Article by Daniel Grigore – published on Thursday, 01 May 2025, 16:05 / Updated Thursday, 01 May 2025 16:05
At 19, Octavian Popescu took by surprise by the developments he had in the shirt Fcsbto. Meanwhile, the Ilan I died, and from next season it risks becoming a lot player in the red-blue band.
The one who offered the chance of debut at FCSB was Anton Petrea, a coach of the red-blue ones between July 2020 and May 2021, then between November 2021 and July 2022.
Considered a few years ago a great hope of Romanian football, debuting at the national seniors just a few months after he was 19 years old, Octavian Popescu did not have the expected progress.
Currently, it enters the category “others” at FCSB, with only 21 appearances and two goals in the current season, a season in which to face different health problems.
Anton Petrea, about the regress of Octavian Popescu
What happened to the far left, why did not have the ascent that many anticipated? Anton Petrea, his former FCSB coach, believes that accidents played an important role.
“He also had some injuries, for quite long periods. That takes you a little out of the rhythm,” he said at the “Liga Digisport” show.
“He trained quite well, at least when I was there. I guess they are training well now. He also sees the level of colleagues, of the team, and automatically I think that in training are 100% all.
I can't explain why he didn't have the expected upward slope. As he had debuted in the first league, what matches he did, how many games he won through the goals scored, I was expecting at least to maintain their value level. But he had syncope, he is young ”, added Petrea, currently employed at Daco-Getica Bucharest.
Starting with season 2025/2026, Octavian Popescu will no longer respect the U21 rule, which means, in theory, that it will be even harder to take minutes to a “armored” FCSB with bands.
In the last 3 matches of the FCSB he played only one half: at 0-0 with Craiova University and 2-1 with Rapid he was taken to the break, at 3-2 with CFR Cluj introduced between the halves.
