Romania is only the second country in Europe, alongside Northern Ireland, to be entrusted with hosting a U19 EURO twice. After the 2011 edition, this summer we will once again see the most talented young European players on our stadiums!
EURO U19 2025 will be hosted by Romania this summer, from June 13-26, meaning our national team is automatically qualified for the final tournament. Before the huge challenge awaiting this generation of Romanian players, let’s take a look at what happened to the first U19 national team that played in a similar final tournament—the U19 generation of 2011.
Without the support of elite competitions from the Performance Circuit in those years, without the contribution of the U21 Rule and other regulations encouraging the use of young homegrown players in domestic leagues, this is how the footballing story of that generation unfolded!
18 Players in the Squad, 8 Teams in the 2011 Final Tournament
The EURO U19 2011 matches were played in Berceni, Buftea, Chiajna, and Mogoșoaia, with eight national teams competing in the final tournament, including Romania as the host nation.
Our national team, coached by Lucian Burchel—now the director of the Federal School of Coaches—was eliminated in the group stage after a 1-3 loss to the Czech Republic, a 0-1 defeat against Greece, and a 0-0 draw with Ireland. The trophy was won by Spain.
Each team’s squad at the final tournament consisted of 18 players. So, what happened to Romania’s squad afterward?
Two Players Reached Romania’s Senior National Team
Out of the 18 players from Romania’s U19 team at EURO 2011, only two made it to the senior national team: Nicolae Stanciu, the current captain of Romania, and Romario Benzar.
Stanciu is currently playing for Damac (Saudi Arabia) after impressive seasons at FC Vaslui, FCSB, Slavia Prague, Sparta Prague, Anderlecht, Al Ahli, and Wuhan Three Towns. He has won six national league titles in Romania, the Czech Republic, Belgium, and China.
Romario Benzar became a two-time Romanian champion, first with Viitorul and later with Farul Constanța. He also played for FCSB, Lecce, Perugia, UTA Arad, and currently represents FC Botoșani.
Where Are the Other 16 Former U19 Players?
Of the remaining 16 U19 players from EURO 2011, only Andrei Peteleu and Florin Ilie are still playing in Romania’s top division, the Superliga. However, Peteleu rarely makes the squad for CFR Cluj this season.
In Liga 2, we find Laurențiu Brănescu (Ceahlăul), Ionuț Năstăsie (CSM Slatina), and Mihai Roman (FC Argeș).
Playing in Liga 3 and lower divisions are Lucian Murgoci, Tiberiu Serediuc, and Cristian Gavra. Meanwhile, Radu Chiriță and Patrick Walleth play in amateur football leagues in Scotland and Germany, respectively.
The following players have retired from professional football: Sebastian Remeș, Andrei Avrămia, Alin Cârstocea, Costinel Gugu, Enghin Amet, and Sebastian Chitoșcă.