{{short description|Romanian footballer}} {{Use dmy dates|date=September 2017}} {{Infobox football biography | name = Emil Petru | image = Emil Petru 1963.jpg | image_size = 200px | caption = Petru in 1963 | fullname = | birth_date = {{Birth date|1939|09|28|df=y}} | birth_place = Târnăveni, Romania | death_date = {{death date and age|1995|03|01|1939|09|28|df=y}} | death_place = Cluj-Napoca, Romania | height = {{convert|1.77|m|ftin|0|abbr=on}} | position = Midfielder | youthyears1 = 1949–1955 | youthclubs1 = Știința Cluj | currentclub = | clubnumber = | years1 = 1956–1963 |clubs1 = Știința Cluj |caps1 = 129 |goals1 = 30 | years2 = 1963–1966 |clubs2 = Dinamo București |caps2 = 47 |goals2 = 4 | years3 = 1966–1967 |clubs3 = Universitatea Cluj |caps3 = 15 |goals3 = 1 | years4 = 1967–1969 |clubs4 = CFR Cluj |caps4 = 36 |goals4 = 0 |totalcaps = 227 |totalgoals = 35 | nationalyears1= 1961–1963 | nationalteam1= Romania U-23 | nationalcaps1= 2 | nationalgoals1= 0 | nationalyears2= 1961–1963 | nationalteam2= Romania B | nationalcaps2= 2 | nationalgoals2= 0 | nationalyears3= 1962–1969 | nationalteam3= Romania{{efn|name="ROM"|Including 9 appearances and two goals for Romania's Olympic team.<ref name=EU>{{cite web|url=https://eu-football.info/_player.php?id=16541|title=Emil Petru|publisher=European Football|access-date=26 January 2020}}</ref><ref>{{NFT|37660}}</ref>}} | nationalcaps3= 16 | nationalgoals3= 4 | pcupdate = 19 September 2017 | ntupdate = 19 September 2017 }}
'''Emil Petru''' (28 September 1939 – 1 March 1995) was a Romanian professional footballer who played as a midfielder.<ref name="prosport">{{cite web |title=Ei sunt copiii Clujului! Vezi cum arată 11-le ideal din toate timpurile format din jucătorii crescuţi de U şi CFR |url=https://www.prosport.ro/fotbal-intern/liga-1/ei-sunt-copiii-clujului-vezi-cum-arata-11-le-ideal-din-toate-timpurile-format-din-jucatorii-crescuti-de-u-si-cfr-8150196 |publisher=prosport.ro}}</ref> In his career, he played mainly for Universitatea Cluj and represented Romania in the 1964 Summer Olympics.
==Club career== Petru was born on 28 September 1939 in Târnăveni, Romania and began playing junior-level football in 1949 at Știința Cluj.<ref name=RS>{{RomanianSoccer|1583/emil-petru}}</ref><ref name=4ever>{{cite web | url=https://www.4everucluj.ro/jucatori/petru-emil/ | title=Emil Petru profile| publisher=4everucluj.ro| language=Romanian}}</ref> He made his Divizia A debut under coach Nicolae Munteanu on 7 October 1956 in a 3–1 away loss against Dianmo Brașov, and also appeared in an 8–0 loss to Dinamo București by the end of the season.<ref name=RS/><ref name=4ever/><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.4everucluj.ro/istorie/1956-1957/ | title=Universitatea Cluj 1956 season| publisher=4everucluj.ro| language=Romanian}}</ref> The team was relegated at the end of his first season, but Petru stayed with the club, helping it get promoted after one season with 12 goals scored in 16 appearances.<ref name=RS/><ref name=4ever/><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.4everucluj.ro/istorie/1957-1958/| title=Universitatea Cluj 1957–58 season| publisher=4everucluj.ro| language=Romanian}}</ref> This included a hat-trick against Locomotiva Arad, four goals in an away game against Tractorul Brașov and a brace in a Cluj derby against CFR Cluj.<ref name=4ever/> In the following five seasons, Petru was a constant presence for the team in the first league, the highlights of this period were two fourth positions in the 1960–61 and 1962–63 seasons, and also eight goals scored in the 1961–62 season.<ref name=RS/><ref name=4ever/> [[File:Dinamo - Jena 1963 5.jpg|thumb|left|180px|Petru scored the second goal in the 1963–64 European Cup first leg match against Motor Jena in Bucharest.]] In 1963, he joined Dinamo București.<ref name=RS/> In his first season, Petru helped them win The Double, coaches Traian Ionescu and Nicolae Dumitru using him in 23 league games in which he scored eight goals, and he also played the entire match in the 5–3 win over rivals Steaua București in the Cupa României final.