Serghei Cleșcenco

Serghei Cleșcenco (; born 20 May 1972) is a Moldovan football coach and a former player. He was most recently the head coach of the Moldova national team, for which he held the records for most goals as a player.

He holds the record for the most goals scored in a single season by a foreigner in Israel. He is a former manager of Zimbru Chișinău, where he also spent large parts of his playing career.

Playing career Aged 17, Cleșcenco made his debut for Nistru Chișinău as substitute in the 72nd minute in a 1990 Soviet First League match against Kotayk Abovyan. He played for half of the season at Spartak Oryol, where he was invited by the Moldovan coach Valentin Goian. In the following season of the Soviet First League he played for Zimbru Chișinău.

From 1992 to 1996 Cleșcenco played in the Moldovan National Division, winning the championship four times. He made his debut in the National Division in a match against Speranţa Nisporeni in which he scored. In 1994 he was chosen as the Moldovan Footballer of the Year, and also the best Moldovan forward in 1994, 1995, 1998 and 1999. In 1996 he joined the Dutch side Go Ahead Eagles, for which he played two seasons. He scored a brace in a 2–2 draw against Feyenoord. Cleșcenco returned to Zimbru, which won the Moldovan double in the 1997–98 season. He scored 25 goals in 20 matches, being the top goal scorer in the National Division.

In 1998 Cleșcenco joined Zenit St. Petersburg. He debuted on 1 July as a substitute in a 5–0 win over FC Tyumen. During the half of the year he spent at the club, he played only 175 minutes in 7 matches. After returning to Zimbru he played 8 more matches. He was nicknamed "Kalashnikov" by the Israeli fans after scoring four goals during 30 minutes in a 5–2 win over Hapoel Petah Tikva. In 2012 he won the Moldovan Cup and Moldovan Super Cup with Milsami Orhei. From 2012 to 2014 he was executive assistant at Zimbru Chișinău. During this period the club won the Moldovan Cup and Moldovan Super Cup. In 2014 he was invited by Alexander Tolstikov to work at União Leiria. He worked as a sporting director and assistant coach. In 2017 he was Leonid Kuchuk's assistant at Rostov.

Personal life Cleșcenco's son, Nicky Cleșcenco, is also a footballer who plays for the Moldova national team.

International goals Scores and results list Moldova's goal tally first.

Honours Player Zimbru Chișinău Moldovan National Division: 1992, 1992–93, 1993–94, 1994–95, 1995–96, 1997–98 Moldovan Cup: 1997–98

Maccabi Haifa Israeli Premier League: 2000–01

Hapoel Tel Aviv Toto Cup: 2001–02

Individual Moldovan Footballer of the Year: 1994, 2000

Manager Milsami Moldovan Cup: 2011–12 Moldovan Super Cup: 2012

Managerial Statistics

TeamPeriodRecordGWDLWin %Moldova2021–2025