Mihai Adam
![]() Adam with Universitatea Cluj in 1963. | |||
Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Date of birth | 3 July 1940 | ||
Place of birth | Câmpia Turzii, Romania | ||
Date of death | 11 December 2015 | (aged 75)||
Place of death | Cluj-Napoca, Romania | ||
Height | 1.79 m (5 ft 10 in) | ||
Position(s) | Striker | ||
Youth career | |||
1956–1959 | Industria Sârmei Câmpia Turzii | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
1959–1962 | Industria Sârmei Câmpia Turzii | ||
1962–1972 | Universitatea Cluj | 226 | (107) |
1968–1969 | → Vagonul Arad (loan) | 13 | (6) |
1972–1976 | CFR Cluj | 114 | (47) |
Total | 353 | (160) | |
International career | |||
1963–1964 | Romania U23 | 7 | (3) |
1965 | Romania B | 1 | (0) |
* Club domestic league appearances and goals |
Mihai Adam (3 July 1940 – 11 December 2015) was a Romanian football player who played as a striker.
Club career
[edit]"He was among the greatest strikers in the history of our football, an extremely modest and serious man"
Adam, the 11th child of his parents, was born on 3 July 1940 in Câmpia Turzii, Romania, and began playing football in 1956 for local club Industria Sârmei.[2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9] In 1962, he was transferred to Universitatea Cluj, where on 19 August he made his Divizia A debut under coach Constantin Rădulescu in a 2–1 home victory against Politehnica Timișoara.[10][5][7][9][11] In the 1964–65 Divizia A season, Adam who partnered with Zoltán Ivansuc in the team's attack, won the top-scorer of the season title for the first time, netting 18 goals.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8] He also helped the club win the Cupa României, having been used by coach Andrei Sepci in the entire game of the 2–1 victory in the final against Argeș Pitești.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][12]

In the following season, Adam made his debut in European competitions, playing four games in which he scored a goal that helped "U" Cluj eliminate Austrian team, Wiener Neustadt in the first round of the 1965–66 European Cup Winners' Cup, being eliminated in the following round by Atlético Madrid.[10][8][13] In the 1967–68 season he scored 15 goals in 26 league appearances, winning his second top-scorer title, seven of these being scored in two victories over Dinamo București.[1][10][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][14] In the next season he was selected to do his military service in Arad, so he played for local club, Vagonul.[10][2][9] Afterwards he returned to play for three more seasons at "U" Cluj.[10][9] In the last one, he scored 10 goals which helped the club finish in third position.[10][9]
Then he was transferred to CFR Cluj in exchange for Vasile Șoo, where he reunited with coach Constantin Rădulescu and scored the decisive goal in the 2–1 Cluj derby win against Universitatea three weeks after his transfer.[1][10][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][15] In the 1973–74 season, he won the top-scorer title for the third and final time, scoring a personal record of 23 goals, while the team netted a total of 40.[1][10][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][15] That performance helped them avoid relegation, as they finished in 14th position out of 18 teams.[1][10][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][15] Adam scored nine goals in 25 appearances in his last season, but he couldn't prevent CFR from being relegated this time.[1][10][2][5] His last Divizia A appearance was on 20 June 1976 in CFR's 1–0 loss to Steaua București and he scored a total of 160 goals in 353 matches in the competition.[1][10][2][5]
International career
[edit]Between 1963 and 1965, Adam made several appearances for Romania's under-23 and B teams.[2][16] But he never played for Romania's senior team and on 13 May 2020, Gazeta Sporturilor included him in a first XI of best Romanian players who never played for the senior national team.[2][17][18]
Refereeing career
[edit]After he ended his playing career, Adam became a referee, officiating games including in Romania's top-league, Divizia A.[2][3][6][19]
Death
