FC Metaloglobus București

Metaloglobus București
Full nameFotbal Club Metaloglobus București SA
NicknamesMetalo
Echipa Pantelimonului
(Pantelimon's team)
Short nameMetaloglobus
Founded1936 (1936)[a]
GroundMetaloglobus / Clinceni
Capacity1,000 / 4,500
OwnerImad Kassas
ChairmanMarius Burcă
Head coachFlorin Bratu
LeagueLiga I
2024–25Liga II, 5th of 22
(promoted via play-offs)
Websitemetaloglobusfc.ro

Fotbal Club Metaloglobus București, commonly known as Metaloglobus București or simply as Metaloglobus, is a Romanian professional football club based in Bucharest, that competes in Liga I, the top tier of Romanian football.[2]

History

Metaloglobus București was founded in 1936 as the football team of the Metaloglobus factory, a powerful factory that was founded in 1923 by the Austrian industrialist Manfréd Weiss.[3] In the club's first season, Metaloglobus entered the Bucharest District Championship, joining the Category II division. At the end of the 1936–37 season, Metaloglobus achieved promotion to the Category I, following a 2–1 play-off win against Colentina București.[1]

The factory was further developed in the communist period and produced all kinds of objects made of steel and iron, from lanterns, bullets, boilers and from 1965 toys. After the 1989 Romanian Revolution, the factory began to undergo financial difficulties and in 1999 was bought by Syrian businessman Imad Kassas.[4]

Metaloglobus competed in the amateur leagues of Bucharest throughout its existence, and by 2008 the club had been reduced to youth teams only, with the under-19 side winning the Bucharest Municipal Championship that year, laying the foundations for the club’s revival at senior level.[5]

In the 2010–11 season, they won the Liga IV Bucharest and qualified for the promotion play-off, where they were defeated 1–2 by Rapid Clejani, the champions of Giurgiu County. However, after many teams withdrew that summer, Metaloglobus was invited to join Liga III.[6][7]

In their first season in Liga III, Metaloglobus played at Clinceni Arena’s second ground and ranked 9th in Series IV under Octavian Ștefan and Adrian Matei, who took over in April 2012.[8]

Over the next four consecutive seasons, the team consistently finished in the top half, achieving 3rd place in Series II in the 2012–13 season under Matei and Leonard Strizu from the second half, and 4th place in Series III in 2013–14.[9]

In the 2014–15 season, the team was moved again to Series II, and following a modest run of results, Leonard Strizu was replaced at the end of the first half by Sorin Colceag, who led the team to a 5th-place finish and then to another 3rd-place finish in the 2015–16 season.[10]

In 2016, Bogdan Vintilă was appointed head coach and led the team to 1st place in Series III, securing promotion to Liga II with five rounds to spare in the 2016–17 season, ending 11 points ahead of 2nd-placed Viitorul Domnești.[11][12][13]

Their first season in the second tier was a difficult one under Vintilă, who also led Metaloglobus to the Round of 32 in the Cupa României, where they lost 1–2 to Gaz Metan Mediaș. He was replaced during the winter break by Alin Chița, as the team were unable to avoid the relegation zone, finishing 16th, but they were spared from relegation following the withdrawal of 5th-placed Afumați.[14]

The 2018–19 season began with Bogdan Andone as head coach, but he left in October after ten rounds. After a brief interim under assistant Gigel Coman, Cristian Popovici took over, earning only four points in seven matches, far below expectations, and parted ways by mutual agreement. He was succeeded by László Balint, who guided Metaloglobus to a 9th-place finish.[15][16][17][18]

In June 2019, Marius Măldărășanu was appointed as head coach, leading the Bucharest-based side from the Pantelimon neighbourhood to the Round of 32 of the Cupa României, where they faced FCSB and were defeated 0–2, with Gavrilaș, Ciubotaru, Plămadă, Lung, Sava, Ghenovici, Al. Coman, Chiriac, Ciocâlteu, Ov. Herea and Cl. Herea in the starting lineup. While the team was in 7th place in the 2019–20 Liga II campaign at the time the season was suspended in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[19][20]

