Article by Eduard Apostol – Published on Sunday, December 28, 2025, 4:00 p.m. / Updated on Sunday, December 28, 2025, 4:02 p.m.
Adrian Mutu, 46, is spending the Winter Holidays in Doha, Qatar. After meeting Cosmin Contra (Al-Arabi), “The Brilliant” attended the training of Roberto Mancini (Al-Sadd) and also met Massimo Maccarone, the Italian's second-in-command
Adrian Mutu and his family are spending their winter holidays in the Arab world, also arriving in Doha, in Qatar. Free of contract after parting with Petrolul Ploiești on March 17, “Briliantul” combines the useful with the pleasant these days.
Meeting with the godfather Cosmin Contra, the former teammate from the national team
Yesterday, Adrian Mutu met and had family dinner with Cosmin Contra and his staff. “Guriță” is from October 2025 the main team of Al-Arabi, the objective being the rescue from relegation.
With 7 wins and 3 defeats at Al-Arabi, the Romanian impressed those in Qatar, who appointed him the coach of the months of October and November. From last place – the Qatari league has 12 teams – Contra raised Al-Arabi to 6th place in the ranking. Among those whom “Guriță” defeated was Roberto Mancini, the technician from Al-Sadd (4th place, one more point than Al-Arabi).
Adrian Mutu also reunited with Roberto Mancini
Adrian Mutu took advantage of his visit to Qatar to also attend a Mancini training session. The “Brilliant” wanted to see the former Italy coach at work, who also coached Fiorentina, Lazio, Inter, Galatasaray and Manchester City.
Al-Sadd is the most important club in Qatar. Ovidiu Stângă has also been working at Al-Sadd's Academy for many years. Mancini took over the team in mid-November. Al-Sadd is 8 points behind leaders Al-Gharafa.
Mancini remained one of the highest paid coaches in the world. The peninsular earns 5 million euros until the summer. If things go well and the sheikhs are satisfied, they will continue with the Italian for another two years. On a commitment of 8 million euros per season.
“A beautiful and inspiring day. I had the pleasure of visiting Al-Sadd's sports center at the invitation of Roberto Mancini and my friend Massimo Maccarone.
I sincerely thank you for the invitation, the warm welcome and the time spent together. My appreciation to the entire club for the professionalism and hospitality shown,” Adrian Mutu wrote on social media.
Massimo Maccarone, the “nightmare” of the red-blues, the hero of the “red dogs”
The visit to Al-Sadd allows Adrian Mutu to see an old friend, the Italian Massimo Maccarone, 46, who is one of Mancini's seconds.
The name Maccarone has a special resonance for Romanian microbiologists. Massimo is the “nightmare” of the red-blues led by Cosmin Olăroiu, who were close to an extraordinary performance in 2006, the final of the UEFA Cup. After 1-0 in Bucharest, Steaua, the current FCSB, also had 2-0 in the second leg of the semi-final. It's just that the English managed a historic comeback, and Maccarone signed the sentence of Gigi Becali's group.
Afterwards, the Dynamo players made the Italian a real hero and, moreover, offered him an official card in the “Only Dinamo Bucharest” program.
