Cătălin Cîrjan

Cătălin Ionuț Cîrjan (; born 1 December 2002) is a Romanian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Liga I club Dinamo București, which he captains, and the Romania national team.

Club career

Early career / Arsenal During his junior years, Cîrjan was part of the youth setup of lower league team Viitorul Domnești, before moving to Premier League club Arsenal in July 2019.

Serious knee injuries during his time in London sidelined his development for over a year. On 24 May 2022 however, it was announced that Cîrjan had agreed to a new contract with Arsenal. After his appearance in a friendly with Boreham Wood, Cîrjan experienced a 480-day gap before returning to action in an under-21 match in August 2022. By the following month, he resumed training with the first-team squad.

On 23 June 2023, after several weeks of rumours, Cîrjan returned to Romania by signing for Liga I club Rapid București on a one-year loan. He made his debut as a senior in a goalless league draw with Sepsi OSK on 14 July. During his spell, Cîrjan started in only seven out of 17 Liga I appearances and did not score any goals.

In the summer of 2024, Cîrjan left Arsenal upon the expiration of his contract.

Dinamo București On 13 June 2024, Cîrjan agreed to a three-year contract with Rapid București's cross-town rivals Dinamo București, being assigned the number 10 jersey. He started and scored on debut on 14 July, in a 2–3 away Liga I loss to CFR Cluj. He scored again one week later, in a 4–1 home win over Petrolul Ploiești.

As a result of his efficient start to the season, Cîrjan was named Romania Player of the Month for July 2024 by the Gazeta Sporturilor website.

Career statistics

International

Honours Individual Liga I Team of the Season: 2025–26