Introduction
Cosmin Marius Contra (born 15 December 1975) is a Romanian retired footballer who played mainly as a right back, and a current manager.
Offensive-minded, he could also appear as a midfielder, and played professionally in four countries (his own included), mainly in Spain where he appeared for mainly Getafe, which he helped consolidate in La Liga. He amassed totals in the competition of 188 games and eight goals over the course of one full decade, also playing with Alavés and Atlético Madrid.
A Romanian international for nearly 15 years, Contra represented the nation in two European Championships.
Playing career
Club
Early years / Alavés
Born in Timişoara, Contra started his professional career at local FC Politehnica, and moved in January 1996 to arch-rivals FC Dinamo Bucureşti.
After three-and-a-half seasons with the capital-based team, he was transferred for $800.000 to Spain's Deportivo Alavés, where he was an important part in the Basque side's runner-up run in the UEFA Cup, his performances earning him in a place in the season's UEFA Team of the Year; he also scored five La Liga goals in his two years combined.
Milan / Atlético
In the 2001 summer, Contra moved to Italian giants A.C. Milan, but his spell there lasted only one season. In September 2002 he returned to Spain and signed with Atlético Madrid, playing two years with the Colchoneros even though he appeared very rarely in his second due to a serious ankle condition; while still with Milan, he was suspended after a scuffle with Juventus FC's Edgar Davids.
Contra signed for West Bromwich Albion on loan in August 2004, making his debut in a 1–2 defeat at Colchester United for the campaign's 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 the last game of his spell, a 0–5 home defeat to Liverpool. He then returned to his country and Liga I, at the club which brought him up as a player, Politehnica Timisoara, where he managed to be recalled to the national side due to his good performances.
Getafe / Late career
Contra returned to Spain in August 2005, agreeing to a season-long loan with Getafe CF which was subsequently made permanent. 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 bout against FC 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 FC, appearing in that match even though his father had died just hours before; in September 2006, he became a naturalized Spanish citizen.
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 FC Timișoara initially until June. On 26 February 2010 he made his debut in his second spell for the club, netting from a 30-yard a free kick against FC Politehnica Iaşi. Two months later, against FC Steaua Bucureşti, he again found the net from two set pieces, one from a penalty kick; 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 with the club, being announced as Timișoara's new player-coach six days later.
International
Over 14 years, Contra earned 73 caps for Romania, scoring 11 goals. He appeared for his country at UEFA Euro 2000 and 2008.
On 1 April 2009, after a match with Austria, Contra announced his retirement from international football. On 30 August 2010, however, the 34-year-old was recalled for two Euro 2012 qualifiers against Albania and Belarus.
International goals
-
- Scores and results table. Romania's goal tally first:
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 28 March 2001 | Boris Paichadze, Tbilisi, Georgia |  Georgia | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2002 World Cup qualification | |||||
| 2 | 14 November 2001 | Ghencea, Bucharest, Romania |  Slovenia | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2002 World Cup qualification – Playoffs | |||||
| 3 | 16 October 2002 | Josy Barthel, Luxembourg, Luxembourg |  Luxembourg | 4–0 | 7–0 | Euro 2004 qualifying | |||||
| 4 | 16 October 2002 | Josy Barthel, Luxembourg, Luxembourg | Luxembourg | 5–0 | 7–0 | Euro 2004 qualifying | |||||
| 5 | 16 October 2002 | Josy Barthel, Luxembourg, Luxembourg | Luxembourg | 7–0 | 7–0 | Euro 2004 qualifying | |||||
| 6 | 28 March 2007 | Stadionul Ceahlăul, Piatra Neamţ, Romania | Luxembourg | 2–0 | 3–0 | Euro 2008 qualifying | |||||
| 7 | 6 June 2007 | Dan Păltinişanu, Timişoara, Romania | Slovenia | 2–0 | 2–0 | Euro 2008 qualifying | |||||
Managerial career
Early career
Contra made his Timişoara debut as a manager in September 2010, with a win against FC 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 2010, being appointed at Segunda División B side CF Fuenlabrada. He started the campaign well and, after ten rounds, the team found themselves in a play-off position; however, after an offer from FC Petrolul Ploieşti 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 Romanian Cup, defeating CFR Cluj 1–0; additionally, the club finished third in the domestic league, thus securing qualification to 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 defeated 1–5 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 sacked after a long run of bad results which led the club 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 to Granada CF; on the 30th the team finally won a game, emerging victorious at Valencia CF 3–1.
On 19 May 2014, Contra managed to leave his team above the relegation zone after a 2–1 win at Rayo Vallecano.
Guangzhou R&F
On 18 December 2014, Contra was named as the new manager of Guangzhou R&F FC, replacing Sven-Göran Eriksson. He began working officially for the club on 4 January of the following year.
Alcorcón
On 15 June 2016, Contra was appointed AD Alcorcón manager. He was sacked on 12 October.
Honours
Player
Club
- Alavés
- UEFA Cup: Runner-up 2000–01
- Getafe
- Copa del Rey: Runner-up 2006–07, 2007–08
Individual
- Romanian Footballer of the Year: 2001
- UEFA Team of the Year: 2001
Manager
- Petrolul Ploiești
- Cupa României: 2012–13
- "Team of the Year 2001". UEFA.com. 3 January 2011. Retrieved 8 January 2016.
Managerial statistics
- As of 11 October 2016
| Team | Nat | From | To | Record | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | D | L | GF | GA | Win % | ||||
| FC Timișoara |  | 15 September 2010 | 5 December 2010 | 14 | 8 | 5 | 1 | 25 | 16 | 57.14 |
| Fuenlabrada |  | 21 July 2012 | 29 October 2012 | 10 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 19 | 14 | 50.00 |
| Petrolul Ploiești | | 29 October 2012 | 10 March 2014 | 58 | 33 | 20 | 5 | 99 | 48 | 56.90 |
| Getafe | | 10 March 2014 | 4 January 2015 | 30 | 10 | 8 | 12 | 30 | 35 | 33.33 |
| Guangzhou R&F |  | 4 January 2015 | 22 July 2015 | 30 | 9 | 7 | 14 | 37 | 45 | 30.00 |
| Alcorcón | | 15 June 2016 | 12 October 2016 | 11 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 9 | 36.36 |
| Total | 153 | 69 | 46 | 38 | 216 | 167 | 45.10 | |||