Constantin Varga

{{Infobox football biography

| name = Constantin Varga

| image =

| image_size =

| fullname =

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1964|09|18|df=y}}{{RomanianSoccer|4778/constantin-varga}}

| birth_place = Timișoara, Romania

| death_date =

| death_place =

| height =

| position = Left back

| youthyears1 = 1972–1978 |youthclubs1 = Politehnica Timișoara

| youthyears2 = 1978–1982 |youthclubs2 = Luceafărul București

| youthyears3 = 1984–1985 |youthclubs3 = ASA Târgu Mureș

| years1 = 1982–1983 |clubs1 = Unirea Sânnicolau Mare |caps1 = |goals1 =

| years2 = 1983–1984 |clubs2 = Unirea Tomnatic |caps2 = |goals2 =

| years3 = 1985 |clubs3 = Bihorul Beiuș |caps3 = |goals3 =

| years4 = 1986–1994 |clubs4 = Politehnica Timișoara |caps4 = 271 |goals4 = 71

| years5 = 1994 |clubs5 = → Győri ETO (loan) |caps5 = 4 |goals5 = 1

| years6 = 1995–1996 |clubs6 = Dinamo București |caps6 = 47 |goals6 = 3

| years7 = 1996–1997 |clubs7 = UTA Arad |caps7 = 25 |goals7 = 4

| years8 = 1997–1998 |clubs8 = UM Timișoara |caps8 = 30 |goals8 = 13

| years9 = 1998–1999 |clubs9 = Politehnica Timișoara |caps9 = 3 |goals9 = 0

| years10 = 1999–2007 |clubs10 = Minerul Moldova Nouă |caps10 = |goals10 =

| years11 = 2013 |clubs11 = ASU Politehnica Timișoara |caps11 = 10 |goals11 = 2

| totalcaps = 390 | totalgoals = 94

| nationalyears1 = 1992 | nationalteam1 = Romania | nationalcaps1 = 1 | nationalgoals1 = 1

| pcupdate = 17 January 2020

}}

Constantin Varga (born 18 September 1964) is a Romanian former footballer who played as a defender.{{cite web | url=https://adevarul.ro/locale/timisoara/unul-jucatorii-legendari-politehnicii-timisoara-juca-nou-alb-violet-1_5107773c703bef3647bc28fc/index.html | title=Unul dintre jucătorii legendari ai Politehnicii Timişoara va juca din nou în alb-violet| publisher=Adevarul.ro| language=Romanian |trans-title=One of the legendary players from Politehnica Timişoara will play again in white-purple| date=29 January 2013 | access-date=17 January 2020}}{{cite web|url=https://ziarultimisoara.ro/oamenii-cetatii/1872-povestea-fundasului-de-legenda-al-lui-poli-timisoara|title=Povestea fundașului de legendă al lui Poli Timișoara|trans-title=The story of the legendary defender of Poli Timisoara|date=11 September 2015|publisher=Ziarultimisoara.ro| language=Romanian|access-date=17 January 2020}}

Club career

=Early career=

Varga, nicknamed "Piticul" (The Dwarf) was born on 18 September 1964 in Timișoara, Romania, starting to play junior level football at local club, Politehnica under the guidance of coach Bodo Carol.{{cite web|url=https://tikitaka.ro/constantin-titi-varga-fotbalisti-de-legenda/|title=Constantin "Titi" Varga – fotbaliști de legendă|trans-title=Constantin "Titi" Varga – legendary footballers|publisher=Tikitaka.ro| language=Romanian|access-date=11 March 2025}} When he was aged 14 he went at Luceafărul București where he was teammate with Gheorghe Hagi and Miodrag Belodedici, staying there until he turned 18 and started his senior career at Divizia C club, Unirea Sânnicolau Mare. After one year he went at Unirea Tomnatic in the same league. Another year later he went to play for the youth of ASA Târgu Mureș. After about half of year spent at ASA he went at fourth league team, Bihorul Beiuș which he helped earn promotion to Divizia C.

