A bit of absolute tomfoolery was accomplished in the Romanian Cup on Wednesday when 14-year-old Ianis Stoica was handed his professional debut in Steaua Bucharest’s match against Sanatatea Cluj as a substitute and duly scored in the 92nd minute of his side’s 6-1 victory.
At the age of 14 years, ten months and 13 days, Stoica is now the youngest ever goalscorer in the history of the 26-time Romanian champions.
“I’ve known since Sunday that I would be in the squad for this match,” said Stoica. “When the staff told me to start warming up, my feet became weak. It’s a dream, unbelievable. I could write a book about this.
“I’ve played football since the age of eight and my life is dedicated to this sport. Sometimes I train twice a day. The dream of all players is to play for Steaua and my father explained to me how difficult it is to wear their shirt. Even during training it’s hard for me to wear it. At the age of 14 it is fantastic.!”
Steaua won the European Cup back in 1986 and it's been the home of talents like Marius Lacatus, Gheorghe Hagi and Victor Piturca.
Ianis Stoica celebrates his debut goal for Steaua. Photo: @Andersinho_ITA | Twitter
Although Stoica is now Steaua’s youngest ever goalscorer, a debut was also given to Roberto Malaele on Wednesday, aged 14 years, six months and 26 days. Malaele is now the youngest player in the history of Romanian top flight football.
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