<ref name=RS/><ref name=RSC>{{cite web|url=https://www.romaniansoccer.ro/menu_items/champions.shtml|title=Romania National Champions |publisher=RomanianSoccer|access-date=9 October 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.romaniansoccer.ro/romanian_cup/1963_1964.shtml|title=Romanian Cup – Season 1963–1964|publisher=RomanianSoccer|access-date=20 July 2024}}<br>{{cite web|url=https://www.romaniansoccer.ro/stiri/68324/dinamo-bucuresti-in-1963-64.htm|title=Dinamo Bucuresti in 1963–64|publisher=RomanianSoccer|access-date=30 July 2024}}<br>{{cite web | url=https://www.sport.ro/cupa-romaniei/video-finala-steaua-dinamo-cu-cei-mai-multi-spectatori-cum-s-au-omorat-70-000-de-fani-sa-vada-umilinta.html | title=Asta e prima finala Steaua - Dinamo din istorie! Omul care i-a inventat pe Lucescu si Dinu a umilit-o pe Steaua in fata a 70.000 de fani!| publisher=Sport.ro| language=Romanian |trans-title=This is the first Steaua - Dinamo final in history! The man who invented Lucescu and Dinu humiliated Steaua in front of 70,000 fans!| date=23 May 2011 | access-date=28 September 2024}}</ref> In the same season he made four appearances in the European Cup, scoring one goal in a 2–0 victory against East Germany champion Motor Jena which helped the club advance to the next phase where they were eliminated by Real Madrid.<ref name=RS/><ref>{{cite web|publisher=WorldFootball|url=https://www.worldfootball.net/person/pe122822/emil-petru/co19/uefa-champions-league/se3116/1963-1964/club-matches/|title=Emil Petru. Champions League 1963/1964|access-date=11 April 2024}}</ref> In the following season, Petru won another title with ''The Red Dogs'', contributing with four goals scored in the 19 matches he was used by coach Angelo Niculescu, including finding the net in a 2–1 derby win against Steaua.<ref name=RS/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.romaniansoccer.ro/stiri/68325/dinamo-bucuresti-in-1964-65.htm|title=Dinamo Bucuresti in 1964–65|publisher=Romaniansoccer.ro|access-date=12 April 2024}}</ref> He also played four games in the 1964–65 European Cup, scoring one goal that helped them eliminate Sliema Wanderers, the campaign ending in the following round as they were defeated by Inter Milan.<ref name=RS/><ref>{{cite web|publisher=WorldFootball|url=https://www.worldfootball.net/person/pe122822/emil-petru/co19/uefa-champions-league/se3057/1964-1965/club-matches/|title=Emil Petru. Champions League 1964/1965|access-date=11 April 2024}}</ref>
After three seasons spent at Dinamo, Petru returned to "U" Cluj where on 11 June 1967 he made his last Divizia A appearance in a 4–2 away victory over Dinamo Pitești, totaling 175 games with 31 goals in the competition.<ref name=RS/><ref name=4ever/> Afterwards, he went for the last two seasons of his career at CFR Cluj, helping the club earn promotion to the first league in his second season.<ref name=RS/><ref name=4ever/>
==International career== [[File:Echipa României (fotbal) 1963.jpg|left|thumb|250px|{{center|Petru (top row, first left) with the Romanian Olympic team in Copenhagen, Denmark (1963)}}]] Petru played seven games and scored two goals for Romania, making his debut on 30 September 1962 under coach Constantin Teașcă in a 4–0 friendly victory against Morocco.<ref name=EU/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://eu-football.info/_match.php?id=13296|title=Romania 4-0 Morocco|publisher=European Football|access-date=11 April 2024}}</ref> In his following game, also a friendly, he scored a brace in an eventual 3–2 loss to East Germany.<ref name=EU/><ref name=EU2>{{cite web|url=https://eu-football.info/_match.php?id=13304|title=East Germany 3-2 Romania|publisher=European Football|access-date=11 April 2024}}</ref> He then played in both legs of the 7–3 loss on aggregate to Spain in the 1964 European Nations' Cup qualifying preliminary round.<ref name=EU/> His last appearance for the national team took part on 9 October 1963, a 0–0 draw in a friendly against Turkey.<ref name=EU/>
