Ştefan Barbu made his debut at Olimpia Arad. In 1921, he moved to Gloria Arad, where, aged 17, made his first senior appearance. In 1927, only nineteen years old, Barbu made his debut for Romania national team, in a 3–3 draw against Poland. In 1930 Barbu was a member of the Romanian team which played at the 1930 FIFA World Cup: he played against Peru and Uruguay, without scoring any goals. His last match for the national team was in the same year, when Romania lost to Bulgaria. In 1933 he moved at Rapid București where he won three times the Romanian Cup (1934–1935, 1935–1936, 1937–1938) and was also the top scorer of Liga I in 1935–1936 with 23 goals. In 1938 Barbu returned to Gloria Arad, where he played until his retirement in 1942. After his playing career, Ştefan Barbu has been a referee for 15 years. In 1957 he was appointed as the president of CFR, a football club based in Arad.
