Țucudean made his first appearance for the Romania national team in November 2017, and scored his first goal for the country the following year in a 2–1 victory over Israel.
Club career
UTA Arad
Țucudean started his career playing for hometown club UTA Arad.[1] He stayed with UTA for two years before joining Liga I team Dinamo București.[2]
Dinamo București
He made his debut for Dinamo București on 1 April 2011 in a game against Universitatea Cluj.[3] Țucudean made an immediate impact at the capital-based club, scoring four goals from 13 appearances in the second half of the 2010–11 season.[4] In the following campaign he made 30 appearances and scored four goals, also recording his UEFA Europa League debut.[5]
On 14 July 2012, Țucudean netted twice against CFR Cluj in the Supercupa României,[6] with Dinamo eventually winning the trophy at the penalty shoot-out.[7] He was named man of the match for his performance.[8] Fifteen days later, Țucudean scored four goals and offered an assist in the opener of the 2012–13 Liga I against CSMS Iași.[9][10]
Standard Liège
On 31 January 2013, Țucudean agreed to a four-and-a-half-year contract with Belgian side Standard Liège, where he was wanted by coach Mircea Rednic and was teammate with fellow Romanian Adrian Cristea.[11][12][13] After failing to score a goal in eleven league games, in the summer of the same year he rejoined Dinamo București on a season-long loan.
Charlton Athletic
Țucudean signed a three-year deal with English club Charlton Athletic in July 2014.[14] On 19 August, he scored his first goal in a 3–2 win over Derby County.[15] His second goal came in a 2–1 victory against Bolton Wanderers on 21 October, a game in which he also assisted Johnnie Jackson's winner.[16]
On 28 January 2015, he was loaned out with an option to buy to Steaua București, the cross-town rival of his former team Dinamo.[17] During his spell with the Roș-albaștrii, he won the Liga I, the Cupa României and the newly formed Cupa Ligii. He returned to Charlton in September, but in January the following year Țucudean again left on loan to join ASA Târgu Mureș. His contract with Charlton was terminated on 1 July 2016.[18]
Following his good display throughout the year, in late November Țucudean was nominated for Gazeta Sporturilor's 2018 Romanian Footballer of the Year award.[22] On 21 December, he was announced as the winner of the trophy.[23] Shortly after the start of the 2019–20 season, Țucudean temporarily retired from football in order to fully recover after undergoing two heart surgeries earlier in the year.[24]
International career
Țucudean is a former Romania under-17 and under-19 international, having played 3 and 5 games respectively.[25] He scored three goals for the under-21 side as well.
He scored his first goal for the senior team in a 2–1 victory over Israel, on 24 March 2018.[26]
Personal life
Țucudean is part of a wealthy family, their fortune being estimated by Romanian press at figures between €80 million and €100 million.[27][28] His father Marius was also a footballer who played as a striker for UTA Arad, but retired at age 27 after being diagnosed with a heart disorder.[29]
^"NE INTARIM PENTRU PLAY-OFF!" [WE STRENGTHEN OUR SQUAD FOR THE CHAMPIONSHIP PLAY-OFF!] (in Romanian). CFR Cluj. 8 January 2018. Retrieved 8 January 2018.