Marco Dulca

Marco Dulca
Personal information
Full name Marco Alexandru Dulca
Date of birth (1999-05-11) 11 May 1999
Place of birth Pohang, South Korea
Height 1.84 m (6 ft 0 in)
Position(s) Midfielder
Youth career
2004–2015 Universitatea Cluj
2015–2019 Swansea City
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2019–2021 Viitorul Constanța 14 (0)
2020–2021Chindia Târgoviște (loan) 31 (2)
2021–2022 Chindia Târgoviște 36 (2)
2022–2023 FCSB 5 (0)
2023 Chindia Târgoviște 16 (0)
2023–2025 Celje 38 (0)
International career
2015 Romania U17[a] 1 (0)
2018 Romania U19[a] 3 (0)
2017–2021 Romania U21[a] 6 (0)
2021 Romania Olympic[a] 3 (0)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 10 May 2025

Marco Alexandru Dulca (born 11 May 1999) is a Romanian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder.

Club career

Early career / Viitorul Constanța

Dulca started practising football with Universitatea Cluj at the age of five,[1] and remained at the club for more than a decade before joining the academy of Swansea City in 2015.

He returned to Romania four years later by signing for Viitorul Constanța,[2] where he recorded his senior debut in a 3–2 Liga I victory over Hermannstadt on 28 July 2019.[3]

Chindia Târgoviște

On 30 August 2020, Dulca was loaned out to fellow league team Chindia Târgoviște.[4] He scored his first career goal in a 2–2 home draw with Argeș Pitești on 19 December, and totalled 33 matches in all competitions during the 2020–21 season.

During the summer of 2021, Dulca joined Chindia Târgoviște on a permanent basis as part of a swap deal.[5]

FCSB

On 5 August 2022, FCSB officially announced the signing of Dulca after diverting him from his way to 1899 Hoffenheim and meeting his 200,000 release clause.[6][7][8] He made his debut the following day in a 1–1 league draw at Mioveni.

Celje

On 14 September 2023, Dulca moved abroad for the first time in his senior career and signed with Slovenian PrvaLiga outfit Celje on a contract until 2026.[9]

International career

Dulca represented the Romania national under-23 team in the 2020 Summer Olympics in Japan,[10] starting in all three games of the group-stage exit.[11]

Personal life

Dulca was born in Pohang, South Korea, where his father Cristian was playing for Pohang Steelers. The latter was also a professional footballer and was part of the Romania squad for the 1998 FIFA World Cup.[12]

In 2021, it was reported that Dulca started dating Mihaela Buzărnescu, a Romanian tennis player 11 years his senior.[1] They ended their relationship the following year, after she accused him of emotional abuse.[8][13]

Career statistics

As of match played 10 May 2025[11]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup[b] Continental Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Viitorul Constanța 2019–20 Liga I 14 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 15 0
Chindia Târgoviște (loan) 2020–21 Liga I 31 2 2 0 33 2
Chindia Târgoviște 2021–22 Liga I 33 2 2 0 2[c] 0 37 2
2022–23 Liga I 19 0 19 0
Total 83 4 4 0 2 0 89 4
FCSB 2022–23 Liga I 5 0 3 0 5[d] 0 13 0
Celje 2023–24 Slovenian PrvaLiga 21 0 2 0 23 0
2024–25 Slovenian PrvaLiga 17 0 4 1 13[e] 0 34 1
Total 38 0 6 1 13 0 57 1
Career total 140 4 14 1 18 0 2 0 174 5
  1. ^ a b c d Official competitive matches only
  2. ^ Includes Cupa României, Slovenian Cup
  3. ^ Appearances in Liga I promotion/relegation play-offs
  4. ^ Appearances in UEFA Conference League
  5. ^ Two appearances in UEFA Champions League, two appearances in UEFA Europa League, nine appearances in UEFA Conference League

