Mihai Costea

{{Infobox football biography

| name = Mihai Costea

| image = Mihai Costea.jpg

| image_size = 230px

| fullname = Mihai Alexandru Costea

| height = 1.79 m

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1988|5|29}}

| birth_place = Drăgășani, Romania

| position = Forward

| currentclub = Sparta Râmnicu Vâlcea

| clubnumber = 25

| youthyears1 = {{0|0000}}–2005

| youthclubs1 = CSM Râmnicu Vâlcea

| youthyears2 = 2006–2007

| youthclubs2 = Universitatea Craiova

| years1 = 2006–2011 | clubs1 = Universitatea Craiova | caps1 = 83 | goals1 = 14

| years2 = 2011–2015 | clubs2 = Steaua București | caps2 = 35 | goals2 = 9

| years3 = 2015–2016 | clubs3 = Voluntari | caps3 = 7 | goals3 = 0

| years4 = 2016 | clubs4 = Ittihad Kalba | caps4 = 14 | goals4 = 17

| years5 = 2017–2018 | clubs5 = Al-Fujairah | caps5 = 14 | goals5 = 5

| years6 = 2018–2019 | clubs6 = Al-Arabi | caps6 = 11 | goals6 = 10

| years7 = 2020–2021 | clubs7 = Chindia Târgoviște | caps7 = 13 | goals7 = 0

| years8 = 2022 | clubs8 = Progresul 05 București | caps8= | goals8=

| years9 = 2022–2023 | clubs9 = ARO Câmpulung | caps9= 14 | goals9= 16

| years10 = 2023 | clubs10 = Viitorul Dăești | caps10 = 11 | goals10 = 10

| years11 = 2023–2024 | clubs11 = Mioveni | caps11 = 19 | goals11 = 1

| years12 = 2024– | clubs12 = Sparta Râmnicu Vâlcea | caps12 = 0 | goals12 = 0

| nationalyears1 = 2009–2010

| nationalteam1 = Romania U21

| nationalcaps1 = 13

| nationalgoals1 = 1

| pcupdate = 15:15, 8 December 2024 (UTC)

}}

Mihai Alexandru Costea (born 29 May 1988) is a Romanian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Sparta Râmnicu Vâlcea. He is the younger brother of Florin Costea.{{cite web|url=http://www.digisport.ro/Sport/FOTBAL/florin+si+mihai+costea+revin+in+fotbal|title=Fraţii Florin și Mihai Costea revin în fotbal. Nu vor să mai audă de Liga 1|publisher=digisport.ro|language=Romanian |trans-title=The brothers Florin and Mihai Costea return to football. They don't want to hear about Liga 1 anymore|access-date= 8 October 2017}}{{cite web|url=http://www.cancan.ro/succesul-lui-mihai-costea-drama-fratelui-sau-15536611|title=Succesul lui MIHAI COSTEA, drama fratelui său!|publisher=cancan.ro|language=Romanian |trans-title=The success of MIHAI COSTEA, the drama of his brother!|access-date= 8 October 2017}}

Club career

=FC U Craiova=

Costea played in Universitatea Craiova youth team. In 2008 the player was promoted to the first team, where he joined his older brother Florin Costea. Though his favorite positions are striker or winger, due to lack of players at Universitatea Craiova he was often used as a left midfielder. This usually brought criticism to Universitatea Craiova officials.[http://www.adevarul.ro/sport/fotbal_intern/emeric_ienei_0_516548557.html Adevarul.ro Costea]

= Steaua București =

Costea was transferred to Steaua București for a reported transfer fee of €1.4 million.[http://www.prosport.ro/fotbal-intern/liga-1/exclusiv-mihai-costea-va-semna-cu-steaua-vezi-ce-suma-va-primi-craiova-8090855 EXCLUSIV Mihai Costea va semna cu Steaua! VEZI ce sumă va primi Craiova! (Romanian)]

In July 2013, Costea was excluded from the team, after refusing to comply with the team schedule, being unhappy that he wasn't called for game against Vardar Skopje, in the Champions League qualifying stage.{{cite web |url=http://www.mediafax.ro/sport/mihai-costea-a-fost-exclus-din-lotul-echipei-steaua-11129289 |title=Mihai Costea a fost EXCLUS din lotul echipei Steaua |author=Adrian Petculescu |year=2013 |publisher=Mediafax |language=Romanian}}

= Gulf =

In 2016, it was announced that United Arab Emirates's Al-Ittihad Kalba signed Romanian free-agent Mihai Costea.{{cite web |url=http://www.digisport.ro/Sport/FOTBAL/Competitii/Fotbal+International/video+mihai+costea+al+ittihad+kalba |title=Hat-trick Mihai Costea şi promovare cu Al Ittihad Kalba: "Lumea îmi apreciază munca" |year=2016 |publisher=digisport.ro |language=Romanian}} Costea concluded his debut season as the club's top scorer with 17 goals in addition to ten league assists in only eleven games played.

International career

Costea was a Romania U-21 international being capped thirteen times and scored one goal against Latvia U-21 on 14 November 2009.[http://www.prosport.ro/fotbal-intern/nationala/live-text-romania-letonia-4-0-hora-marcheaza-5105432 Costea deschide scorul cu Letonia]