Alexandru Spiridon
{{Short description|Moldovan footballer and manager}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2024}}
{{Infobox football biography
| name = Alexandru Spiridon
| image = Alexandru_Spiridon.jpg
| full_name =
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1960|7|20}}
| birth_place = Edineț, Moldavian SSR, Soviet Union
| height = 1.88 m
| position = Midfielder
| currentclub =
| youthyears1 =
| youthclubs1 =
| years1 = 1976–1981
| clubs1 = Nistru Chișinău
| caps1 = 54
| goals1 = 2
| years2 = 1982
| clubs2 = SKA Kiev
| caps2 = 34
| goals2 = 3
| years3 = 1983
| clubs3 = Zorya Voroshylovhrad
| caps3 = 4
| goals3 = 0
| years4 = 1983–1986
| clubs4 = Nistru Chișinău
| caps4 = 84
| goals4 = 7
| years5 = 1987–1990
| clubs5 = Zaria Bălți
| caps5 = 133
| goals5 = 48
| years6 = 1991
| clubs6 = Zimbru Chișinău
| caps6 = 32
| goals6 = 5
| years7 = 1992–1996
| clubs7 = Zimbru Chișinău
| caps7 = 85
| goals7 = 42
| years8 = 1996–1997
| clubs8 = Tiligul Tiraspol
| caps8 = 7
| goals8 = 6
| nationalyears1 = 1992–1995
| nationalteam1 = Moldova
| nationalcaps1 = 16
| nationalgoals1 = 2
| manageryears1 = 1994–1996
| managerclubs1 = Zimbru Chișinău
| manageryears2 = 1994–2000
| managerclubs2 = Moldova (assistant)
| manageryears3 = 1997–1999
| managerclubs3 = Tiligul Tiraspol
| manageryears4 = 2000–2001
| managerclubs4 = Moldova U21
| manageryears5 = 2001
| managerclubs5 = Moldova
| manageryears6 = 2000–2001
| managerclubs6 = Zimbru Chișinău
| manageryears7 = 2002–2004
| managerclubs7 = Nistru Otaci
| manageryears8 = 2004–2016
| managerclubs8 = Shakhtar Donetsk (assistant)
| manageryears9 = 2016–2017
| managerclubs9 = Zenit Saint Petersburg (assistant)
| manageryears10 = 2018–2019
| managerclubs10 = Moldova
| caption = Spiridon in 2016
}}
Alexandru Spiridon (born 20 July 1960) is a former professional footballer and current football manager from Moldova. Spiridon played as a midfielder during his football career, winning the Moldovan Footballer of the Year award in 1992. He made 16 appearances for the national team, scoring one goal. He worked as the assistant manager at Russian club Zenit Saint Petersburg, joining the club in 2016 with manager Mircea Lucescu.
Playing career
Spiridon played as a midfielder during his football career, winning the Moldovan Footballer of the Year award in 1992.{{citation needed|date=September 2016}} He began his career at Nistru Chișinău, where his progression was hampered by a baldy broken leg, before moving to SKA Kiev in 1982.{{cite web|title=Alexandru Spiridon|url=http://www.national-football-teams.com/player/16145/Alexandru_Spiridon.html|accessdate=22 October 2013}} He scored 3 goals in 34 games for the club.{{cite web|title=SKA Kiev - 1982|url=http://www.national-football-teams.com/club/2639/1982/Ska_Kiev.html|accessdate=22 October 2013}} Spiridon rejoined Nistru Chișinău in 1983 and played 19 times in his first season.{{cite web|title=Nistru Chișinău - 1983|url=http://www.national-football-teams.com/club/6135/1983/Nistru_Kishinev.html|accessdate=22 October 2013}} He made 16 appearances the following year,{{cite web|title=Nistru Chișinău - 1984|url=http://www.national-football-teams.com/club/6135/1984/Nistru_Kishinev.html|accessdate=22 October 2013}} and played 23 times for the club in 1985, scoring 4 goals.{{cite web|title=Nistru Chișinău - 1985|url=http://www.national-football-teams.com/club/6135/1985/Nistru_Kishinev.html|accessdate=22 October 2013}} In 1986, he played 27 matches and scored 3 goals.{{cite web|title=Nistru Chișinău - 1986|url=http://www.national-football-teams.com/club/6135/1986/Nistru_Kishinev.html|accessdate=22 October 2013}} He joined Zarya Bălți in 1987 and moved to Zimbru Chișinău in 1991. He was named the Moldovan Footballer of the Year award in 1992 and scored 12 goals in 30 appearances in the 1992-93 season.{{cite web|title=Zimbru Chișinău - 1982/83|url=http://www.national-football-teams.com/club/1658/1992/Zimbru_Chisinau.html|accessdate=22 October 2013}} In the 1993-94 season, he scored 13 goals in 20 games for the club.{{cite web|title=Zimbru Chișinău - 1983/84|url=http://www.national-football-teams.com/club/1658/1993/Zimbru_Chisinau.html|accessdate=22 October 2013}} He won five league titles in a row with the club between 1992 and 1996. He joined Tiligul Tiraspol in 1996 and ended his playing career with the club.