Petru also played for Romania's Olympic team, scoring a brace in a 3–2 loss to Denmark during the successful 1964 Summer Olympics qualifiers.<ref name=v>{{cite news|url=https://www.11v11.com/players/mariko-daouda-144998/|title=Emil Petru profile|publisher=11v11|access-date=13 April 2024}}</ref><ref name=v2>{{cite news|url=https://www.11v11.com/players/emil-petru-168203/|title=Romania v Denmark, 03 November 1963|publisher=11v11|access-date=13 April 2024}}</ref> At the final tournament in Tokyo, coach Silviu Ploeșteanu used him in a 3–1 group stage victory against Mexico, a 2–0 loss to Hungary in the quarter-finals, and in a 3–0 win over Yugoslavia which helped the team finish in fifth place.<ref name=4ever/><ref name=v/><ref>{{cite web|publisher=WorldFootball|url=https://www.worldfootball.net/person/pe122822/emil-petru/co87/fifa-olympic-games/se5443/1964/international-matches/|title=Emil Petru. Olympic Games 1964|access-date=11 April 2024}}</ref>
===International goals=== :''Scores and results list Romania's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Petru goal''.<ref name=EU/><ref name=EU2/><ref name=v2/> {| class="wikitable" style="font-size:90%" align=center |+ ! Goal !! Date !! Venue !! Opponent !! Score !! Result !! Competition |- |align="center"| '''1''' || rowspan="2"| 14 October 1962|| rowspan="2"| Heinz-Steyer-Stadion, Dresden, East Germany || rowspan="2"|{{fb|East Germany}} ||align="center"|'''1'''–2 || rowspan="2" align="center"|2–3 || rowspan="2"| Friendly |- |align="center"| '''2''' || align="center"|'''2'''–2 |- | align="center"| '''3''' || rowspan="2"|3 November 1963 || rowspan="2"|Stadionul 23 August, Bucharest, Romania|| rowspan="2"|{{fb|DEN}} || align="center"|'''1'''–3 || align="center" rowspan="2"|2–3 || rowspan="2"|1964 Summer Olympics qualifiers |- | align="center"| '''4''' || align="center"|'''2'''–3 |}
==Style of play== [[File:Petru Emil.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Petru executes a bicycle kick during a training session in 1957.]] Dr. Constantin Rădulescu described Emil Petru as:"Raised at "U", one of the biggest players of Cluj and the country. He played in the junior, youth and senior national teams in numerous matches. Tall with a princely outfit, head held high, peripheral view (for which the coaches of the little ones strive enormously) which he had natively, exceptional technique, as well as the tactical timing of the execution. Relentless right-footed kicks (he scored goals from long 25–30 meter distances), excellent header by lobbing the ball from a diving jump, with perfect mental and moral balance (he played against Real Madrid as well as against Sticla Turda). He had a tendency to gain weight which is why he had a short career."<ref name=4ever/>
Marius Bretan said about him:"Attacking midfielder similar to Dobrin, complete, with extraordinary qualities."<ref name=prosport/>
==Personal life and death== Petru was a graduate of the Faculty of Law from Cluj.<ref name=4ever/> After retiring from his playing career, he worked as a coach, eventually becoming the coordinator of the Universitatea Cluj's Children and Junior Center.<ref name=4ever/> Petru died on 1 March 1995 at age 55.<ref name=EU/><ref name=RS/><ref name=4ever/>
==Honours== '''Știința Cluj''' *Divizia B: 1957–58<ref name=RS/> '''Dinamo București''' *Divizia A: 1963–64, 1964–65<ref name=RS/> *Cupa României: 1963–64<ref name=RS/> '''CFR Cluj''' *Divizia B: 1968–69<ref name=RS/>
==Notes== {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}}
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== *{{WorldFootball|emil-petru}}
{{Romania Squad 1964 Summer Olympics}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Petru, Emil}} Category:1939 births Category:1995 deaths Category:People from Târnăveni Category:Romanian men's footballers Category:Romania men's international footballers Category:Men's association football midfielders Category:Liga I players Category:Liga II players Category:FC Universitatea Cluj players Category:FC Dinamo București players Category:CFR Cluj players Category:Olympic footballers for Romania Category:Footballers at the 1964 Summer Olympics Category:Footballers from Mureș County Category:20th-century Romanian sportsmen