Cosmin Gabriel Matei (; born 30 September 1991) is a Romanian professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder or a winger for Liga I club Sepsi OSK, which he captains.
Matei started out his senior career at Farul Constanța in 2008, and has since represented Steaua București, Astra Ploiești, Dinamo București, Viitorul Constanța and Sepsi OSK in his country. Abroad, he competed for teams in Greece, Turkey and Croatia, respectively.
Internationally, Matei earned caps for Romania at under-17, under-19 and under-21 levels, before making his full debut in May 2014.
Club career
Farul Constanța Matei made his Liga I debut for Farul Constanța on 18 October 2008, in a match against Politehnica Timișoara.
Steaua București Matei was transferred to Steaua București in July 2010. On 22 August, he recorded his league debut by coming on as a 85th-minute substitute for Romeo Surdu in a 3–0 win over Vaslui.
On 4 September 2010, Matei made his debut for Steaua's reserves in a Liga II game against Juventus București, entering in the 17th minute as they won 1–0.
Astra Ploiești In June 2011, Matei was transferred to Astra Ploiești. He did not impress during his stint in Prahova County, appearing in only five matches without scoring.
Dinamo București In August 2012, Matei penned down a five-year contract with Dinamo București, the cross-town rival of his former club Steaua. He scored his first goal in a game against Universitatea Cluj, on 2 May that year.
Atromitos In January 2016, Matei moved abroad for the first time after joining Greek club Atromitos for an undisclosed transfer fee.
Gençlerbirliği On 10 August 2016, Süper Lig side Gençlerbirliği announced the signing of Matei on a three-year deal.
Viitorul Constanța On 26 August 2019, Matei returned to Romania by agreeing to a two-year contract with Viitorul Constanța.Bine ai venit, Cosmin Matei! [Welcome, Cosmin Matei!]. fcviitorul.ro
Return to Dinamo București In September 2021, Matei returned to Dinamo București as one of the experienced players in a youth-oriented squad. After several unconvincing performances, he was excluded from the first team in December 2021 by manager Mircea Rednic. He resumed trainings the following month after Rednic's dismissal, but Dinamo continued its poor results which led to the first relegation in the club history.
Matei became the first player to depart Dinamo after the relegation, only three days after featuring 73 minutes in the decisive promotion/relegation play-off match against Universitatea Cluj.
Sepsi OSK On 2 June 2022, shortly after Dinamo București's relegation, Matei remained in the Liga I by signing a two-year contract with Sepsi OSK. He made his debut on 9 July, in a 2–1 victory over CFR Cluj in the Supercupa României.
International career Matei made his debut for the Romania national team in a friendly against Albania played in Switzerland, in May 2014.
Career statistics
Club
+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competitionClubSeasonLeagueNational cupContinentalOtherTotalDivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsFarul Constanța2008–09Liga I12010——1302009–10Liga II23400——234Total354100000364Steaua București2010–11Liga I502020—90Astra Ploiești2011–12Liga I6110——71Dinamo București2011–12Liga I7210——822012–13Liga I2851020103252013–14Liga I29831——3292014–15Liga I26310—202932015–16Liga I19220—20232Total1092081205012421Atromitos2015–16Super League Greece11130——141Gençlerbirliği2016–17Süper Lig12140——1612018–19TFF 1. Lig16042——202Total281820000363Istra 1961 (loan)2017–181. HNL143———143Viitorul Constanța2019–20Liga I23410——2442020–21Liga I33110——341Total565200000585Dinamo București2021–22Liga I20221—20243Sepsi OSK2022–23Liga I35652411145102023–24Liga I2952152103782024–25Liga I27300——2732025–26Liga II28530——3152026–27Liga I3100——31Total12220103932114327Career total406573771339146568
International
+ Appearances and goals by national team and yearNational teamYearAppsGoalsRomania201420Total20
Honours Steaua București Cupa României: 2010–11
Dinamo București Cupa României: 2011–12 Supercupa României: 2012
Sepsi OSK Cupa României: 2022–23 Supercupa României: 2022, 2023
Individual Liga I Player of the Month: April 2014Jucătorul lunii aprilie ; Digisport.ro, 28 April 2014
References
External links