2015-02-20 02:05:31

Last summer, Raul Costin made a return to Romanian football after playing in Azerbaijan by signing a 2 year contract with Universitatea. The black and white's midfielders has played more than 130 matches in Liga 1 and scored 6 goals. His resume also includes 9 matches played in the Europa League as well as 4 matches in the UEFA Champions League qualifying rounds. "U"'s number 23 shared his memories as well as his hopes for the future in an interview for the fans' site.

ucluj.ro: What memories come to mind when you think of the start of your playing career?

Raul Costin: I started playing football at a young age when I woke up early along with 11 other kids to play 6-a-side matches before school. When I was 14 and a half years old, I left 450 kilometers from home to Sporting Pitești's football academy. It was tough for me as I had to make the cut of 11 players out of 800. At 17 and half, I spent 3 weeks in Germany, 2 of which were at Borrusia Dortmund while the other week was spent at Marcel Răducanu's football academy. At the end of my time there, I played a match with the Borrusia's senior team alongside the likes of Rosicky, Evanilson and Dedê with Matthias Sammer as the coach ... I remember that a kid asked for my autograph at halftime. There were some problems that ultimately prevented me from signing with team. I returned to Romania where I ended up with FC Național, who had many good players and were coached by Cosmin Olăroiu. I was loaned out to Sibiu for 8 months after which I returned to FC Național and made my debut in Liga 1 under Marin Dună in a match against ***. At the end of the season, the team was relegated to the second division where I spent two years - one with FC Național and the other with Dacia Mioveni. I had a great run of form there as I scored 13 goals as a central midfielder. After that, I ended up playing for FC Vaslui alongside very good players such as Wesley, Ljubinkovic, Ghencev. In my time at Vaslui, we lost the Romanian Cup Final against ***. My career seems to be tied to *** and always losing to them (laughs). After spending 4 years in Vaslui, I left for Azerbaijan. It was quite an experience for me - one that I'd live again as well as avoid... the capital, Baku, is a very wealthy city. Once you leave Baku, however, you go face to face with life. It was very tough as I lived 6 hours away from Baku. The problem was that I had 3 kids that I couldn't bring over. After that experience, I was contacted by "U" Cluj and now I'm here (smiles). 

ucluj.ro: What are the best and worst moments from your playing career?

Raul Costin: I fondly remember several moments in my career, one of them being the start of my career (at FC Național). It was quite incredible to play alongside players like McKain and Flavius Moldovan. At Mioveni, my teammates were like a family to me. At FC Vaslui, I made some life-long friends. At "U" Cluj, I found a bunch of people that I get along with and that I hope will become closer friends (smiles). 

ucluj.ro: Many people have role models; is there anyone in particular that inspire and/or motivate you?

Raul Costin: I don't really have one. My wife and my 3 kids motivate me. I don't think there's a greater motivation!

ucluj.ro: Football fans know that you're a midfielder who can also play defender. Have you ever played in any other positions (goalie, striker)?

Raul Costin: I've actually told Calcan recently that the only positions that I've never played in are goalie and centerback. I once played as a striker during my time at CS Mioveni and I've played as a left back, left midfielder, and central midfielder for "U" Cluj.

ucluj.ro: Have you played any other sports besides football?

Raul Costin: Football is the only sport that I've played professionally. I played some basketball and handball when I was in school.

ucluj.ro: You've come back from a 3 weeks of training in preparation for the second half of the 2014-2015 season. What do you make of this training period?

Raul Costin: Winter is very important in terms of preparing for the rest of the season. The most important thing is to integrate new signings into the squad and help them adapt as well as get in top shape and learn to play together. I think that we've played well in our last couple of friendlies; we made many good chances. I think we're ready for the restart of the season. 

ucluj.ro: The second half of the Liga 1 season promises to be tough as 6 teams will be relegated at the end of the season. Will Universitatea manage to stay in the top flight?

Raul Costin: Yes, certainly! I think that we have a strong team due to the fact that we make a good group. We have a good coaching staff who will lead us to safety with their knowledge and experience. 

ucluj.ro: The 50th anniversary of Universitatea's only trophy - the Romanian Cup - is coming up soon, and George Ogăraru has said that he wants to bring another trophy to the club. Can the "U" faithful hope for another trophy?

