Nistor Văidean

Club career Văidean was born on 1 October 1961 in Făgăraș, Romania. He began playing senior-level football at FCM Brașov, making his Divizia A debut on 5 March 1983 under coach Ștefan Coidum in a 3–1 away loss to Dinamo București. The team suffered relegation at the end of the 1982–83 season, but Văidean stayed with the club, helping it gain promotion back to the first league after one year by scoring 11 goals. Dinamo reached the 1986 Cupa României final, where coach Mircea Lucescu sent him in the 89th minute to replace Iulian Mihăescu in the 1–0 victory against Steaua București, which had recently won the European Cup.

In 1987, Văidean joined Flacăra Moreni where he scored a career-best 13 goals during the 1988–89 season to help the club finish in fourth place. In the middle of the 1989–90 season, he left Flacăra and went for a second spell at FCM Brașov. Văidean made his Nemzeti Bajnokság I debut on 18 August under coach Karol Pecze in a 2–1 away loss to Siófoki Bányász in which he received a red card. On 13 April 1991, he scored his first goal in the competition in a 1–1 draw against Videoton.

Văidean earned two caps for Romania, making his debut on 14 March 1986, when coach Mircea Lucescu sent him on at halftime to replace Ion Geolgău in a 1–1 friendly draw against Iraq. Three days later, he played as a starter in another friendly against Iraq and was in turn substituted by Geolgău, with the game ending in a goalless draw.

Managerial career Văidean coached Nitramonia Făgăraș across several stints, notably helping the club achieve promotion to Divizia B at the end of the 1996–97 season.

Writing Văidean wrote a book titled Bucuria unui copil despre care se credea că nu va mai juca fotbal niciodată (The joy of a child who was thought never to play football again) which was released in 2010.

Honours Player FCM Brașov Divizia B: 1983–84 Dinamo București Cupa României: 1985–86 Manager Nitramonia Făgăraș Divizia C: 1996–97