{{short description|Romanian footballer}} {{Use dmy dates|date=July 2021}} {{Infobox football biography | name = Gigel Bucur | image = RO B ROMAUT Gheorghe Bucur 2.jpg | caption = Bucur playing for Romania in September 2009 | fullname = Gheorghe Bucur | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1980|4|8|df=yes}} | birth_place = Cernica, Romania | height = {{height|m=1.71}} | position = Winger, striker | youthyears1 = 1993–1998 | youthclubs1 = Sportul Studenţesc | years1 = 1998–2005 | clubs1 = Sportul Studenţesc | caps1 = 170 | goals1 = 77 | years2 = 2005–2009 | clubs2 = Politehnica Timișoara | caps2 = 124 | goals2 = 53 | years3 = 2010–2016 | clubs3 = Kuban Krasnodar | caps3 = 156 | goals3 = 28 | years4 = 2016–2019 | clubs4 = Voința Crevedia | caps4 = | goals4 = | totalcaps = 450 | totalgoals = 158 | nationalyears1 = 2001 |nationalteam1 = Romania U21 |nationalcaps1 = 3 |nationalgoals1 = 3 | nationalyears2 = 2005–2013 |nationalteam2 = Romania |nationalcaps2 = 26 |nationalgoals2 = 4 }} '''Gheorghe "Gigel" Bucur''' (born 8 April 1980) is a Romanian former professional footballer who played as a winger or a striker.

Bucur has won the top league goalscorer award in the Romanian league twice, in the 2004–05 and in the 2008–09 seasons. He was tied on goals with another player on both occasions, first with Claudiu Niculescu and then with Florin Costea.

==Club career== Before joining Politehnica Timișoara, Bucur had only played for Sportul Studenţesc, where he appeared in 170 matches and scored 77 goals in the first two Romanian leagues. He made his debut in the Divizia A during the 2001–02 season. After winning the title of Romanian top league goal scorer of the Divizia A in 2006, he was transferred to Timișoara, for a rumored sum of US$800,000.<ref>[http://www.azi.ro/arhive/2005/07/04/sport.htm "Azi" article] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120210044359/http://www.azi.ro/arhive/2005/07/04/sport.htm |date=10 February 2012 }}</ref> Sorin Rădoi also came to Poli as part of that deal.

In the autumn of 2009 he scored a brace in the Third Champions League Qualifying Round to help Politehnica Timișoara knockout Shakhtar Donetsk.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.roportal.ro/stiri/gigel-bucur-despre-dubla-cu-sahtior-avem-sansa-noastra-si-trebuie-sa-credem-in--2248366.htm |work=roportal.ro |access-date=8 August 2014 |title=Gigel Bucur, despre dubla cu Sahtior}}</ref>

On 3 February 2010, he signed a 3-year contract with Russian club Kuban Krasnodar for a fee worth $1.8 million.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://news.sport-express.ru/2010-02-02/342994|title=Главные спортивные новости на сегодня &#124; Последние новости спорта в России и мире|access-date=14 June 2010|archive-date=1 April 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120401091340/http://news.sport-express.ru/2010-02-02/342994/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==International career== Gigel Bucur first played for the Romania national team in 2005 and amassed twenty six appearances until 2013, scoring four goals, including a brace against Armenia for the 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.hotnews.ro/stiri-arhiva-1224708-romania-armenia-3-0.htm |work=hotnews.ro |access-date=8 August 2014 |date=9 June 2005 |title=Romania-Armenia 3-0}}</ref>

On 25 March 2008 he was decorated by the president of Romania, Traian Băsescu for the results on Qualifying to EURO 2008 and qualification to UEFA Euro 2008 Group C with Medalia "Meritul Sportiv" – (The Medal "The Sportive Merit") class III.

