Superliga: Săpunaru, to the supporters, at the last match on Giulești: “I will do my best to be proud of Rapid”
The match FC Rapid-CFR Cluj, score 1-4, on Monday evening, was also the last match on Giulești before the withdrawal for defender Cristian Săpunaru (41 years), the captain of the “cherries” transmitting to the supporters that he will do everything in his position as a sports director, to make his team.
“” It is hard to speak at this time, but I want to thank God for all the years in which I kept me healthy and I was able to play football, but also to the family, who supported me throughout the career. I was, regardless of the results I had, you have always been with a team to fight the championship and show that your love is above all.
The Gallery of the Rapid team chanted the name both during the match and at the end when they sent them “Săpunaru keeps in mind, you are good president”, alluding to the fact that in the future season the player will remain within the club, but most likely in the position of sports director.
The moment at the end was extremely exciting for the footballer who has interrupted his speech several times because of tears. He then asked all the fast fans to play with him.
“Thank you from the heart and I tell you just that: ready, it is over. Goodbye, but I stay with you,” Cristian Săpunaru told the more than 10,000 supporters who attended his last match at the Giulești stadium, after more than 23 years of activity.
Săpunaru had special moments from the gallery both at the beginning of the match, when a huge banner with the number 22 was displayed, which he had. Also, in the 22nd minute of the match, the entire stadium chanted the name, and the spectators raised the number 22 and chanted his name.
In the 50th minute when it was replaced by Gojkovic, Săpunaru was applauded on the stage opened by spectators and embraced by both teammates and opponents.
At the end of the match, after the moments of interaction with the Giulesti supporters on the two screens on the stadium, congratulatory messages for the entire career of Săpunaru from some former players of Rapid, of the technical team and the management of the club.
Before entering the locker room, Săpunaru transmitted that the Monday match was the last official played at the Giulești stadium in his career and that he plans to organize a withdrawal match.
“Today was the last match on Giulești, the withdrawal match will do it. I hope that all this year, and also Giulești. It is a difficult time for any footballer when withdrawing, but in my life they have a start and end. I left everything I had better on the field. My career. Beautiful than being a footballer? ”, Said the defender Giuleștean on the television holders.
Asked what is the first thought about his career, Săpunaru remembered the debut on the old Giulești, when he was jokingly sworn by a supporter.
“The debut on Giulești is the moment that comes to my mind for the first time in my career. It was the end of the match, I went to greet the gallery and on the side from the clock I shouted” Bravo, soap! ” Then he swore and said “you debuted Giulești”.
At the age of 41, Cristian Săpunaru evolved in Rapid in four lines, between July 1, 2006-1 July 2008, January 1, 2010-30 January 2010, February 2, 2015-1 September 2015, July 1, 2021-present. It has 216 games played in the white-t-out shirt, 16 goals scored and trophies: the Romanian Cup (2006-2007), the Romanian Super Cup (2007-2008). In the current season, he evolved only in 9 games, without scoring any goals.
In his career, the defender also played at the FC National, FC Porto, Real Zaragoza, Elche CF, Pandurii Târgu Jiu, Astra Giurgiu, Kayserispor and Denizlispor. He is the winner of the Europa League trophy with FC Porto, a team with which he has won 3 national titles, 2 cups and 2 Portugal superchers.
Cristian Săpunaru dressed 36 times the shirt of the national team of Romania, with which he participated in 2 final tournaments, Euro 2008 and Euro 2016.
