3) |
| 2023– | Rayo Vallecano | 12 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2019–2020 | Romania U21 | 3 | (0) |
| 2021 | Romania Olympic | 6 | (0) |
| 2021– | Romania | 20 | (1) |
|
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 26 May 2024 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 26 June 2024 | |||
Club career
editEarly career and Villarreal
editBorn in Aiud, Alba County, Rațiu moved to Aragon, Spain at the age of six[1] and joined Villarreal's youth setup from Andorra CF.[2] He made his senior debut with the C-team on 20 August 2016, coming on as a second-half substitute in a 2–2 Tercera División away draw against Alzira.[3] Rațiu scored his first senior goal on 14 September 2016, netting the opener in a 2–1 away defeat of Elche Ilicitano.[4]
After being regularly used with the C-side, Rațiu made his debut for the reserves on 17 December 2017, replacing Darío Poveda late into a 3–2 home win against Peña Deportiva in the Segunda División B championship.[5] He was definitely promoted to the B-team in August 2018,[6] being regularly used afterwards. He made his first team debut the following 18 April, starting in a 2–0 derby loss at Valencia for the season's UEFA Europa League.[7]
On 4 August 2020, Rațiu was loaned to Dutch Eredivisie side ADO Den Haag for the campaign.[8] He returned to his parent club the following 29 January, after 12 appearances.[9]
Huesca
editOn 4 August 2021, Rațiu signed a three-year contract with Huesca, recently relegated to Segunda División.[10] He scored his first professional goal on 21 May 2022, netting his team's second in a 3–2 home win over Real Sociedad B.
Rayo Vallecano
editOn 26 August 2023, Rațiu agreed to a five-year deal with La Liga side Rayo Vallecano.[11] He made his debut on 1 November, in a 6–0 Copa del Rey thrashing of Atlético Lugones in which he also scored.[12] Four days later, he played the full 90 minutes in a goalless league away draw at Real Madrid.[13]
International career
editOn 2 September 2021, Rațiu debuted for the Romanian senior squad on 2 September 2021 in a 2–0 victory over Iceland in the 2022 World Cup qualifiers, starting the match before coming off as a substitute after 68 minutes.[14] On 26 September 2022, Rațiu scored his first goal in a 4–1 defeat of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which had already won its UEFA Nations League group at that point.[15]
In 2023, Rațiu earned five appearances in the UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying, including a start in the final 1–0 victory over Switzerland, as Romania won Group I undefeated.[16] His blue hair at the tournament earned him the nickname "Sonic".[17][18]
Career statistics
editClub
edit- As of match played 26 May 2024[19]
| Club | Season | League | National cup | Continental | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Villarreal B | 2017–18 | Segunda División B | 1 | 0 | — | — | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2018–19 | Segunda División B | 30 | 1 | — | — | 30 | 1 | |||
| 2019–20 | Segunda División B | 21 | 0 | — | — | 21 | 0 | |||
| 2020–21 | Segunda División B | 8 | 0 | — | — | 8 | 0 | |||
| Total | 60 | 1 | — | — | 60 | 1 | ||||
| Villarreal | 2018–19 | La Liga | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1[a] | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| ADO Den Haag (loan) | 2020–21 | Eredivisie | 10 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 12 | 0 | |
| Huesca | 2021–22 | Segunda División | 34 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 34 | 1 | |
| 2022–23 | Segunda División | 38 | 2 | 1 | 0 | — | 39 | 2 | ||
| Total | 72 | 3 | 1 | 0 | — | 73 | 3 | |||
| Rayo Vallecano | 2023–24 | La Liga | 12 | 0 | 4 | 1 | — | 16 | 1 | |
| Career total | 154 | 4 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 162 | 5 | ||
- ^ Appearance in UEFA Europa League
International
edit- As of match played 26 June 2024[20]
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Romania | 2021 | 5 | 0 |
| 2022 | 5 | 1 | |
| 2023 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2024 | 5 | 0 | |
| Total | 20 | 1 | |
- Scores and results list Romania's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Rațiu goal.[20]
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 26 September 2022 | Stadionul Rapid-Giulești, Bucharest, Romania |  Bosnia and Herzegovina |
3–1 | 4–1 | 2022–23 UEFA Nations League B |
References
edit- ^ "Conoce a Andrei con Cantera Grogueta" [Know Andrei with Cantera Grogueta] (in Spanish). Villarreal CF. 16 January 2019. Retrieved 6 February 2020.
