Cosmin Contra

Club career

Politehnica and Dinamo

Born in Timișoara, Contra started his professional career at local club Politehnica Timișoara, making his Divizia A debut under coach Costică Ștefănescu on 27 February 1994 at age 18 in a 1–0 win in the West derby against UTA Arad. At the end of his first season they were relegated to Divizia B, but he stayed with the side, promoting back after one year. Midway through 1995–96, he signed for Dinamo București at the request of coach Cornel Dinu. During his period with the Red Dogs he failed to win any trophy, the team's best performance during his stay being a runner-up finish in 1998–99; he also made his debut in European competitions, appearing in four matches in the 1996 UEFA Intertoto Cup and two in the 1997–98 UEFA Cup.

Alavés

After three and a half campaigns with Dinamo, Contra was transferred for $800,000 to Deportivo Alavés in the Spanish La Liga. He was an important part in the Basques' runner-up run in the UEFA Cup, his performances earning him in a place in the UEFA Team of the Year.

Contra scored eight goals in all competitions during his spell at the Mendizorrotza Stadium. In December 2021, as the club celebrated its 100th birthday, he was voted its best-ever right-back by newspaper Noticias de Álava.

AC Milan and Atlético

In the summer of 2001, Contra moved to Italian club AC Milan, but his spell there lasted only one season. On 21 October, in the Derby della Madonnina against Inter Milan and as his team trailed 1–0, he was brought on as a 46th-minute substitute and scored once and provided one assist in the 4–2 victory. In August 2002, he was suspended after a scuffle with Juventus's Edgar Davids.

Contra returned to Spain in September 2002, joining Atlético Madrid. He appeared very rarely in the 2003–04 campaign, due to a serious ankle condition.

Contra signed for West Bromwich Albion on loan in August 2004, making his debut in a 2–1 defeat at Colchester United in the second round of the Football League Cup on 21 September. His maiden Premier League appearance occurred almost two months later, when they lost 2–1 at home against Middlesbrough.

Overall, the loan was not particularly successful, with Contra playing just six games and receiving a red card in his last match, a 0–5 home loss to Liverpool. He then returned to his country and Liga I, at the club which brought him up as a player, Politehnica Timișoara, where he managed to be recalled to the national side due to his performances.

Getafe

Contra returned to Spain in August 2005, agreeing to a season-long loan with Getafe which was subsequently made permanent (he was supposed to have arrived at the Coliseum Alfonso Pérez before, but the move was blocked because the squad had too many non-EU players, and his compatriot Gheorghe Craioveanu only ceased to be considered a foreigner the same year). He was used regularly by the Madrid outskirts side, battling for a first-team slot with David Cortés.

In the 2007–08 UEFA Cup, Contra netted in both legs of the quarter-final tie against Bayern Munich, which ended in a 4–4 aggregate elimination after extra time. Earlier in the competition, he scored a penalty kick against AEK Athens, appearing in that match even though his father had died just hours before.

Return to Politehnica

In late January 2010, after being ousted from the starting XI by manager Míchel, Contra left Getafe and returned to his country, rejoining hometown's Politehnica Timișoara initially until June. Two months later, at Steaua București, he again found the net from two set pieces, one from a penalty (3–3 draw); during his second stint, he played mainly as a central midfielder.

On 29 August 2010, Contra scored again from a free kick and again against Steaua, in a late 1–1 equaliser. His contract expired the following day, and on 9 September he agreed to a new deal, being announced as new player-coach six days later. His last game as a player took place on 13 November 2010, in a 1–1 home draw with Unirea Urziceni.

International career

Contra earned 73 caps for Romania and scored seven goals, making his debut on 24 April 1996 at the age of 20 when coach Anghel Iordănescu brought him on in the 65th minute to replace captain Gheorghe Hagi in a friendly against Georgia which ended with a 5–0 victory. He played three games in the Euro 2000 qualifiers, being selected by Emerich Jenei to be part of the final tournament squad, where he was used as a starter the first three matches, helping the team get past the group stage, but did not play in the 2–0 loss to Italy in the quarter-finals, being suspended after receiving two yellow cards in the previous fixtures. He made nine appearances and netted twice in the 2002 FIFA World Cup qualifying phase, one in a 2–0 away victory over Georgia and one in the second leg of the play-off against Slovenia which was lost 3–2 on aggregate.