Spiridon made 16 appearances for the national team, scoring two goals.{{cite web|title=International appearances of Alexandru Spiridon|url=http://eu-football.info/_player.php?id=19846|publisher=eu-football.info|accessdate=23 November 2013}} On 2 July, in a friendly match against Georgia he scored the first goal in the history of recently created national team.
He played his last international match on 29 March 1995 in a 3–0 defeat to Albania.{{cite web|title=Albania vs Moldova 3-0|url=https://int.soccerway.com/matches/1995/03/29/europe/european-championship-qualification/albania/moldova/628911/|accessdate=22 October 2013}}
Managerial career
Spiridon joined Ukrainian side Shakhtar Donetsk in 2004 as the assistant manager to Mircea Lucescu. Shakhtar won the Ukrainian Premier League title in the 2004–05 season. Shakhtar have won the league seven times during Spiridon's time as assistant manager (2004–05, 2005–06, 2007–08, 2009–10, 2010–11, 2011–12, 2012–13). They have also won four Ukrainian Cup trophies (2007–08, 2010–11, 2011–12, 2012–13) and five Ukrainian Super Cup trophies (2005, 2008, 2011, 2012, 2013). Shakhtar also won their first European trophy in the 2008–09 UEFA Cup, the last UEFA Cup before its rebranding as the UEFA Europa League.{{citation needed|date=September 2016}}
When on 24 May 2016, Mircea Lucescu signed a contract with Russian club Zenit Saint Petersburg, Spiridon also moved to that club as assistant manager to Lucescu.[http://jurnal.md/ro/sport/2016/5/24/alexandru-spiridon-antrenor-secund-la-zenit/ Alexandru Spiridon, antrenor secund la Zenit], jurnal.md
Career statistics
| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;"
! colspan=7 | International goals of Alexandru Spiridon{{cite web | url = http://eu-football.info/_player.php?id=19846 | title = Football PLAYER: Alexandru Spiridon | publisher = eu-football.info | accessdate = 7 October 2015}} | ||||||
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 2 July 1991 | Stadionul Republican, Chișinău, Moldova | {{fb|GEO|1990}} | 1–2 | 2–4 | Friendly |
| 2. | 22 August 1992 | Amman International Stadium, Amman, Jordan | {{fb|SUD}} | 1–0 | 2–1 | Friendly |
Managerial statistics
:{{As of|2019|06|11}}
| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center" | ||||
| rowspan="2"|Team
!rowspan="2"|From !rowspan="2"|To !colspan="5"|Record | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | D | L | Win % |
| align=left|Moldova
|align=left|2018 |align=left|2019 {{WDL|15|3|5|7}} | ||||
| colspan="3"|Total
{{WDLtot|15|3|5|7|decimals=2}} |
Honours
{{citation needed|date=September 2016}}
=As player=
;Zimbru Chișinău
::Champion (5): 1992, 1992–93, 1993–94, 1994–95, 1995–96
::Runner-up (1): 1996–97
::Winner (1): 1996–97
- Moldovan Footballer of the Year (1): 1992
=As assistant manager=
;Shakhtar Donetsk
::Winner (1): 2008–09
::Champion (8): 2004–05, 2005–06, 2007–08, 2009–10, 2010–11, 2011–12, 2012–13, 2013–14
::Runner-up (4): 2006–07, 2008–09, 2014–15, 2015–16
::Winner (6): 2003–04, 2007–08, 2010–11, 2011–12, 2012–13, 2015–16
::Winner (7): 2005, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
{{commons category}}
- {{NFT|16145}}
- {{EU-Football.info|19846}}
- {{Soccerway coach|lilian-popescu/230578}}
- {{Soccerway|lilian-popescu/225762}}
- [http://www.eurosport.com/football/alexandru-spiridon_prs210091/person.shtml Profile at Eurosport]
{{Moldovan Footballer of the Year}}
{{Moldova national football team managers}}
{{FC Zimbru Chișinău managers}}
{{FC Nistru Otaci managers}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Spiridon, Alexandru}}
Category:Soviet men's footballers
Category:Moldovan men's footballers
Category:Moldovan Super Liga players
Category:FC Zimbru Chișinău players
Category:FC Zorya Luhansk players
Category:Moldovan football managers
Category:People from Edineț District
Category:Moldova men's international footballers
Category:Moldova national football team managers
Category:FC Zimbru Chișinău managers
Category:FC Nistru Otaci managers
Category:FC Shakhtar Donetsk non-playing staff
Category:Moldovan expatriate sportspeople in Ukraine
Category:FC Zenit Saint Petersburg non-playing staff
Category:Men's association football midfielders