- ^ "Cine este Andrei Raţiu, românul titular în premieră în sferturile Europa League? Este dorit de Real Madrid" [Who is Andrei Raţiu, Romanian starting in the quarterfinals of the Europa League? He is a Real Madrid target] (in Romanian). Telekom Sport. 18 May 2019. Retrieved 6 February 2020.
- ^ "Jornada 1. – UD Alzira, 2; Villarreal CF C, 2" [Matchday 1. – UD Alzira, 2; Villarreal CF C, 2.] (in Spanish). Golsmedia. 21 August 2016. Retrieved 6 February 2020.
- ^ "El Villarreal C continúa intratable y supera al filial ilicitano" [Villarreal C remain unstoppable and overcome the ilicitano reserves] (in Spanish). Golsmedia. 14 September 2016. Retrieved 6 February 2020.
- ^ "El Villarreal B doblega a la Peña Deportiva por 3–2" [Villarreal B bend down Peña Deportiva by 3–2] (in Spanish). El Confidencial. 18 December 2017. Retrieved 6 February 2020.
- ^ "El Villarreal B mantiene su apuesta por jugadores de la casa" [Villarreal B keep their bet on home-grown players] (in Spanish). Golsmedia. 24 August 2018. Retrieved 6 February 2020.
- ^ "Valencia quality too much for Villarreal in downpour at Mestalla". Marca. 18 April 2019. Retrieved 6 February 2020.
- ^ "Andrei moves on loan to ADO Den Haag". Villarreal CF. 4 August 2020. Retrieved 3 February 2021.
- ^ "Andrei returns home". Villarreal CF. 29 January 2021. Retrieved 3 February 2021.
- ^ "Andrei Ratiu, potencia y talento joven para el lateral azulgrana" [Andrei Ratiu, power and young talent for the blue-and-red full-back] (in Spanish). SD Huesca. 4 August 2021. Retrieved 4 August 2021.
- ^ "Ratiu, nuevo jugador del Rayo Vallecano" [Ratiu, new player of Rayo Vallecano] (in Spanish). Rayo Vallecano. 26 August 2023. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
- ^ "Atlético Lugones vs Rayo Vallecano - Copa del Rey" (in Spanish). La Liga. 1 November 2023. Retrieved 26 November 2023.
- ^ "Reacția lui Rațiu, după ce l-a ridiculizat pe Bellingham și l-a ținut "în lesă" pe Vinicius. Cu cine a făcut schimb de tricouri" [Rațiu's reaction, after he ridiculed Bellingham and kept Vinicius "on a leash". Who did he exchange shirts with?] (in Romanian). Digi Sport. 7 November 2023. Retrieved 26 November 2023.
- ^ Popescu, Cornel (3 September 2021). ""Andrei Rațiu a debutat în tricoul echipei naționale a României. "E foarte mare dorința de a ajunge la Mondial!"" [Andrei Rațiu debuted in the jersey of Romania national football team: "The desire to reach the World Cup is strong!"]. Prosport (in Romanian). Retrieved 24 June 2024.
- ^ Badila, Leonard (26 September 2022). "Victorie pentru România! Tricolorii au bătut Bosnia-Herțegovina, dar au retrogradat în Liga C". Capital Romania (in Romanian). Retrieved 24 June 2024.
- ^ "Victorie cu Elveția și mergem la EURO 2024 de pe primul loc în grupă!" [Victory against Switzerland and we go to EURO 2024 from first place in the group!] (in Romanian). Romanian Football Federation. 21 November 2023. Retrieved 26 November 2023.
- ^ Nistor, George. ""Dar de ce nu-l cumpărăm noi pe Sonic?" Viralul Andrei Rațiu, cerut ca transfer la un club legendar din Serie A". GSP. Retrieved 19 June 2024.
- ^ Ioniță, Alex (20 June 2024). "Andrei Rațiu, sărbătorit în cantonamentul echipei naționale! Cadoul primit de "Sonic", care a împlinit 26 de ani". Antena Sport (in Romanian).
- ^ Andrei Rațiu at Soccerway
- ^ a b "Andrei Rațiu". EU-Football.info. Retrieved 3 June 2021.
External links
edit- Andrei Rațiu at BDFutbol
- Andrei Rațiu at LaPreferente.com (in Spanish)