Honours

Viitorul Constanța

Celje

References

  1. ^ a b "O nouă poveste de dragoste în sportul românesc: Marco Dulca se iubește cu Mihaela Buzărnescu | SPECIAL" [A new love story in Romanian sports: Marco Dulca is in a relationship with Mihaela Buzărnescu | SPECIAL] (in Romanian). ProSport. 15 September 2021. Retrieved 24 September 2021.
  2. ^ "Marco Dulca a semnat cu Viitorul » Din Anglia, direct în Liga 1" [Marco Dulca signed with Viitorul » From England, directly to Liga 1]. Gazeta Sporturilor (in Romanian). 2 July 2019. Retrieved 2 November 2021.
  3. ^ "Hagi revine pe locul 1! Spectacol total la Viitorul – Hermannstadt: 3-2, după 0-0 la pauză. VIDEO" [Hagi returns to the first place! Total entertainment in Viitorul – Hermannstadt: 3–2, after 0–0 at the break. VIDEO] (in Romanian). Fanatik.ro. 28 July 2019. Retrieved 2 November 2021.
  4. ^ "Tiberiu Căpușă, Marco Dulca și Paul Iacob vor evolua la Chindia Târgoviște" [Tiberiu Căpușă, Marco Dulca și Paul Iacob will play for Chindia Târgoviște] (in Romanian). FC Viitorul Constanța. 30 August 2020.
  5. ^ "Chindia dă lovitura pe piața transferurilor! Șase jucători de la clubul lui Gheorghe Hagi ajung la echipa din Târgoviște, după plecarea lui Marian Aioani la noul Farul" [Chindia hits the jackpot on the transfer market! Six players from Gheorghe Hagi's club are joining the team from Târgoviște, after Marian Aioani left for the new Farul] (in Romanian). ProSport. 21 June 2021.
  6. ^ "Bine ai venit, Marco Dulca!" [Welcome, Marco Dulca] (in Romanian). FCSB. 5 August 2022. Retrieved 5 August 2022.
  7. ^ "S-a aflat cum a reușit FCSB super transferul lui Marco Dulca! Conducătorul Chindiei a dat cărțile pe față: "Am fost obligați să-l cedăm! Se știe asta de acum un an!" | EXCLUSIV" [It was found out how FCSB managed the super transfer of Marco Dulca! Chindia's director revealed everything: "We were forced to give up on him! This has been known since a year ago!" | EXCLUSIVE] (in Romanian). ProSport. 6 August 2022. Retrieved 6 August 2022. Marcel Ghergu, the director of Chindia, said that Marco Dulca had the 250,000 euro clause since the moment the contract was signed.
  8. ^ a b "FCSB a transferat un jucător cu probleme? Marco Dulca, acuzat de Mihaela Buzărnescu că a agresat-o fizic" [FCSB transferred a problem player? Marco Dulca, accused by Mihaela Buzărnescu of physical abuse] (in Romanian). Fanatik.ro. 9 August 2022.
  9. ^ "Albert Riera je dobil novo okrepitev, v zvezni vrsti bo igral Marco Dulca, ki ima tržno vrednost 750.000 evrov" (in Slovenian). Nogomania. 14 September 2023. Retrieved 14 September 2023.
  10. ^ "Lotul României U23 convocat pentru Jocurile Olimpice de la Tokyo" [Romania U23's squad called up for the Olympic Games in Tokyo]. Romanian Football Federation. 29 June 2021. Retrieved 14 September 2021.
  11. ^ a b c d e Marco Dulca at Soccerway. Retrieved 30 August 2021.
  12. ^ "Marco Dulca o ia pe urmele tatălui său! E gata să se vopsească blond dacă România se întoarce cu o medalie de la Tokyo" [Marco Dulca follows in his father's footsteps! He is ready to paint his hair blonde if Romania returns with a medal from Tokyo] (in Romanian). Digi Sport. 3 July 2021. Retrieved 24 September 2021.
  13. ^ "Marco Dulca reacționează la acuzațiile aduse de Mihaela Buzărnescu, fosta lui iubită" [Marco Dulca reacts to the accusations brought by Mihaela Buzărnescu, his ex-girlfriend]. Gazeta Sporturilor (in Romanian). 30 March 2022. Retrieved 1 April 2022.