Ciprian Tătărușanu

1.1. Childhood and youth career

Anton Ciprian Tătărușanu was born in Bucharest, Romania, on 9 February 1986. He began his football career with the local club, Juventus București (also known as CS Juventus București), starting to play senior level football at the age of 16 in the second division under the guidance of coach Marin Barbu.

1.2. Early senior club career

Tătărușanu made his senior debut for Juventus București during the 2003-04 season in Liga II (then Divizia B), making one appearance. He continued to play for Juventus București in Liga II, featuring in eight matches during the 2004-05 season and 20 matches in the 2005-06 season. In the 2006-07 season, he made one appearance in Liga III. He later joined Gloria Bistrița, where he made his Liga I debut under coach Ioan Sabău on 23 May 2007, in a 1-0 away victory over Unirea Urziceni. He played one Liga I match for Gloria Bistrița in the 2006-07 season and 25 matches in the 2007-08 season, including three appearances in the UEFA Intertoto Cup.

2.1. Steaua București

In May 2008, it was announced that the 22-year-old Tătărușanu was transferred to FC Steaua București for a fee of 1.50 M EUR. He spent the following season on loan at Gloria Bistrița, as Steaua already had a first-choice goalkeeper in Róbinson Zapata.

Tătărușanu made his European debut for Steaua on 16 July 2009, in a 2-0 victory against Hungarian side Újpest in the UEFA Europa League. On 2 August, he played his first Liga I game for Steaua in a 2-0 away win over Ceahlăul Piatra Neamț. On 19 August 2010, he played a crucial role in helping his team progress to the Europa League group stage by making two saves in the penalty shootout against Swiss club Grasshopper. He notably saved shots from Boris Smiljanić and Endoan Adili.

In June 2011, Napoli reportedly submitted a 3.00 M EUR bid for Tătărușanu, but the offer was rejected. During his tenure with Steaua București, he accumulated 187 competitive appearances. He was an integral part of the team that won four domestic trophies: two Liga I titles in 2012-13 and 2013-14, the Cupa României in 2010-11, and the Supercupa României in 2013.

2.2. Fiorentina

Tătărușanu refused to renew his contract with Steaua București and left the club on a free transfer, subsequently signing a five-year deal with Italian team Fiorentina on 9 June 2014. He made his debut for the Viola on 18 September, in a 3-0 Europa League group stage victory over French club Guingamp.

He totalled seven appearances in the Europa League during that season, including a 1-1 round of 32 draw away at Tottenham Hotspur. On 6 January 2015, he played his first Serie A match, a 0-1 loss to Parma. Tătărușanu was then chosen in the starting eleven for eight consecutive games, until a 1-1 draw with Torino. He made his last appearance of the 2014-15 season in the final league fixture, a 3-0 win over Chievo.

Following the departure of Neto to Juventus in July 2015, Tătărușanu became the undisputed first-choice goalkeeper for Fiorentina. His strong performances earned him the Gazeta Sporturilor's 2015 Romanian Footballer of the Year award.

2.3. Nantes

In late July 2017, Tătărușanu was transferred by French club Nantes for an undisclosed fee, which was estimated to be around 4.00 M EUR. He made his competitive debut on 12 August in a 0-1 defeat to Marseille, where he was named man of the match for his impressive performance. On 20 December 2017, he finished second behind Constantin Budescu in the 2017 Romanian Footballer of the Year award, acknowledging his consistent form.

Tătărușanu amassed 37 appearances in his first campaign with "the Canaries," all in the Ligue 1, and managed to keep twelve clean sheets. In early April 2019, he saved two penalty kicks in successive matches: the first in a 0-3 Coupe de France loss to Paris Saint-Germain, and the second in a 0-1 league loss to Toulouse.

2.4. Olympique Lyonnais

On 13 June 2019, Tătărușanu opted to remain in France and joined Lyon as a free agent, signing a three-year contract. He was primarily considered a backup option to the regular starter, Anthony Lopes. He recorded his debut on 18 December that year, in a Coupe de la Ligue match, a 4-1 win against Toulouse. He only played six matches overall during his single season at Lyon in the 2019-20 campaign.

2.5. AC Milan

On 12 September 2020, AC Milan announced Tătărușanu as their new player after he agreed to a three-year deal with the club. Lyon had revealed the transfer fee for the 34-year-old goalkeeper to be 500.00 K EUR, with reports indicating an annual salary of 1.20 M EUR.

Initially serving as the second-choice goalkeeper behind Gianluigi Donnarumma, Tătărușanu made his debut for Milan on 26 October 2020, in a 3-3 league draw with Roma, after Donnarumma tested positive for COVID-19. He also featured in a high-profile Derby della Madonnina in the Coppa Italia in January 2021. Despite Milan being defeated 2-1 by Inter Milan, Tătărușanu was praised in the media for his performance.

For the next season, Milan continued with Tătărușanu as their backup goalkeeper, this time behind Mike Maignan, who was acquired after Donnarumma's departure to Paris Saint-Germain. On 13 October 2021, Maignan underwent surgery on his left wrist and was ruled out for two and a half months. With Tătărușanu in goal, Milan embarked on a four-game winning streak in the Serie A against Hellas Verona, Bologna, Torino, and Roma. On 7 November, Tătărușanu was Milan's goalkeeper in another Milan Derby, where he made a crucial penalty save against Lautaro Martínez in an eventual 1-1 draw.

In the 2022-23 season, Maignan again suffered an injury, which led to Tătărușanu stepping in as the temporary starting goalkeeper. During this period, he made 16 consecutive full appearances in the league and five appearances in the UEFA Champions League, including four group stage matches and the first leg of the round of 16. His contract with AC Milan expired on 30 June 2023.

2.6. Abha

On 10 August 2023, following the expiration of his contract with AC Milan, Saudi Arabian club Abha announced the signing of Tătărușanu. He made 33 league appearances and 3 domestic cup appearances during his season at the club.

3.1. Senior national team debut and early career

In August 2009, Tătărușanu was first selected by manager Răzvan Lucescu in the Romania squad for a match against Hungary. His full international debut came on 17 November 2010, in a 1-1 draw against Italy. Tătărușanu also became a bronze medalist at the Cyprus International Football Tournament in 2011. Since his debut, he established himself as the national team's starting goalkeeper.

3.2. UEFA Euro 2016 and retirement

Tătărușanu was named in the preliminary 28-man UEFA Euro 2016 squad and subsequently made it to the final list for the tournament. He played in all three of Romania's matches during their group-stage exit, including the opening match against hosts France.

On 19 November 2020, the day after earning his 73rd cap for the country in a 1-1 UEFA Nations League draw with Northern Ireland, Tătărușanu publicly announced his retirement from the national team at the age of 34.

5.1. Club

5.2. International

6.1. Club

• Steaua București
  • Liga I: 2012-13, 2013-14
  • Cupa României: 2010-11
  • Supercupa României: 2013
• Lyon
  • Coupe de la Ligue runner-up: 2019-20
• AC Milan
  • Serie A: 2021-22
  • Supercoppa Italiana runner-up: 2022

6.2. Individual

• Gazeta Sporturilor Romanian Footballer of the Year: 2015; runner-up: 2017