da 888casino： Whenever he walked onto the pitch, scored a goal, or was simply just warming up on the touchline, the South Bank would cry ‘Vio, Vio, Vio!’ But, what happened to the striker that was brought in to save Wolves from relegation? I think you’ll be quite surprised to see what happened next to the friendly Romanian.
da 888casino： Before moving to England, Ganea had enjoyed quite a successful career in Europe. Beginning his professional career with FC Brasov in 1994 before moving to fellow Romanian side Universitatea Craiova in 1996. After scoring 22 goals in 56 appearances, he moved on to Gloria Bistrita in 1998. However, his eye for goal (17 in 16) saw him on the move again, this time to Romanian giants Rapid Bucharest.
Ganea impressed again in front of goal and after 11 goals in 16 appearances, he secured a move to German side Stuttgart in 1999. The striker settled in Germany and also became a regular in the Romanian national side. One of his greatest achievements and international level was when he scored a last-minute winning penalty in a 3-2 win against England in Euro 2000 – a game which knocked Kevin Keegan’s side out of the tournament at the group stage.
Move to England
Despite a relatively good scoring record (34 in 107), he was on the move again, this time to Turkish side Buraspor in 2003. This is where Wolves manager Dave Jones spotted Ganea, and brought him to England in the January 2004 transfer window.
However, Ganea failed to hold down a starting spot, due to the form of Camara and Carl Cort. He did manage three goals by the end of the season, against Leeds, Arsenal and a late equaliser at Newcastle. Despite his best efforts, Wolves were relegated back to the Championship.
However, during his time at Wolves, Ganea was given a tough time by some of the national media for an incident that happened whilst on international duty. During a game against Scotland, he recklessly tackled defender John Kennedy, leaving him with a knee injury that kept him out for three years. Incidentally, Kennedy had to eventually retire because of ongoing injuries.
With a new season ahead of him, Ganea was keen to impress and stake a claim for a starting spot. However, he suffered a serious knee injury during a pre-season tour of Norway, which ruled him out for the season.
Problems with Hoddle and officials!
He managed to get himself fit again for the 2005/06 season, but was unable to hold down a place in the first team under Glenn Hoddle. He left the club in the summer of 2006 at the end of his contract, but not without a parting shot at Hoddle, who he described as ‘one of the most difficult managers he has ever worked with’.
Despite being linked with several English clubs in the summer of 2006, he moved back to his native Romania and joined Dinamo Bucharest, where he rediscovered his form and netted 14 goals in 18 appearances. However, he left just six months into his contract to join rivals Rapid Bucharest for a reported 350,000 euros a year. However his form halted once more and, despite having the opportunity to earn over 1 million euros up until the end of his contract in 2009, he joined FC Timisoara six months later.
In August 2007, during a match against former club Rapid Bucharest, Ganea was unhappy with a decision given. Whilst most players would voice their anger at the officials, Vio took it a step further – he attacked on of the assistant referees. Ganea was promptly dismissed from the pitch, before being handed a 22-game ban. Despite returning to the first team after the ban, Ganea decided to hang up his boots at the end of 2007/08 season.
Back in the game
After a year out from the game, Ganea retuned to Dinamo Bucharest in a non-football role. However, a few months later, he was appointed as a coach at his former club Dinamo Bucharest. Ganea impressed in the role, showing that he had matured a lot, just a couple of years after attacking an official.
At the start of this season, he was handed the chance to manage the reserve side Dinamo Bucharest II, who play in Liga II Seria 1 (Romanian Second Division – Part 1 – confusing yes?). However, the season hasn’t all been going to plan and the side currently sit in the relegation zone
So there we have it, the tale of Vio Ganea, Eagle-eyed fans may sometimes spot Ganea back in England watching Wolves. He always said he loved the area and his family were settled. But football is a cruel busines. However, he can take one good thing from leaving Wolves – Hoddle left just weeks later.