Ion Nicolaescu

Ion Nicolaescu
Nicolaescu with Heerenveen in 2023
Personal information
Date of birth (1998-09-07) 7 September 1998
Place of birth Chișinău, Moldova
Height 1.84 m (6 ft 0 in)
Position(s) Forward
Team information
Current team
 Maccabi Tel Aviv
Youth career
2008–2014 Cahul-2005
2014–2016 Zimbru Chișinău
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2016–2017 Zimbru-2 Chișinău 37 (13)
2016–2018 Zimbru Chișinău 25 (5)
2018–2020 Shakhtyor Soligorsk 13 (0)
2020 → Vitebsk (loan) 18 (9)
2020–2022 DAC 1904 39 (5)
2022 → Maccabi Petah Tikva (loan) 15 (5)
2022–2023 Beitar Jerusalem 27 (15)
2023–2025 Heerenveen[b] 45 (14)
2025– Maccabi Tel Aviv 0 (0)
International career‡
2016 Moldova U19[a] 2 (0)
2018 Moldova U21[a] 1 (0)
2018– Moldova 53 (17)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 23 May 2025
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 10 June 2025

Ion Nicolaescu (born 7 September 1998) is a Moldovan professional footballer who plays as a forward for Israeli Premier League club Maccabi Tel Aviv and the Moldova national team.

He is the all-time leading goal scorer for his country,[1] and was named Moldovan Footballer of the Year in 2023 and 2024.[2][3]

Club career

Zimbru Chișinău

On 20 May 2016, Nicolaescu made his professional debut for Zimbru Chișinău in the Divizia Națională against Academia Chișinău, coming on as a 65th-minute substitute.[4] In the 2018 Moldovan National Division he scored 5 goals in 12 appearances and reached the final of the 2017–18 Moldovan Cup.

Shakhtyor Soligorsk

Nicolaescu joined Shakhtyor Soligorsk in August 2018. However, he was used as a substitute and didn't score a single goal for the Belarusian team. Out of his 15 appearances during two seasons he started in only three matches.[5] In an interview, Nicolaescu said that this was due to the general director and the coach having a falling out.[6] He won the 2018–19 Belarusian Cup, playing in both legs of the quarter-finals.

Vitebsk

In January 2020 Nicolaescu went on loan to the Belarusian team Vitebsk.[7] He was the team's top goal scorer in the 2020 Belarusian Premier League, scoring 9 goals in 18 matches.[8]

DAC Dunajská Streda

Nicolaescu joined DAC Dunajská Streda of Fortuna Liga in September 2020.[9] After mere two days with the club he contributed with two goals to a 5–3 victory over Jablonec, advancing the Slovak side to the Third Round of UEFA Europa League qualifying.[10]

Maccabi Petah Tikva

In January 2022, Nicolaescu was loaned to Israeli Premier League club Maccabi Petah Tikva. During his loan spell he scored 5 goals and provided 3 assists in 17 appearances. He returned to DAC in June 2022.[11][12]

Beitar Jerusalem

In September 2022, Nicolaescu returned to Israel, signing with Beitar Jerusalem. He scored 15 league goals and 3 goals in Israel State Cup during 2022–23 season, helping Beitar Jerusalem win the Israeli State Cup. His three goals in the State Cup games, one against F.C. Kafr Qasim on 11 December 2022, one against Hapoel Afula, on 1 February 2023, during the 4–0 win and another goal at the finals against Maccabi Netanya.[13][14] Nicolaescu scored 4 goals in a 6–3 win over Maccabi Netanya in an Israeli Premier League match.[15]

Heerenveen

On 7 August 2023, Dutch side Heerenveen announced they had signed Nicolaescu to a three-year contract.[16] Five days later he scored the opening goal in his debut, a 3–1 win over RKC Waalwijk.[17] In his second season, Nicolaescu opened his account by scoring a brace in a 4–0 win over NAC Breda after coming on as a substitute in the 66th minute.[18] He scored the winner in his Derby of the North debut, a 2–1 win over Groningen.[19] With 12 goals in 29 appearances, Nicolaescu was the club's top scorer in both Eredivisie and KNVB Cup.[20]

Maccabi Tel Aviv

On 25 June 2025, Nicolaescu signed with Maccabi Tel Aviv, the Israeli Premier League champions.[21]

International career

Nicolaescu debuted for Moldova on 8 September 2018 against Luxembourg in 2018–19 UEFA Nations League, coming on as a substitute in the 62nd minute.[22] He scored his first goal for the national team against Kosovo in 2020–21 UEFA Nations League, which was Moldova's only goal in the league phase.[23] He was Moldova's top goal scorer in 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification and 2022–23 UEFA Nations League, scoring 3 out of 5 and 4 out of 10 team's goals, respectively.[24][25]

Nicolaescu became Moldova's top goal scorer after scoring his 11th and 12th goals in a 3–2 win over Poland in UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying. With 4 goals in the competition, he became the first Moldovan to be the top goal scorer of a qualifying group.[2]

