Contra scored eight goals in all competitions during his spell at the Mendizorrotza Stadium. In December 2021, as the club celebrated its 100th birthday, he was voted its best-ever right-back by newspaper Noticias de Álava.[8]
AC Milan and Atlético
In the summer of 2001, Contra moved to Italian club AC Milan, but his spell there lasted only one season. On 21 October, in the Derby della Madonnina against Inter Milan and as his team trailed 1–0, he was brought on as a 46th-minute substitute and scored once and provided one assist in the 4–2 victory.[9] In August 2002, he was suspended after a scuffle with Juventus's Edgar Davids.[10]
Overall, the loan was not particularly successful, with Contra playing just six games and receiving a red card in his last match, a 0–5 home loss to Liverpool.[16] He then returned to his country and Liga I, at the club which brought him up as a player, Politehnica Timișoara, where he managed to be recalled to the national side due to his performances.[5]
Contra returned to Spain in August 2005, agreeing to a season-long loan with Getafe[17] which was subsequently made permanent (he was supposed to have arrived at the Coliseum Alfonso Pérez before, but the move was blocked because the squad had too many non-EU players, and his compatriot Gheorghe Craioveanu only ceased to be considered a foreigner the same year).[18] He was used regularly by the Madrid outskirts side, battling for a first-team slot with David Cortés.[5]
In the 2007–08 UEFA Cup, Contra netted in both legs of the quarter-final tie against Bayern Munich, which ended in a 4–4 aggregate elimination after extra time.[19] Earlier in the competition, he scored a penalty kick against AEK Athens,[20] appearing in that match even though his father had died just hours before.[21]
Later career
In late January 2010, after being ousted from the starting XI by manager Míchel, Contra left Getafe and returned to his country, rejoining hometown's Politehnica Timișoara initially until June.[22][5] On 26 February he made his debut in his second spell for the club, scoring from a 30-yard free kick in the last minute of the 2–1 victory over Politehnica Iași.[23] Two months later, at Steaua București, he again found the net from two set pieces, one from a penalty (3–3 draw);[24] during his second stint, he played mainly as a central midfielder.
On 29 August 2010, Contra scored again from a free kick and again against Steaua, in a late 1–1 equaliser.[25] His contract expired the following day, and on 9 September he agreed to a new deal,[26] being announced as new player-coach six days later.[27] His last game as a player took place on 13 November 2010, in a 1–1 home draw with Unirea Urziceni.[2][4]
International
Contra earned 73 caps for Romania and scored seven goals, making his debut on 24 April 1996 at the age of 20 when coach Anghel Iordănescu sent him on the field in the 65th minute in order to replace captain Gheorghe Hagi in a friendly against Georgia which ended with a 5–0 victory.[4][28][29][30] He played three games in the Euro 2000 qualifiers, being selected by Emerich Jenei to be part of the final tournament squad, where he was used as a starter the first three matches, helping the team pass the group stage, but did not play in the 2–0 loss to Italy in the quarter-finals, being suspended after receiving two yellow cards in the previous fixtures.[4][28] He made nine appearances and netted twice in the 2002 FIFA World Cupqualifying phase, one in a 2–0 away victory over Georgia and one in the second leg of the play-off against Slovenia which was lost 3–2 on aggregate.[4][28]
Contra played four games in the 2010 World Cup qualifiers and, on 1 April 2009, after a match with Austria, he announced his retirement from international football; however, on 30 August 2010, the 34-year-old was recalled by manager Răzvan Lucescu for the Euro 2012 qualifiers, making his last appearance in a 1–1 against Albania.[28][32]
Coaching career
Early career
Contra made his Timișoara debut as a manager in September 2010, with a win against Sportul Studențesc București.[33] Even though the team never lost a game under his guidance, he was sacked after 11 matches – six wins, five draws – because of a conflict with the club's owner.[34]
Contra returned to Spain in July 2012, being appointed at Segunda División B side Fuenlabrada.[35] He started the campaign well and, after ten rounds, the team found themselves in a play-off position; however, after an offer from FC Petrolul Ploiești in his homeland arrived, he asked to be released from his contract.[36]
Petrolul managed to knock out Víkingur Gøta in the Europa League second qualifying round and Vitesse Arnhem in the third, but were eliminated in the play-offs by Swansea City after being bested 5–1 in Wales and winning 2–1 at home.[39]
Getafe
On 10 March 2014, Contra returned to Getafe and the Spanish top flight after four years, replacing Luis García who was fired after a long run of bad results which led the team to only a point above the relegation zone, and without a league win since November.[40][41] His first match in charge came four days later, a 3–3 home draw against Granada.[42] They finally won a game on the penultimate day of the month, emerging victorious at Valencia 3–1.[43]
On 18 December 2014, Contra was named as the new manager of Guangzhou R&F, replacing Sven-Göran Eriksson.[45] He began working officially for the club on 4 January of the following year.[46]
Alcorcón and Dinamo Bucharest
On 15 June 2016, Contra was appointed at Alcorcón.[47] He was relieved of his duties on 12 October.[48]
In February 2017, Contra became Dinamo Bucharest's new coach.[49] He led the team to their first trophy in five years by winning the Cupa Ligii[50] but, after advances from the Romanian Football Federation, he resigned from his post on 16 September.[51]
^Mallo, Borja (17 December 2021). "Un once para cien años del Alavés" [Eleven for Alavés' one hundred]. Noticias de Álava (in Spanish). Retrieved 31 October 2022.
.jpg)