During the 2020–21 season, following the departure of Măldărășanu, Gabriel Manu was appointed as head coach and led Metaloglobus to a 10th-place finish in the regular season and 3rd place in Group A of the play-out stage. In the Cupa României, the Bucharest side was eliminated in the fourth round after a 1–2 defeat, after extra time, against Petrolul Ploiești. The squad comprised Gavrilaș, Nedelcovici, Ciubotaru, Putaru, Sava, Caramalău, Șandru, Gafaru, Mino, Kassabji, Matache, Cazan, Chiriac, Lungu, Ciocâlteu, Vraciu, Ov. Herea, Cl. Herea, Gavîrliță, and Florescu.[21][22][23]

Gabriel Manu left the club at the end of his contract and was replaced by Nicolae Grigore for the 2021–22 season. Metaloglobus finished 10th in the regular season and 2nd in Group A of the play-out stage. In the Cupa României, they were eliminated in the third round by Tunari, losing 0–1 at Concordia Stadium in Chiajna.[24][25]

Ahead of the 2022–23 season, Grigore was replaced by Eugen Trică, whose spell ended after six rounds. After two matches led by fitness coach Florin Drăghici, Eusebiu Tudor took charge and guided the team to a 15th-place finish in the regular season and 5th in Group A of the play-out stage, avoiding relegation by defeating Progresul Spartac București 5–3 on penalties in the relegation play-off, following draws of 1–1 at Clinceni Stadium and 0–0 at CNAF Stadium in Buftea.[26][27][28]

Eusebiu Tudor resigned after Metaloglobus lost 1–2 after extra time to Dinamo in the play-off round of the Cupa României and following four rounds of the 2023–24 Liga II campaign. Ianis Zicu was appointed as the new head coach and led the team to an 11th-place finish in the regular season and 3rd in the play-out stage.[29][30][31]

In the 2024–25 season, Metaloglobus finished 3rd after the regular season and 5th in the play-off stage of Liga II, qualifying for the promotion/relegation play-off, as 2nd-placed Steaua București was ineligible for promotion, and on 1 June 2025, Metaloglobus was promoted to Liga I for the first time in its history after beating Politehnica Iași, with Dragoș Huiban scoring late goals in both matches, first in the 86th minute of the 1–1 draw at Emil Alexandrescu Stadium and then in the 85th minute of the 1–0 win at Clinceni Stadium. The squad coached by Zicu included Gavrilaș, Nedelcovici, Kouadio, Issah, Sousa, Honciu, Caramalău, Sava, Cazan, Zakir, Dumitru, Višić, A. Irimia, D. Irimia, Liș, J. Morais, Sîrbu, Huiban, Gheorghe, Nicolae, Neacșu and Milea.[32][2][33][34]

Stadium

Main article: Metaloglobus Stadium

The club plays its home games on the Stadionul Metaloglobus from the Bucharest neighborhood of Pantelimon.

The stadium was under renovations between 2011 and 2015; during this period the team played its home matches on Stadionul Clinceni and on Stadionul CNAF.[35]

Honours

Liga III

Liga IV – Bucharest

Players

First-team squad

As of 17 February 2026[36]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK  ROU George Gavrilaș (Captain)
4 DF  ROU George Caramalău (4th captain)
5 MF  ESP Damià Sabater
6 MF  CPV Bruno Carvalho
7 MF  ROU Laurențiu Liș
8 MF  ROU Florin Purece
9 FW  SRB Stefan Višić
10 FW  CPV Ely
11 FW  ROU Dragoș Huiban (3rd captain)
13 DF  ROU Andrei Sava
14 MF  ROU Alexandru Gheorghe
15 MF  ROU Alexandru Irimia (on loan from Dinamo București)
16 FW  FRA Martins Toutou
17 MF  GHA Moses Abbey (on loan from FCU 1948 Craiova)
18 DF  ROU Alexandru Țîrlea (on loan from CFR Cluj)
No. Pos. Nation Player
19 DF  BIH Omar Pašagić
20 MF  ROU Giovani Ghimfuș (on loan from Sepsi OSK)
21 DF  ROU David Irimia (on loan from Dinamo București)
22 MF  ROU Robert Neacșu
23 DF  ROU Gabriel Dumitru
24 MF  NED Yassine Zakir
29 FW  ROU Daniel Popa
30 DF  FRA Aboubacar Camara (on loan from FCU 1948 Craiova)
33 GK  ROU Alexandru Soare
34 GK  ROU Cristian Nedelcovici
60 MF  ROU Liviu Pancișin
75 DF  COD Mike Cestor
77 FW  ALB Endri Çelaj
99 DF  ROU Robert Bădescu (on loan from Rapid București)