Career statistics

International

As of match played 9 June 2025[26]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
Moldova 2018 4 0
2019 3 0
2020 6 1
2021 10 3
2022 8 5
2023 10 5
2024 8 2
2025 4 1
Total 53 17
Scores and results list Moldova's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Nicolaescu goal.[26]
List of international goals scored by Ion Nicolaescu
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1 3 September 2020 Stadio Ennio Tardini, Parma, Italy  Kosovo 1–0 1–1 2020–21 UEFA Nations League C
2 25 March 2021 Stadionul Zimbru, Chișinău, Moldova  Faroe Islands 1–0 1–1 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification
3 12 October 2021 Turner Stadium, Be'er Sheva, Israel  Israel 1–2 1–2 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification
4 15 November 2021 Wörthersee Stadion, Klagenfurt, Austria  Austria 1–3 1–4 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification
5 24 March 2022 Stadionul Zimbru, Chișinău, Moldova  Kazakhstan 1–0 1–2 2020–21 UEFA Nations League
6 3 June 2022 Rheinpark Stadion, Vaduz, Liechtenstein  Liechtenstein 1–0 2–0 2022–23 UEFA Nations League D
7 10 June 2022 Stadionul Zimbru, Chișinău, Moldova  Latvia 1–0 2–4 2022–23 UEFA Nations League D
8 14 June 2022 Stadionul Zimbru, Chișinău, Moldova  Andorra 2–1 2–1 2022–23 UEFA Nations League D
9 22 September 2022 Skonto Stadium, Riga, Latvia  Latvia 2–0 2–1 2022–23 UEFA Nations League D
10 24 March 2023 Stadionul Zimbru, Chișinău, Moldova  Faroe Islands 1–1 1–1 UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying
11 20 June 2023 Stadionul Zimbru, Chișinău  Poland 1–2 3–2 UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying
12 2–2
13 12 October 2023 Friends Arena, Stockholm, Sweden  Sweden 1–2 1–3 Friendly
14 15 October 2023 Kazimierz Górski National Stadium, Warsaw, Poland  Poland 1–0 1–1 UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying
15 26 March 2024 Mardan Sports Complex, Antalya, Turkey  Cayman Islands 3–0 4–0 Friendly
16 7 September 2024 Stadionul Zimbru, Chișinău, Moldova  Malta 2–0 2–0 2024–25 UEFA Nations League D
17 25 March 2025 Stadionul Zimbru, Chișinău, Moldova  Estonia 1–2 2–3 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying

Honours

Club

Zimbru Chișinău[5]

Shakhtyor Soligorsk[5]

DAC Dunajská Streda[5]

Beitar Jerusalem[5]

Individual

Notes

  1. ^ a b Only official UEFA matches included
  2. ^ Eredivisie play-offs included

References

  1. ^ "Ion Nicolaescu a devenit cel mai bun golgheter în istoria naționalei Moldovei". moldfootball (in Romanian). 21 June 2023.
  2. ^ a b c "Superlativele anului fotbalistic 2023" (in Romanian). Moldovan Football Federation. 31 December 2023. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  3. ^ a b "Superlativele anului fotbalistic 2024" (in Romanian). Moldovan Football Federation. 31 December 2024.
  4. ^ "Academia vs Zimbru". Soccerway.
  5. ^ a b c d e "Moldova - I. Nicolăescu". Soccerway.
  6. ^ "Ион Николаеску: "Футбол в Словакии и в Беларуси и близко нельзя сравнивать"" [Ion Nicolaescu: "Football in Slovakia and Belarus are not even close to being comparable"]. football.by (in Russian). 6 June 2021.
  7. ^ ""Шахтер" отдал нападающего в аренду "Витебску"" ["Shakhtyor" loaned striker to "Vitebsk"]. Football.by (in Russian). 21 January 2020.
  8. ^ "Лучший бомбардир "Витебска" Ион Николаеску уехал в Словакию в "ДАК 1904"" [Vitebsk's top scorer Ion Nicolaescu left for Slovakia to join DAK 1904]. football.by (in Russian). 16 September 2020.
  9. ^ "Dvadsaťdvaročný útočník z Moldavska podpísal zmluvu na tri roky" (in Slovak).dac1904.sk
  10. ^ "Hrdina DAC prišiel pred dvomi dňami. Na tréningu nechápal, na obede sa pýtal trénera, čo má robiť". Šport.sk (in Slovak). 18 September 2020. Retrieved 4 January 2021.
  11. ^ "Ion Nicolaescu va continua cariera în Israel". moldfootball (in Romanian). 7 January 2022.
  12. ^ "Arenda lui Ion Nicolaescu în Israel s-a încheiat. Jucătorul a revenit în Slovacia". moldfootball. 28 June 2022.
  13. ^ "ההתאחדות לכדורגל בישראל - פרטי משחק". www.football.org.il.
  14. ^ "ההתאחדות לכדורגל בישראל - פרטי משחק". www.football.org.il.
  15. ^ "Beitar Jerusalem vs. Maccabi Netanya 6 - 3". Soccerway.
  16. ^ "SC HEERENVEEN VERSTERKT AANVAL MET MOLDAVISCHE SPITS ION NICOLAESCU" [SC HEERENVEEN STRENGTHENS ATTACK WITH MOLDOVAN STRIKER ION NICOLAESCU] (in Dutch). SC Heerenveen. 7 August 2023. Retrieved 7 August 2023.
  17. ^ "Ion Nicolaescu a marcat un gol în meciul său de debut pentru Heerenveen în Țările de Jos". moldfootball.com (in Romanian).
  18. ^ "Heerenveen vs. NAC Breda 4 - 0". Soccerway.
  19. ^ "Heerenveen vs. Groningen 2 - 1". Soccerway.
  20. ^ "Ion Nicolaescu a marcat un gol în faza play-off pentru Heerenveen, dar clubul său nu a acces în cupele europene (video)". moldfootball. 22 May 2025.
  21. ^ "Nicolaescu joins Maccabi". Maccabi Tel Aviv. 25 June 2025.
  22. ^ "Luxembourg vs Moldova". Soccerway.
  23. ^ "Summary - UEFA Nations League". Soccerway.
  24. ^ "Summary - UEFA World Cup Qualifiers". Soccerway.
  25. ^ "Summary - UEFA Nations League". Soccerway.
  26. ^ a b Ion Nicolaescu at National-Football-Teams.com
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