Athlete of the week
Florin Orban, 26.01.2021, 13:02
In a fixture counting towards Turkish championship’s
20th round, Romanian footballer Denis Alibec scored both goals in
the match his team, Kayserispor, won against holders Bashakshehir, 2-nil. It
was Kayserispor’s first win since Romanian Dan Petrescu has become the team’s
head-coach. Denis Alibec drew first blood on 42 minutes, with Brazilian Gustavo Campanharo
providing the assist. Another Brazialian footballer, Pedro Henrique, provided
the second assist for Denis Alibec, who scored for the second time around in
minute 77. Denis Alibec was replaced on the pitch in minute 79, thus succeeding
his first Turkish championships goals for his team, Kayserispor, and Radio
Romania International designated Alibec the Athlete of the week.
Denis Alibec was born in Mangalia, in the south-east, on January 5, 1991. He first played for Callatis Mangalia’s junior team. Denis
made his League One debut playing for Farul Constanta, in 2008. He had a
five-year stint with International from Milan, over 2009 and 2014, then he was
on loan for Belgium’s Malines, Viitorul Constanta, back in Romania, and Bologna, in Italy. From
to 2014 to 2017 Alibec was signed up by Astra Giurgiu, the team with which he
won Romania’s League One championship in 2016. Denis Alibec emerged as an
out-and-out scorer, with no less than 32 goals scored in 65 fixtures he played
for Astra. Denis got transferred to FCSB where he played a single season, with
no remarkable achievements, then Alibec returned to Astra Giurgiu. He regained
the top shape that earned him recognition, being sought after by a couple of
foreign clubs. Denis Alibec was scheduled to play for a Saudi Arabia team, but
he opted for Kayserispor, the Turkish team whose pool of regulars includes two
other Romanians, Silviu Lung junior and Cristian Săpunaru. With the Romanian
national team, Alibec made his debut on October 11, 2015, in the 90th minute of
the away game the Romanian national squad won against the Faroe Islands, 3-nil.
Denis Alibec boasts 17 caps for the national team.
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