Raul Costin: We also want to win the Cup! We've fought in every match in order to move closer to doing so. Now, we have a chance to reach the final. We'll fight to win the cup! We first need to focus on our league matches and then the cup matches when they come.

ucluj.ro: The draw for the Romanian Cup semifinals matched you up with our local rivals. It's known that these matches carry some extra weight. Also, our rivals aren't doing so well right now. Bearing this in mind, how do you see the matchup that could see you reach the Final?

Raul Costin: From the moment we drew them - which I hoped would happen - I said that they would prove to be a tough matchup as they have nothing to lose right now. We're the only ones who have something to lose. These kinds of matches are like those against a newly promoted team - there's always a chance for an upset. We need to focus more in these matches than we would in any other! 

ucluj.ro: You had the chance to play in the Champion's League with FC Vaslui. What are the chances that you will play in the European Cups with "U"?

Raul Costin: We have a pretty good chance. It all depends on the Romanian Cup this season. Right now, we're two steps away from the final, which the only thing that separates us from playing in the European Cups. I for one hope that we avoid relegation this year and that next year we compete for the European Cup spots in the league. 

ucluj.ro: There are many young players on Universitatea's roster. Of these players, who do you think will succeed in Romanian football as well as in foreign football in the future?

Raul Costin: Universitatea always had talented young players. Calcan is one of "U"'s younger players that had impressed me but now even more so because he changed his attitude and sees life in a different manner. Along with Calcan, there's also Neag, who could be an important player one day. Kovacs is also quite a good player; he has a lot of quality. 

ucluj.ro: What do you feel when you see that fewer and fewer fans are coming to "U"'s matches?

Raul Costin: It's not easy, you know. I always watched TV and saw that Universitatea had a lot of support, both home and away. I remember a match from the 2010-2011 season when Universitatea had just been promoted to the first division. I was at FC Vaslui at the time and we faced "U" in Alba Iulia. It was the second match of the season. Before the match, a torrential rain had started... it was terrible! In spite of that, there were two or three thousand fans singing in the stadium. It didn't matter to them that they were wet. It was quite incredible for me to see fans stay in that kind of weather to support their favorite team, especially since Vaslui didn't have very many fans...

ucluj.ro: What does the city of Cluj mean to the Costin family?

Raul Costin: For me, Cluj is my first home so to say as I moved here with my whole family. Cluj is a beautiful city and I'm quite fond of it. My kids go to school here, my wife found a job here as well. We feel at home in Cluj (smiles).

ucluj.ro: What are your goals for 2015?

Raul Costin: Personally, I want to win a trophy. Up until now, I've always finished in 2nd throughout my career... I finished in 2nd in the league twice and once in 3rd... I lost a cup final, I've been knocked out at the semifinals... I hope we'll win the cup this year!

ucluj.ro: What are your hobbies and what do you like to do in your free time?

Raul Costin: When I'm not with my family, I like to watch movies. When I'm with my family, we do a lot of nice things together. 

ucluj.ro: How would you characterize yourself?

Raul Costin: I'm the kind of guy who's always trying to be understanding. I don't like to argue. I'm a family man - I like to spend time with my family! In my professional life, I'm the kind of guy that gives 100% for his team!

ucluj.ro: What would you like to say to Universitatea's fans through ucluj.ro?

Raul Costin: I would like to see them have more faith in the team, which they seem to have lost recently. This mostly depends on us! I want to see many more fans at our matches because it's important to have the fans by our side! Our match against Dinamo was incredible, even though we lost 3-2! Even though we were a man down and we were losing, the fans sang throughout the match! I also want to continue playing for Universitatea!

Personal Info

Name: Raul Costin

Date of birth: January 29th, 1985

Height: 176 cm

Position: Central midfielder (his preferred role), defensive midfielder, and right back (secondary roles)

Teams that he's played for:  FC Naţional Bucureşti (Progresul Bucureşti); FC Sibiu (on loan); Dacia Mioveni; Vaslui; Simurq; FC Universitatea Cluj 

Goals scored: 6 goals in Liga 1, one of which was for Universitatea Cluj (against Concordia Chaijna - "U" went on to win 2-0 and he scored "U"'s second); 3 goals in the Romanian Cup and 3 goals in the Azerbaijan Premier League

Yellow Cards: 31 cards in total; 23 of which were in Liga 1

Red Cards: 1 red card (2 yellows) for FC Naţional Bucureşti (Progresul Bucureşti)

Debut in Liga 1: 8/19/2006 in *** Cluj - FC Naţional Bucureşti (1-0).

Violeta Merie