=Politehnica Timișoara=

In 1986, Varga returned to Politehnica where he was wanted by coach Robert Cosmoc, making his Divizia A debut on 30 March in a 5–0 away loss to Universitatea Craiova. At the end of his first season, the team relegated to Divizia B but Varga stayed with the club, helping it promote back after one year. In the following season, Politehnica relegated once again but he helped it once more to promote back to the first league by scoring 14 goals in the 1988–89 Divizia B season. He started playing in European competitions in the 1990–91 UEFA Cup where coach Constantin Rădulescu used him in three matches, as in the first round they got past Atlético Madrid with 2–1 on aggregate, being eliminated in the next round by Sporting Lisbon against whom he scored once.{{cite web|url=https://welovesport.ro/stiri/fotbal-vintage-trei-decenii-de-la-o-mare-victorie-poli-atletico-madrid-2-0-4328|title=Trei decenii de la o mare victorie: Poli - Atletico Madrid 2-0|publisher=Welovesport.ro |language=Romanian|trans-title=Three decades since a great victory: Poli - Atletico Madrid 2-0|date=21 September 2020 |access-date=10 April 2023}}
{{cite web|publisher=WorldFootball|url=https://www.worldfootball.net/player_summary/constantin-varga/uefa-cup-1990-1991/fc-timisoara/3/|title=Constantin Varga. UEFA Cup 1990/1991|access-date=11 February 2025}} He helped the club reach the 1992 Cupa României final, coach Ion Ionescu using him all the minutes in the loss at the penalty shoot-out to Steaua București, Varga netting Politehnica's first spot kick.{{cite web|url=https://www.romaniansoccer.ro/romanian_cup/1991_1992.shtml|title=Romanian Cup - Season 1991 - 1992|publisher=RomanianSoccer|access-date=17 January 2020}} He then participated with the club at the 1992–93 UEFA Cup edition where in the first round they faced Real Madrid, obtaining a 1–1 draw at Timișoara and losing with 4–0 on Santiago Bernabéu.{{cite web|publisher=WorldFootball|url=https://www.worldfootball.net/player_summary/constantin-varga/uefa-cup-1992-1993/fc-timisoara/3/|title=Constantin Varga. UEFA Cup 1992/1993|access-date=11 February 2025}} During his years spent with The White-Purples, Varga was known for his ability of scoring from free kicks, most notably scoring with a long-distance shot in a historical victory from 1987 against Dinamo București. He also scored three goals in three West derby victories against UTA Arad.{{cite web | url=https://www.druckeria.ro/sapte-decenii-cifre-statistica-derby-urilor-poli-uta-disputate-la-timisoara/ | title=Șapte decenii în cifre! Statistica derby-urilor Poli – UTA, disputate la Timișoara| publisher=Druckeria.ro| language=Romanian |trans-title=Seven decades in numbers! Poli - UTA derby statistics, played in Timișoara| date=13 October 2017| access-date=11 March 2025}}
{{cite web | url=https://www.druckeria.ro/de-70-de-ani-avem-uta-poli-rezultatele-marcatorii-si-statistica-derby-urilor-gazduite-de-aradeni/ | title=De 70 de ani avem UTA – Poli! Rezultatele, marcatorii și statistica derby-urilor găzduite de arădeni| publisher=Druckeria.ro| language=Romanian |trans-title=For 70 years we have had UTA - Poli! The results, scorers and statistics of the derbies hosted by the people of Arad| date=22 April 2018| access-date=11 March 2025}}

=Győri ETO and return to Politehnica=

In 1994, Varga had his only experience outside Romania at Hungarian team, Győri ETO where he played alongside compatriot and former Politehnica teammate, Lucian Popescu. He made his Nemzeti Bajnokság I on 7 May as coach József Verebes used him in the first half of a 3–1 home win over Ferencvárosi, replacing him for the second half with Miklós Herczeg.{{cite web | url=https://www.nela.hu/nb_jatekos.php?id=2942| title=Constantin Varga profile| publisher=Nela.hu| language=Hungarian | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160302225559/https://www.nela.hu/nb_jatekos.php?id=2942| access-date=27 February 2025| archive-date=2 March 2016}}{{cite web | url=https://www.magyarfutball.hu/hu/merkozesek/1994-05-07/gyor-ferencvaros| title=ETO FC Győr - Ferencvárosi TC 3 : 1| publisher=Magyarfutball.hu| language=Hungarian | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221016230924/https://www.magyarfutball.hu/hu/merkozesek/1994-05-07/gyor-ferencvaros| access-date=27 February 2025| archive-date=16 October 2022}} Varga scored his only goal for Győri in a 1–1 draw against Debrecen, making his fourth and last Nemzeti Bajnokság I appearance 28 May in a 3–0 away loss to BVSC.{{cite web | url=https://www.magyarfutball.hu/hu/merkozes/10211| title=Budapesti VSC-Dreher - ETO FC Győr 3 : 0| publisher=Magyarfutball.hu| language=Hungarian | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240527224720/https://www.magyarfutball.hu/hu/merkozes/10211| access-date=27 February 2025| archive-date=27 May 2024}} He then returned to Politehnica for the first half of the 1994–95 Divizia B season, leaving for the second half to go play for Dinamo, Poli managing to promote to the first league without him.

=Dinamo București=

In his first season at Dinamo, Varga worked with coach Remus Vlad, finishing third in the league.{{cite web|publisher=RomanianSoccer|url=https://www.romaniansoccer.ro/stiri/68397/dinamo-bucuresti-in-1994-95.htm|title=Dinamo Bucuresti in 1994–95|access-date=11 February 2025}} Afterwards he played in both legs of the 2–1 aggregate loss to Levski Sofia from the preliminary round of the 1995–96 UEFA Cup.{{cite web|publisher=WorldFootball|url=https://www.worldfootball.net/player_summary/constantin-varga/uefa-cup-qualifikation-1995-1996/dinamo-bucuresti/3/|title=Constantin Varga. UEFA Cup qualifiers 1995/1996|access-date=11 February 2025}} He made his last Divizia A appearance on 20 April 1996 in Dinamo's 1–1 home draw against Rapid București, having a total of 238 matches with 50 goals scored in the competition.

=Late career=

In the following three seasons he played in Divizia B for UTA Arad, UM Timișoara and once again Politehnica Timișoara. He would continue to play in the Romanian lower leagues until he was in his 50s, at teams like Minerul Moldova Nouă or ASU Politehnica Timișoara.

International career

Varga played one friendly game for Romania on 26 August 1992 under coach Cornel Dinu in which he opened the score with a free kick in a 2–0 victory against Mexico.{{cite web|url=https://eu-football.info/_player.php?id=21923|title=Constantin Varga|publisher=European Football|access-date=17 January 2020}}{{cite web|url=https://eu-football.info/_match.php?id=9587|title=Romania - Mexico 2:0|publisher=European Football|access-date=17 January 2020}}