Cătălin Vulturar
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Cătălin Alin Vulturar[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 9 March 2004 | ||
| Place of birth | Arad, Romania[1] | ||
| Height | 1.81 m (5 ft 11 in)[1] | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Rapid București | ||
| Number | 15 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| –2019 | UTA Arad | ||
| 2020–2024 | Lecce | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2018–2020 | UTA Arad | 3 | (0) |
| 2023–2024 | Lecce | 0 | (0) |
| 2024– | Rapid București | 7 | (0) |
| 2024 | → UTA Arad (loan) | 9 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2016 | Romania U16 | 4 | (0) |
| 2021 | Romania U18 | 2 | (0) |
| 2022–2023 | Romania U19 | 6 | (0) |
| 2024–2025 | Romania U20 | 5 | (1) |
| 2023– | Romania U21 | 10 | (1) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 24 May 2025 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 14 June 2025 | |||
Cătălin Alin Vulturar (born 9 March 2004) is a Romanian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Liga I club Rapid București.
Club career
Born in Arad, Romania, Vulturar started his career with UTA Arad, making his first team debut at the age of fourteen.[2] After rejecting an offer from FCSB, and trialling with Barcelona and Liverpool, he signed for Italian side Lecce in 2020.[3] In completing the transfer, he became the most expensive sale in UTA Arad history.[4][5]
In October 2021, he was named by English newspaper The Guardian as one of the best players born in 2004 worldwide.[6] He has since been named captain of Lecce's under-19 side.[7]
On 1 February 2024, Lecce announced Vulturar's transfer to Rapid București.[8] Lecce reserved 40% of the sell-on fee and an option to match a purchase offer. Three weeks later, in order to gain playing minutes and adapt to Romanian football, he was sent on loan to UTA Arad until the summer, due to a huge number of midfielders in the team squad.[9]
International career
Vulturar has represented Romania at under-18 and under-19 level.[1]
Career statistics
- As of 24 May 2025[10]
| Club | Season | League | Cupa României | Europe | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| UTA Arad | 2018–19 | Liga II | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2019–20 | Liga II | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 3 | 0 | |||
| Total | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | |||
| Rapid București | 2023–24 | Liga I | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | |||
| 2024–25 | Liga I | 7 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 9 | 0 | |||
| 2025–26 | Liga I | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | |||
| Total | 7 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 9 | 0 | ||||
| UTA Arad (loan) | 2023–24 | Liga I | 9 | 0 | — | — | — | 9 | 0 | |||
| Career total | 19 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 0 | ||
- Notes
Honours
UTA Arad
References
- ^ a b c d Cătălin Vulturar at WorldFootball.net
- ^ "Viitor pentru Arad! Vulturar a debutat în Liga a 2-a la doar 14 ani și nouă luni chiar pe terenul unde a debutat Hagi" [Future for Arad! Vulturar debuted in the 2nd League at only 14 years and nine months on the very ground where Hagi debuted]. specialarad.ro (in Romanian). 9 December 2018. Retrieved 11 October 2022.
- ^ "Cine e singurul fotbalist român inclus de The Guardian în TOP 60 cei mai talentați tineri din lume » În 2018 a refuzat să semneze cu FCSB!" [Who is the only Romanian footballer included by The Guardian in the TOP 60 most talented young people in the world » In 2018 he refused to sign with FCSB!]. gsp.ro (in Romanian). 8 October 2021. Retrieved 11 October 2022.
- ^ Sfara, Leo (5 October 2020). "Cătălin Vulturar lasă UTA pentru Lecce!" [Cătălin Vulturar leaves UTA for Lecce!]. aradon.ro (in Romanian). Retrieved 11 October 2022.
- ^ "Vulturar, at the parting time with UTA and Lecce: "I wanted to make my debut in League 1, but I couldn't miss the opportunity to get into Italian football, one of my favorites"". tekdeeps.com. 12 October 2020. Retrieved 11 October 2022.
- ^ "Next Generation 2021: 60 of the best young talents in world football". The Guardian. 7 October 2021. Retrieved 10 October 2022.
- ^ Sperti, Andrea (2 June 2022). "Talento e leadership: il futuro del Lecce si chiama Catalin Vulturar" [Talent and leadership: the future of Lecce is called Catalin Vulturar]. pianetalecce.it (in Italian). Retrieved 11 October 2022.
- ^ "CESSIONE VULTURAR" [VULTURAR ASSIGNMENT] (in Italian). US Lecce. 1 February 2024. Retrieved 2 February 2024.
- ^ "Oficial: Cătălin Vulturar, noul jucător de la UTA! Fotbalistul nu a apucat să debuteze pentru Rapid" [Oficial: Cătălin Vulturar, the new player from UTA! The footballer did not get to make his debut for Rapid]. digisport.ro (in Romanian). 12 February 2024. Retrieved 12 February 2024.
- ^ Cătălin Vulturar at Soccerway