Other player under contract

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
12 DF  BRA Júnior Morais (Vice-captain)

Out on loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
— MF  ROU Răduț Burcea (at Pucioasa until 30 June 2026)
— MF  ROU David Răduță (at Agricola Borcea until 30 June 2026)
No. Pos. Nation Player
— MF  ROU Robert Cătălin (at Agricola Borcea until 30 June 2026)
— MF  ROU Robert Șoșa (at Agricola Borcea until 30 June 2026)

Club officials

Notable former players

The footballers enlisted below have had international cap(s) for their respective countries at junior and/or senior level and/or significant caps for FC Metaloglobus București players.

Romania
Ivory Coast
Japan
Netherlands

Former managers

League and cup history

See also: Romanian football league system

Notes

  1. ^ Despite having 1923 on the club crest, this date refers to the foundation date of the Metaloglobus factories.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b "Istoric Metaloglobus" (in Romanian). FC Metaloglobus București. Retrieved 15 March 2026.
  2. ^ a b "Metaloglobus a promovat în premieră în Superligă" [Metaloglobus promoted to the Super League for the first time] (in Romanian). hotnews.ro. 1 June 2025. Archived from the original on 1 June 2025. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
  3. ^ "Cum a fugit rapidistul Radu Florian de comuniști!" [How Rapid’s Radu Florian Fled from the Communists!] (in Romanian). as.ro. 15 July 2021. Archived from the original on 2 December 2024. Retrieved 15 July 2021.
  4. ^ "Fabricile de jucării românești, îngropate de speculanții imobiliari" [Romanian toy factories, buried by real estate speculators] (in Romanian). digi24.ro. 24 December 2014. Retrieved 6 January 2026.
  5. ^ "Președintele lui Metaloglobus: "Acum 15 ani nu exista echipă de seniori, aveam doar juniori. Apoi actualul patron m-a întrebat asta"" [Metaloglobus' president: "15 years ago there was no senior team, we only had juniors. Then the current owner asked me this"] (in Romanian). sport.ro. 28 May 2025. Archived from the original on 6 January 2026. Retrieved 6 January 2026.
  6. ^ "Metaloglobus, noua campioană a Capitalei" [Metaloglobus, the new champion of the Capital] (in Romanian). liga2.prosport.ro. 6 June 2011. Archived from the original on 5 January 2026. Retrieved 5 January 2026.
  7. ^ "Metaloglobus a fost primită în Liga 3" [Metaloglobus was accepted into League 3] (in Romanian). liga2.prosport.ro. 23 August 2011. Archived from the original on 5 January 2026. Retrieved 5 January 2026.
  8. ^ "Metaloglobus, zmeul de la Clinceni" [Metaloglobus, the kite from Clinceni] (in Romanian). liga2.prosport.ro. 10 October 2011. Archived from the original on 29 January 2022. Retrieved 6 January 2026.
  9. ^ "Leo Strizu a preluat pe Metaloglobus!" [Leo Strizu took over Metaloglobus!] (in Romanian). liga2.prosport.ro. 25 March 2013. Archived from the original on 5 December 2020. Retrieved 5 January 2026.
  10. ^ "Strizu out, Colceag e noul principal al Metaloglobusului" [Strizu out, Colceag is the new head of Metaloglobus] (in Romanian). liga2.prosport.ro. 10 December 2014. Archived from the original on 6 January 2026. Retrieved 6 January 2026.
  11. ^ "Un fost antrenor de la Viitorul a preluat-o pe Metaloglobus!" [A former coach from Viitorul took over Metaloglobus!] (in Romanian). gsp.ro. 12 July 2016. Archived from the original on 5 January 2026. Retrieved 5 January 2026.
