Article by Alexandru Barbu – Published Wednesday, December 17, 2025 10:50 p.m. / Updated Wednesday, December 17, 2025 10:50 p.m.
If you don't have valuable midfielders and forwards, the trophies go to the defenders. True, but unfair for Rațiu, born in Aiud and processed by Spain in the last decade.
Villarreal, ADO Den Haag, Huesca to the holder of Rayo Vallecano, a mid-table team in La Liga, and a “star” of our national team. More on the “star” attribute later.
Like Dan Petrescu…
Integral player in all 8 official matches contested by the “tricolors” in 2025, Andrei was Romania's captain, scorer and decisive passer. All at once.
In corpore la Rayo this season, they did not beat Real Madrid, Barcelona, entered in the Conference League. Considered the best right-back in Spain last season, he shared the La Liga Dream Team with Yamal, featuring Mbappe. He overtook Kounde, Carvajal.
At 27 years old, he is ready for the national team, we haven't started the team without Rațiu for a long time, anyway there are no others in his position. He has speed, gaps in defense – he would benefit from a module with 3 stoppers, just like Bancu -, he adopts the Dan Petrescu style.
Andrei Rațiu, Footballer of the Year 2025 in the Gazeta Sporturilor Survey
…but not all the way
Petrescu was Romania's greatest right defender since the 1990s. Peers of his generation still describe 'Badger' as Vikings' Ragnar Lothbrok, a meteorite who ran madly from his midfield and didn't stop until he was in Chelsea's Hall of Fame. Because Petrescu was putting a bandage on himself from the 5th bloody wound.
Rațiu's game does not allow him to be a star. And when he ends up being criticized because he stops running in Bosnia to argue with Dennis Man, and on TV the experts charge his changes, Andrei has a handicap as big as the difference between Turkey and Romania.
Rațiu is deservedly the Footballer of the Year 2025. But “Sonic” will be useful to us at the barrage in March if the “paint” is also taken from his feet, not just from the cutter. The character that gives him his nickname is created by the Japanese. Let Andrei's character remain like this.
