Issouf Macalou answered the phone! The portrait of the striker who killed the hopes of FCSB, to the liking of Gigi Becali, but not to MM Stoica
Article by Eduard Apostol, Liviu Manolache – Published Saturday, February 28, 2026, 09:15 / Updated Saturday, February 28, 2026 09:16
Issouf Macalou, 27 years old, opened the scoring in U Cluj – Oțelul (4-0) and the path to the play-off for Transylvania. ♦ He has 4 goals scored in 2026, important achievements, plus another 3 assists. ♦ In August 2025, he was close to leaving the team, at the beginning of February he had entered the “radar” of Gigi Becali.
U Cluj has officially secured its ticket for the play-off, after trampling Oțelul Galați last night, score 4-0. And he also killed a good part of Gigi Becali's top 6 hopes, who was counting on the help of the Danubians.
The road to the play-offs and the mini-championship that will decide the title fight was opened by Issouf Macalou, 27, with a quick goal with a left-footed shot from outside the box. A precise replay that encouraged his teammates and killed the illusions of his rivals.
Issouf Macalou wanted to leave U Cluj last summer. Back from the road!
Macalou celebrated the goal with a “gangsta” gesture: he imitated shooting a gun
Arrived early 2025 from Sochaux, from the French third division – to see who puts on a show in the Romanian Superliga! -, Macalou was taken by the wave in the middle of summer. Last summer to be exact. When various impresarios promised him that they would take him to Arab countries for a lot of money.
He had some offers from abroad, or at least that's how they were presented. He was promised a huge salary increase to over 25,000 euros/month. Issouf even had an outing on the set, he didn't come to a practice and didn't answer the phone anymore.
The management of the club and the then coach of the black and whites, Ioan Ovidiu Sabău, got involved and calmed down the Ivorian. He returned to training, stayed out of the team for a while, gradually got back into the rhythm. He passed the summer mercato, and in the winter he signed for another two years with “Red Caps”. An agreement valid until 2028.
He became one of the best footballers in League 1, praised by both Cluj and opponents. A winger capable of solving a match single-handedly.
650thousands of euros is Macalou's share on transfermarkt. Three times higher since he signed with Transylvania
Issouf Macalou, unleashed in 2026! Gigi Becali has a good eye
If he did not score in the Conference League preliminaries and the Romanian Cup, Macalou scored 5 times in 27 stages this season. Plus 8 assists. 4 times in 2026 alone. And 3 assists in this calendar year alone.
Two goals against FC Argeș (3-1), one against Csikszereda (4-1), another against Oțelul (4-0). Assist with Unirea Slobozia (1-0) and two with FC Botoșani (3-1). Domestic football pundits rate him regularly.
At the beginning of February, Gigi Becali spoke highly of him and immediately there were speculations that he was on the list of the FCSB boss. Later, the landowner from Pipera wanted to clarify the situation.
“(no. Was there any discussion about Macalou?) There was no discussion! I always say to Meme: “Look at this one who dribbles”. And MM said to me: “Hey, Gigi, you like him because he dribbles, but he's not our player”. I trust what MM Stoica says. Aaa, if I like him and I really want to take him, I take him as well, as I did with Thiam and Joao Paulo,” replied Gigi Becali, at Prima Sport.
In August 2025, Becali decided to acquire Mamadou Thiam, the striker of U Cluj. He paid 50,000 euros for him and transferred Andrei Gheorghiță. Thiam collected 5 goals and an assist in 31 games for FCSB.