  12. ^ "Metaloglobus este a doua echipă promovată matematic în eșalonul secund" [Metaloglobus is the second team mathematically promoted to the second echelon] (in Romanian). frf.ro. 24 April 2017. Archived from the original on 5 January 2026. Retrieved 5 January 2026.
  13. ^ "Metaloglobus și-a primit titlul de campioană și medaliile pentru cucerirea Seriei a 3-a a Ligii 3. Bucureștenii vor juca în premieră în Liga 2" [Metaloglobus received its champion title and medals for winning the 3rd Series of League 3. The Bucharest team will play in League 2 for the first time] (in Romanian). liga2.prosport.ro. 20 May 2017. Archived from the original on 6 January 2026. Retrieved 6 January 2026.
  14. ^ "Șoc în Liga 2. Una dintre cele mai bune echipe din ultimele două sezoane părăsește competiția. S-a înscris în Liga 3. "O decizie întârziată, dar justificată"" [Shock in League 2. One of the best teams in the last two seasons leaves the competition. It joined League 3. "A late but justified decision"] (in Romanian). liga2.prosport.ro. 13 July 2018. Archived from the original on 28 August 2019. Retrieved 13 July 2018.
  15. ^ "Bogdan Andone revine ca antrenor la Liga 2" [Bogdan Andone returns as coach to Liga 2] (in Romanian). liga2.prosport.ro. 20 July 2018. Archived from the original on 3 October 2020. Retrieved 19 February 2026.
  16. ^ "Bogdan Andone a plecat de la Metaloglobus" [Bogdan Andone left Metaloglobus] (in Romanian). liga2.prosport.ro. 9 October 2018. Archived from the original on 11 September 2020. Retrieved 19 February 2026.
  17. ^ "Cristian Popovici, noul antrenor principal al echipei Metaloglobus" [Cristian Popovici, the new head coach of the Metaloglobus team] (in Romanian). liga2.prosport.ro. 26 October 2018. Archived from the original on 11 September 2020. Retrieved 19 February 2026.
  18. ^ "Provocare curajoasă pentru Laszlo Balint. A lăsat liderul Ligii 2 și a preluat o echipă din zona retrogradării" [Brave challenge for Laszlo Balint. He left the leader of League 2 and took over a team from the relegation zone] (in Romanian). liga2.prosport.ro. 17 January 2019. Archived from the original on 11 September 2020. Retrieved 19 February 2026.
  19. ^ "Marius Măldărășanu este noul antrenor al echipei Metaloglobus" [Marius Măldărășanu is the new coach of the Metaloglobus team] (in Romanian). liga2.prosport.ro. 20 June 2019. Archived from the original on 4 March 2026. Retrieved 4 March 2026.
  20. ^ "Metaloglobus - FCSB 0-2 // Puștii-minune au învins ursuleții!" [Metaloglobus - FCSB 0-2 // The wonder kids defeated the bears!] (in Romanian). gsp.ro. 26 September 2019. Archived from the original on 4 March 2026. Retrieved 4 March 2026.
  21. ^ "Marius Măldărășanu a plecat de la Metaloglobus!" [Marius Măldărășanu has left Metaloglobus!] (in Romanian). liga2.prosport.ro. 22 July 2020. Archived from the original on 5 March 2026. Retrieved 5 March 2026.
  22. ^ "Metaloglobus are un nou antrenor!" [Metaloglobus has a new coach!] (in Romanian). liga2.prosport.ro. 10 August 2020. Archived from the original on 13 September 2020. Retrieved 5 March 2026.
  23. ^ "Calificare chinuită în "16"-imile Cupei" [Struggling Qualification for the Cup Round of 32] (in Romanian). digisport.ro. 21 October 2020. Archived from the original on 27 October 2020. Retrieved 5 March 2026.