==Career statistics== ===Club=== {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" |- !rowspan=2|Club !rowspan=2|Season !colspan=3|League !colspan=2|Cup !colspan=2|Continental !colspan=2|Other !colspan=2|Total |- !Division!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals |- |rowspan="8"|Sportul Studențesc |1998–99 |rowspan=3|Divizia B |16||2||0||0||colspan=2|–||colspan=2|–||16||2 |- |1999–2000 |28||6||0||0||colspan=2|–||colspan=2|–||28||6 |- |2000–01 |27||4||5||1||colspan=2|–||colspan=2|–||32||5 |- |2001–02 |rowspan=2|Divizia A |29||13||2||1||colspan=2|–||colspan=2|–||31||14 |- |2002–03 |13||2||0||0||colspan=2|–||colspan=2|–||13||2 |- |2003–04 |rowspan=1|Divizia B |28||29||0||0||colspan=2|–||colspan=2|–||28||29 |- |2004–05 |rowspan=1|Divizia A |29||21||2||1||colspan=2|–||colspan=2|–||31||22 |- !colspan=2|Total !170!!77!!9!!3!!colspan=2|–!!colspan=2|–!!179!!80 |- |rowspan="6"|Politehnica Timișoara |2005–06 |rowspan=1|Divizia A |20||3||2||1||colspan=2|–||colspan=2|–||22||3 |- |2006–07 |rowspan=4|Liga I |29||9||4||2||colspan=2|–||colspan=2|–||33||11 |- |2007–08 |28||16||2||1||colspan=2|–||colspan=2|–||30||17 |- |2008–09 |31||17||4||2||2{{efn|name=UEF|Appearances in UEFA Cup}}||1||colspan=2|–||37||20 |- |2009–10 |16||8||0||0||10{{efn|Four appearances in UEFA Champions League and two goals, six appearances and one goal in UEFA Europa League}}||3||colspan=2|–||26||11 |- !colspan=2|Total !124!!53!!12!!6!!12!!4!!colspan=2|–!!148!!63 |- |rowspan="7"|Kuban Krasnodar |2010 |rowspan=1|Russian First Division |31||9||colspan=2|–||colspan=2|–||colspan=2|–||31||9 |- |2011–12 |rowspan=5|Russian Premier League |39||6||1||0||colspan=2|–||colspan=2|–||40||6 |- |2012–13 |21||4||2||0||colspan=2|–||colspan=2|–||23||4 |- |2013–14 |28||6||0||0||6{{efn|name=UEL|Appearances in UEFA Europa League}}||1||colspan=2|–||34||7 |- |2014–15 |24||3||3||0||colspan=2|–||colspan=2|–||27||3 |- |2015–16 |13||0||1||0||colspan=2|–||2{{efn|name=RPP|Appearances in Russian Premier League promotion/relegation play-offs}}||0||16||0 |- !colspan=2|Total !156!!28!!7!!0!!6!!1!!2!!0!!171!!29 |- !colspan=3|Career total !450!!158!!28!!9!!18!!5!!2!!0!!498!!172 |- |}

;Notes {{notelist}}

===International=== {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" |+ Appearances and goals by national team and year<ref name=EU>{{cite web |url=https://eu-football.info/_player.php?id=2818 |title=Gigel Bucur |publisher=European Football |access-date=4 March 2025}}</ref> |- !National team!!Year!!Apps!!Goals |- |rowspan=9|Romania |2005||5||2 |- |2006||0||0 |- |2007||2||0 |- |2008||3||0 |- |2009||8||2 |- |2010||1||0 |- |2011||5||0 |- |2012||0||0 |- |2013||2||0 |- !colspan=2|Total||26||4 |}

:''Scores and results list Romania's goal tally first'' {| class="wikitable" |+ List of international goals scored by Gigel Bucur |- ! # !! Date !! Venue !! Opponent !! Score !! Result !! Competition |- | 1 || rowspan=2|8 June 2005 || rowspan=2|Stadionul Farul, Constanţa, Romania || rowspan=2|{{fb|Armenia}} || '''2'''–0 || rowspan=2|3–0 || rowspan=2|2006 FIFA World Cup qualification |- | 2 || '''3'''–0 |- | 3 || 9 September 2009 || Stadionul Steaua, Bucharest, Romania || {{fb|Austria}} || '''1'''–0 || 1–1 || 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification |- | 4 || 14 October 2009 || Stadionul Ceahlăul, Piatra Neamţ, Romania || {{fb|Faroe Islands}} || '''2'''–0 || 3–1 || 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification |- |}

==Honours== '''Sportul Studențesc''' *Divizia B: 2000–01, 2003–04

'''Politehnica Timișoara''' *Cupa României runner-up: 2006–07, 2008–09

'''Kuban Krasnodar''' *Russian First Division: 2010 *Russian Cup runner-up: 2014–15

'''Individual''' *Liga I top scorer: 2004–05 (21 goals) (joint with Claudiu Niculescu), 2008–09 (17 goals) (joint with Florin Costea) *Divizia B top scorer: 2003–04 (29 goals)

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== * {{RomanianSoccer|293/gheorghe-bucur}} * {{Soccerway|gigel-bucur/12298}}

{{Liga I top scorers}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bucur, Gheorghe}} Category:1980 births Category:Living people Category:Footballers from Ilfov County Category:Liga I players Category:Liga II players Category:Romanian men's footballers Category:Romania men's international footballers Category:Romania men's under-21 international footballers Category:FC Sportul Studențesc București players Category:FC Politehnica Timișoara players Category:FC Kuban Krasnodar players Category:Russian First League players Category:Russian Premier League players Category:Romanian expatriate men's footballers Category:Expatriate men's footballers in Russia Category:Romanian expatriate sportspeople in Russia Category:Men's association football wingers Category:21st-century Romanian sportsmen