Alex Pașcanu
Personal information
Full name Alexandru Ștefan Pașcanu
Date of birth (1998-09-28) 28 September 1998
Place of birth Bârlad, Romania
Height 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Position(s) Centre-back
Team information
Current team
 Sporting Gijón
(on loan from Ponferradina)
Number 25
Youth career
2007–2019 Leicester City
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2019–2022 CFR Cluj 4 (0)
2020 → Voluntari (loan) 19 (1)
2020–2022 → Ponferradina (loan) 53 (1)
2022– Ponferradina 52 (4)
2023– → Sporting Gijón (loan) 16 (1)
International career‡
2016 Romania U18 1 (0)
2016–2017 Romania U19 6 (1)
2017–2021 Romania U21 29 (1)
2021 Romania Olympic 5 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 4 January 2024
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 25 July 2021

Alexandru Ștefan Pașcanu (born 28 September 1998) is a Romanian professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Segunda División club Sporting de Gijón, on loan from Ponferradina.

Early life

Pașcanu grew up in Bogdănești, Vaslui County, before moving to England with his family where he spent the rest of his childhood and teenage years.[1]

Club career

Pașcanu began his football career in the academy of Leicester City, playing alongside the likes of Ben Chilwell, Harvey Barnes and Hamza Choudhury. He was however unable to follow them into the first-team squad, and on 30 August 2019 returned to Romania to sign with reigning champions CFR Cluj for an undisclosed fee.[2]

Pașcanu only amassed five appearances for "the White-Burgundies", before joining fellow Liga I side Voluntari in January 2020 on a loan deal until the end of the season.[3] On 28 August 2020, he was sent out on a two-year loan to Spanish Segunda División side Ponferradina.[4]

On 17 January 2022, Ponferradina announced it had reached an agreement with his parent club for the permanent transfer of Pașcanu.[5] On 12 August 2023, after Ponfe's relegation, he was loaned to Sporting de Gijón also in the second division, for one year.[6]

International career

Pașcanu started in all but one of Romania under-21's ten qualifying matches for the 2019 European Championship as the nation won its group undefeated. His performances led to a first call-up to the senior team, on 11 November 2018.[7] In the final stage of the under-21 tournament hosted by Italy and San Marino, Pașcanu aided his side in reaching the semi-finals and thus qualified the country to the 2020 Summer Olympics.

His age also made him eligible for the 2021 edition of the European Championship, where he played in all three group stage matches. Pașcanu scored the winner in a 2–1 defeat of Hungary and surpassed Ionuț Luțu to become the most capped player at under-21 level. In July that year, he went on to participate with Romania in the postponed Summer Olympics.[8]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 4 Januaryr 2024[9]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season Division League National Cup Continental Other Total
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
CFR Cluj 2019–20 Liga I 4 0 1 0 0 0 — 5 0
Voluntari (loan) 2019–20 19 1 0 0 — — 19 1
Ponferradina (loan) 2020–21 Segunda División 33 1 1 0 — — 34 1
2021–22 36 2 1 0 — — 37 2
Ponferradina 2022–23 36 2 0 0 — — 36 2
Total 105 5 2 0 — — 107 5
Sporting Gijón (loan) 2023–24 Segunda División 16 1 0 0 — — 16 1
Career total 144 7 3 0 0 0 0 0 147 7

Honours

CFR Cluj

Individual

References

  1. ↑ "Cu Vardy în echipă! Ascensiunea fulminantă a lui Alex Pașcanu, luat de Ranieri la antrenamentele seniorilor campioanei Angliei" (in Romanian). Gazeta Sporturilor. 11 January 2017.
  2. ↑ "Youngster Pascanu joins CFR Cluj". Leicester City F.C. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
  3. ↑ "BUN VENIT, ALEX PAȘCANU!" (in Romanian). Voluntari. 17 January 2020. Retrieved 17 January 2020.
  4. ↑ "Alexandru Pascanu, nuevo jugador de la SD Ponferradina" [Alexandru Pascanu, new player of SD Ponferradina] (in Spanish). SD Ponferradina. 28 August 2020. Retrieved 2 September 2020.
  5. ↑ "Acuerdo para la adquisición de los derechos de Pascanu" [Agreement for the acquisition of Pascanu's rights] (in Spanish). SD Ponferradina. 17 January 2022. Retrieved 21 January 2022.
  6. ↑ "Acuerdo para la cesión de Alexandru Pascanu al Real Sporting" [Agreement for the loan of Alexandru Pascanu to Real Sporting] (in Spanish). SD Ponferradina. 12 August 2023. Retrieved 12 August 2023.
  7. ↑ "Lotul României pentru partidele cu Lituania și Muntenegru" [Romania's squad for the fixtures against Lithuania and Montenegro] (in Romanian). Romanian Football Federation. 11 November 2018.
  8. ↑ "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 12 September 2021.
  9. ↑ Alex Pașcanu at Soccerway. Retrieved 12 September 2021.
  10. ↑ "Un roman, jucatorul ANULUI la Leicester! Urias: Alex Pascanu, cel mai bun fotbalist al academiei fostei campioane a Angliei" (in Romanian). Pro X. 16 May 2017.
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