  24. ^ "Gabriel Manu se desparte de Metaloglobus" [Gabriel Manu breaks up with Metaloglobus] (in Romanian). liga2.prosport.ro. 20 May 2021. Archived from the original on 25 May 2021. Retrieved 6 March 2026.
  25. ^ "Nicolae Grigore este noul antrenor principal al echipei Metaloglobus" [Nicolae Grigore is the new head coach of the Metaloglobus team] (in Romanian). liga2.prosport.ro. 17 June 2021. Archived from the original on 24 June 2021. Retrieved 6 March 2026.
  26. ^ "Metaloglobus s-a despărțit de Nicolae Grigore și continuă cu Eugen Trică pe banca tehnică" [Metaloglobus parted ways with Nicolae Grigore and continues with Eugen Trică on the technical bench] (in Romanian). liga2.prosport.ro. 29 June 2022. Archived from the original on 30 June 2022. Retrieved 6 March 2026.
  27. ^ "Metaloglobus s-a despărțit de antrenorul Eugen Trică" [Metaloglobus parted ways with coach Eugen Trică] (in Romanian). liga2.prosport.ro. 12 September 2022. Archived from the original on 12 September 2022. Retrieved 6 March 2026.
  28. ^ "Eusebiu Tudor, alegerea Metaloglobusului pentru banca tehnică!" [Eusebiu Tudor, Metaloglobus's choice for the technical bench!] (in Romanian). liga2.prosport.ro. 20 September 2022. Archived from the original on 20 September 2022. Retrieved 6 March 2026.
  29. ^ "Meci dramatic la Târgoviște! Dinamo a revenit și a dat lovitura în prelungiri" [Dramatic match at Târgovişte! Dinamo came back and scores in overtime] (in Romanian). gsp.ro. 29 August 2023. Archived from the original on 21 March 2026. Retrieved 21 March 2026.
  30. ^ "Eusebiu Tudor a demisionat de la Metaloglobus" [Eusebiu Tudor resigned from Metaloglobus] (in Romanian). liga2.prosport.ro. 3 September 2023. Archived from the original on 16 September 2023. Retrieved 21 March 2026.
  31. ^ "Back in business în Liga 2! Ianis Zicu este, oficial, noul antrenor principal al echipei Metaloglobus" [Back in business in Liga 2! Ianis Zicu is officially the new head coach of the Metaloglobus team] (in Romanian). liga2.prosport.ro. 11 September 2023. Archived from the original on 16 September 2023. Retrieved 21 March 2026.
  32. ^ "Metaloglobus București – Poli Iași 1-0: promovare istorică pentru gazde, dezastru pentru echipa lui Miriuță!" [Metaloglobus Bucharest – Poli Iași 1-0: historic promotion for the hosts, disaster for Miriuță's team!] (in Romanian). sport.ro. 1 June 2025. Archived from the original on 21 March 2026. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
  33. ^ "Metaloglobus dă lovitura pe final și pleacă neînvinsă din Copou" [Metaloglobus strikes in the final and leaves Copou undefeated] (in Romanian). liga2.prosport.ro. 25 May 2025. Archived from the original on 26 May 2025. Retrieved 21 March 2026.
  34. ^ "A făcut-o! Metaloglobus a învins Poli Iași și a promovat în SuperLiga României" [He did it! Metaloglobus defeated Poli Iași and promoted to the Romanian SuperLiga] (in Romanian). liga2.prosport.ro. 1 June 2025. Archived from the original on 2 June 2025. Retrieved 21 March 2026.
  35. ^ "Sinteticul verde de acasă: arena Metaloglobus la debutul în Liga 3". 24 April 2015. Archived from the original on 6 October 2016. Retrieved 5 October 2016.
  36. ^ "FC METALOGLOBUS BUCURESTI" (in Romanian). Liga Profesionistă de Fotbal. Retrieved 22 July 2025.
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