Alexi Pitu

Alexi Pitu
	Pitu with Bordeaux in 2023
Personal information
Full name	Alexi Paul Pitu
Date of birth	5 June 2002 (age 22)
Place of birth	Karlsruhe, Germany
Height	1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Position(s)	Winger
Youth career
2010–2018	Gheorghe Hagi Academy
Senior career*
Years	Team
2018–2021	Viitorul Constanța
2021–2023	Farul Constanța
2023–2024	Bordeaux
International career‡
2017–2018	Romania U16
2017–2019	Romania U17
2019–2020	Romania U18
2022	Romania U20
2021–	Romania U21
	*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 17 May 2024; ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 28 June 2023

Alexi Paul Pitu (born 5 June 2002) is a Romanian professional footballer who plays as a winger.

Pitu started out as a senior in 2018 at Viitorul Constanța, which was merged into Farul Constanța three years later. He totalled over 80 matches in the Liga I combined, before earning a move to French side Bordeaux in 2023.

Internationally, Pitu has represented Romania at several youth levels.

Club career

Viitorul Constanța / Farul Constanța

Pitu made his senior debut for Viitorul Constanța on 12 July 2018, coming on as an 86th-minute substitute for Ianis Hagi in a 2–0 win over Racing FC in the first qualifying round of the UEFA Europa League. Aged 16 and one month, he thus became the youngest Romanian player to make an appearance in a European club competition.^[1]^[2] Ten days later, he recorded his Liga I debut by playing in a 0–1 loss to Dunărea Călărași.

Pitu became a regular starter at the team after it merged with Farul Constanța in the summer of 2021, amassing 32 league games in the 2021–22 season. On 28 August 2022, he scored his first professional goal in a 3–1 away defeat of five-time defending champions CFR Cluj.^[3]

Bordeaux

On 26 January 2023, French team Bordeaux announced the signing of Pitu on a four-and-a-half-year contract,^[4] with the transfer fee rumoured to be worth around €2 million.^[5] Two days later, he made his Ligue 2 debut by entering as a 72nd-minute substitute for Josh Maja in a 3–0 away victory over Dijon.^[6]

Pitu scored his first goal on 16 September 2023, in a 2–1 away league win over Valenciennes.^[7]

International career

On 3 March 2023, Pitu received a preliminary call-up to the Romania senior team for the UEFA Euro 2024 qualification matches against Andorra and Belarus,^[8] but did not make the final list. Three months later, he was named by Emil Săndoi in the Romania under-21 squad for the 2023 UEFA European Championship.^[9]

Personal life

Pitu's paternal uncle, Adrian, was also a professional footballer.^[10]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 17 May 2024^[11]

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club	Season	League			National Cup		Continental		Other		Total
Club	Season	Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Viitorul Constanța	2018–19	Liga I	5	0	0	0	2	0	—		7	0
	2019–20	Liga I	9	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	10	0
	2020–21	Liga I	17	0	0	0	—		—		17	0
	Total		31	0	1	0	2	0	—		34	0
Farul Constanța	2021–22	Liga I	32	0	0	0	—		—		32	0
	2022–23	Liga I	20	5	0	0	—		—		20	5
	Total		52	5	0	0	—		—		52	5
Bordeaux	2022–23	Ligue 2	16	0	—		—		—		16	0
	2023–24	Ligue 2	25	1	3	0	—		—		28	1
	Total		41	1	3	0	—		—		44	1
Career total			124	6	4	0	2	0	0	0	130	6

Honours

Viitorul Constanța^[11]

Farul Constanța^[11]

Liga I: 2022–23

References

^ "Alexi Pitu a bătut recordul lui Marius Niculae + Medie impresionantă de vârstă a titularilor din atacul Viitorului" [Alexi Pitu broke Marius Niculae's record + Impressive average age of the starters in the attack of Viitorul]. Gazeta Sporturilor (in Romanian). 14 July 2018. Archived from the original on 16 May 2023. Retrieved 25 November 2021.
^ "A doborât recordul lui Marius Niculae! Alexi Pitu, de la FC Viitorul, cel mai tânăr fotbalist român care debutează în cupele europene" [He broke Marius Niculae's record! Alexi Pitu, from FC Viitorul, the youngest Romanian footballer to make his debut in European cups] (in Romanian). Ziua de Constanța. 16 July 2018. Archived from the original on 25 November 2021. Retrieved 25 November 2021.
^ "Alexi Pitu, primul gol marcat în SuperLiga după 68 de meciuri. Reușită validată după intervenția VAR în CFR Cluj – Farul" [Alexi Pitu, first goal scored in the SuperLiga after 68 matches. Goal allowed after VAR intervention in CFR Cluj - Farul] (in Romanian). Fanatik.ro. 28 August 2022. Archived from the original on 23 June 2023. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
^ "Alexi Pitu est Bordelais !" [Alexi Pitu is a Bordeaux player] (in French). Girondins de Bordeaux. 26 January 2023. Archived from the original on 26 January 2023. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
^ "EXCLUSIV Victor Becali a dezvăluit detaliile transferului lui Alexi Pitu la Bordeaux: "Se schimbă de la an la an!"" [EXCLUSIVE Victor Becali revealed the details of Alexi Pitu's transfer to Bordeaux: "It changes from year to year!"] (in Romanian). Digi Sport. 26 January 2023. Archived from the original on 29 January 2023. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
^ "Alexi Pitu a debutat pentru Girondins de Bordeaux, la doar două zile de la oficializarea transferului! Ce notă a primit fotbalistul român venit de la Farul Constanța" [Alexi Pitu made his debut for Girondins de Bordeaux, only two days after the transfer was officialised! The grade which the Romanian footballer who came from Farul Constanța received] (in Romanian). ProSport. 28 January 2023. Archived from the original on 28 January 2023. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
^ "Alexi Pitu, "eroul" lui Bordeaux în Franța" [Alexi Pitu, Bordeaux's "hero" in France] (in Romanian). Digi Sport. 16 September 2023. Archived from the original on 18 September 2023. Retrieved 16 September 2023.
^ "25 de convocări preliminare pentru debutul preliminariilor EURO 2024" [25 preliminary call-ups for the debut of Euro 2024 qualifiers] (in Romanian). Romanian Football Federation. 3 March 2023. Archived from the original on 9 March 2023. Retrieved 19 March 2023.
^ "U21 la EURO 2023 | VIDEO: Ei sunt ROMÂNIA U21 pentru Campionatul European!" [U21 at EURO 2023 | VIDEO: They are ROMANIA U21 for the European Championship!] (in Romanian). Romanian Football Federation. 15 June 2023. Archived from the original on 16 June 2023. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
^ "Familia sport » De la fondare, Hagi a adus la gruparea constănțeană o mulțime de fotbaliști ai căror tați, unchi sau rude apropiate au fost sportivi de performanță" [The sport family »Since founding, Hagi brought to the team from Constanta a lot of footballers whose fathers, uncles or close relatives were performance athletes] (in Romanian). Gsp.ro. 30 July 2018. Archived from the original on 21 September 2020. Retrieved 4 August 2018.
^ ^a ^b ^c Alexi Pitu at Soccerway. Retrieved 24 January 2023.