Contra made six appearances in the Euro 2004 qualifiers, scoring a hat-trick in the 7–0 away rout of Luxembourg, playing six times in the 2006 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign. He contributed six matches and two goals, one in a 3–0 victory against Luxembourg and one in the 2–0 defeat of Slovenia in qualification for Euro 2008, being used in the final tournament by manager Victor Pițurcă in all the minutes as his side failed to progress from their group.

Contra played four games in the 2010 World Cup qualifiers and, on 1 April 2009, after a match with Austria, he announced his retirement from international football; however, on 30 August 2010, the 34-year-old was recalled by manager Răzvan Lucescu for the Euro 2012 qualifiers, making his last appearance in a 1–1 draw against Albania.

Coaching career

Early career

Contra made his Timișoara debut as a manager in September 2010, with a win against Sportul Studențesc București. Even though the team never lost a game under his guidance, he was sacked after 11 matches – six wins, five draws – because of a conflict with the club's owner.

Contra returned to Spain in July 2012, being appointed at Segunda División B side Fuenlabrada. He started the campaign well and, after ten rounds, the team found themselves in a play-off position; however, after an offer from Petrolul Ploiești in his homeland arrived, he asked to be released from his contract.

Petrolul

Contra took over at Petrolul in October 2012, replacing Mircea Rednic. In his first season he reached the final of the Cupa României, defeating CFR Cluj 1–0; additionally, the club finished third in the domestic league, thus securing qualification for the Europa League after an 18-year-absence.

Petrolul managed to knock out Víkingur Gøta in the Europa League second qualifying round and Vitesse Arnhem in the third, but were eliminated in the play-offs by Swansea City after being bested 5–1 in Wales and winning 2–1 at home.

Getafe

On 10 March 2014, Contra returned to Getafe and the Spanish top flight after four years, replacing Luis García who was fired after a long run of bad results which led the team to only a point above the relegation zone, and without a league win since November. His first match in charge came four days later, a 3–3 home draw against Granada. They finally won a game on the penultimate day of the month, emerging victorious at Valencia 3–1.

On 19 May 2014, Contra confirmed survival for the side after a 2–1 away win over Rayo Vallecano.

Guangzhou R&F

On 18 December 2014, Contra was named as the new manager of Guangzhou R&F, replacing Sven-Göran Eriksson. He began working officially for the club on 4 January of the following year.

Alcorcón and Dinamo București

On 15 June 2016, Contra was appointed at Alcorcón. He was relieved of his duties on 12 October.

In February 2017, Contra became Dinamo București's new coach. He led the team to their first trophy in five years by winning the Cupa Ligii but, after advances from the Romanian Football Federation, he resigned from his post on 16 September.

Romania national team

On 17 September 2017, following Christoph Daum's dismissal, Contra was revealed as the new manager of Romania with the objective of qualifying for Euro 2020. His first game in charge was on 5 October, a 3–1 win in Ploiești against Kazakhstan in the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.

In November 2019, after the team could only finish in fourth place in the Euro 2020 qualifying phase behind Spain, Sweden and Norway, the Romanian Football Federation announced Contra would no longer continue on the bench.

Return to Dinamo

Contra returned to Dinamo București in August 2020, signing a two-year contract. He left on 3 December due to the club's financial problems.

Saudi Arabia

On 29 August 2021, Contra was appointed as manager of Al-Ittihad in the Saudi Pro League. His team led the league by 16 points over Al Hilal in February but ended the season two points behind that team, who he lost to twice.

Contra was dismissed by the Jeddah-based club in early July 2022. He was replaced by Nuno Espírito Santo.

On 6 March 2023, Contra joined Damac of the same country and league. He left in December of the following year.

Remaining in the division, Contra was then in charge of Al-Kholood for two weeks. After Harburg Group took over as the new owners, he was told he would not be retained.

Al-Arabi

On 15 October 2025, Contra became head coach of Qatar Stars League side Al-Arabi; the length of the contract was not disclosed.

Career statistics

International

:Scores and results list Romania's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Contra goal.

Managerial statistics

!W !D !L !GF !GA !GD !Win % |-

Honours

Player

Politehnica Timișoara

• Divizia B: 1994–95

Alavés

• UEFA Cup runner-up: 2000–01

Getafe

• Copa del Rey runner-up: 2006–07, 2007–08

Individual

• Romanian Footballer of the Year (Gazeta Sporturilor): 2001
• UEFA Team of the Year: 2001

Manager

Petrolul Ploiești

• Cupa României: 2012–13
• Supercupa României runner-up: 2013

Dinamo București

• Cupa Ligii: 2016–17

Individual

• Saudi Professional League Manager of the Month: February 2022

References

References

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