Cătălin Necula


Cătălin Necula is a retired Romanian football player, known for his association with football manager Cosmin Olăroiu, currently working at Al Ahli as assistant manager.

Playing career

Necula, son of the famous Romanian goalkeeper Răducanu Necula, started his career at Sportul Studențesc București in 1988. He spent four seasons at Sportul before switching to Universitatea Cluj in 1993.
In 1995, he joined Naţional București and then in 1998 he played for a short while for Hapoel Kfar Saba in Israel. After he returned to Romania, he continued to play for FCM Reşiţa, Rocar București, Bihor Oradea, Argeş Piteşti and Gloria Bistriţa, before retiring from professional football in 2004.
Necula earned four caps for the Romanian national side in 1993.

Coaching career

In 2004, Necula returned to Naţional București, this time as assistant coach and then in the autumn of 2005 he was for a short while the team's head coach. When Cosmin Olăroiu took over at Steaua Bucureşti in the winter of 2005 he asked Necula to join him as assistant manager. Since then he joined the coaching staff of Cosmin Olăroiu.