Romanian player who was both a defender and midfielder, known as Gica and who arrived at the club after time in the Dutch and English leagues. Enjoyed two fine seasons at Barça, playing consistently and displaying secure defensive qualities and a major capacity for ball distribution, and with such authority on the field that he’d soon become team captain. Galatasaray made a big offer for his services and he left for Turkey in 1997.

Full biography:

Popescu arrived at Barça from English club Tottenham in the summer of 1995. In his first season with the team he had Johan Cruyff as coach. He was soon a regular starter for the team, playing in the centre of the defence or in midfield. In the following season, now with Robson on the bench, Popescu won three titles. The first was the Spanish Super Cup against Atlético Madrid, then came the European Cup Winners’ Cup in Holland versus PSG and finally the famous Copa del Rey at the Santiago Bernabeu against Betis, and where the Romanian got to collect the trophy as first team captain. After two seasons as one of the most prominent stars, Popescu left for Galatasaray where he played for four seasons. After a brief experience Italian Calcio with Lecce and another in Romania with Dynamo Bucharest, Gica Popescu would hang up his boots at Hannover 96 of Germany in 2003.

Honours:

1 Copa del Rey (1996-1997)
1 European Cup Winners’ Cup (1996-1997)
1 Spanish Super Cup (1996-1997)

115 international caps for Romania