[edit]In the last years of his life, he lived in Cluj-Napoca, suffering from Alzheimer's disease, and died on 11 December 2015 at age 75.[10][3][4][5][6][7] The Mihai Adam Stadium in Câmpia Turzii is named in his honor.[20]
Honours
[edit]Club
[edit]Universitatea Cluj
Individual
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f g h i "Încă o veste tristă pentru fotbalul românesc. A murit cel mai mare golgheter al Clujului, Mihai Adam "bombardierul" lui U și CFR" [Another sad news for Romanian football. The greatest goalscorer of Cluj, Mihai Adam "bomber" of U and CFR, died] (in Romanian). Liga2.prosport.ro. 12 December 2015. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "Mihai Adam, primul golgeter din istoria CFR-ului" [Mihai Adam, the first goalscorer in the history of the CFR] (in Romanian). Welovesport.ro. 3 February 2023. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "Doliu în fotbalul românesc. Mihai Adam, o legendă a Clujului, s-a stins din viaţă! Cariera fabuloasă, aici ai toate cifrele" [Mourning in Romanian football. Mihai Adam, a legend of Cluj, passed away! Fabulous career, here are all the numbers] (in Romanian). Orangesport.ro. 11 December 2015. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Fostul fotbalist Mihai Adam a murit" [Former footballer Mihai Adam died] (in Romanian). Romanialibera.ro. 11 December 2015. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Marele fotbalist Mihai Adam a murit" [The great footballer Mihai Adam died] (in Romanian). Dcnews.ro. 11 December 2015. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "A murit încă un greu al fotbalului românesc! Mihai Adam, fost golgheter de rasă atât la "U", cât și la CFR Cluj, s-a stins din viață la vârsta de 75 de ani!" [Another legend of Romanian football has died! Mihai Adam, former top scorer both at "U" and at CFR Cluj, died at the age of 75!] (in Romanian). Libertatea.ro. 11 December 2015. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "Fostul international Mihai Adam a incetat din viata la varsta de 75 de ani" [Former international Mihai Adam died at the age of 75] (in Romanian). Mediafax.ro. 11 December 2015. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Mihai Adam. Golgeter adevărat" [Mihai Adam. Real goalscorer] (in Romanian). Ovidiublag.ro. 1 April 2020. Retrieved 8 March 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "Mihai Adam profile" (in Romanian). 4everucluj.ro.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Mihai Adam at RomanianSoccer.ro (in Romanian)
- ^ "U Cluj vs Politehnica Timisoara - Liga1 1962–1963". Labtof.ro. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
- ^ a b "Romanian Cup - Season 1964–1965". RomanianSoccer. Retrieved 9 April 2020.
- ^ "Mihai Adam. Cup Winners Cup 1965/1966". WorldFootball. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
- ^ "Universitatea Cluj 1967–68 season" (in Romanian). 4everucluj.ro.
- ^ a b c "Ei sunt copiii Clujului! Vezi cum arată 11-le ideal din toate timpurile format din jucătorii crescuţi de U și CFR" [They are the children of Cluj! See how the first 11 of all times looks like with the players raised by U and CFR] (in Romanian). Prosport.ro. 12 April 2011. Retrieved 9 March 2024.
- ^ "Mihai Adam profile". 11v11. Retrieved 7 June 2020.
- ^ "Mihai Adam profile". 11v11. Retrieved 7 June 2020.
- ^ "Ion Oblemenco ar fi împlinit azi 75 de ani! Legendarul jucător nu a prins niciodată naționala. Care sunt cei mai buni fotbaliști fără vreun minut pentru România" [Ion Oblemenco would have turned 75 today! The legendary player never caught the national team. Who are the best footballers without any minutes for Romania] (in Romanian). Gsp.ro. 13 May 2020. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
- ^ "Mihai Adam referee profile". Labtof.ro. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
- ^ "Stadionul comunității din Câmpia Turzii este din nou acasă!" [The community stadium from Câmpia Turzii is back home!] (in Romanian). Turdanews.ro. 29 October 2014. Retrieved 9 April 2020.
External links
[edit]- Mihai Adam at WorldFootball.net
- 1940 births
- 2015 deaths
- People from Câmpia Turzii
- Romanian men's footballers
- Men's association football forwards
- Liga I players
- Liga II players
- CSM Câmpia Turzii players
- Vagonul Arad players
- FC Universitatea Cluj players
- CFR Cluj players
- Romanian football referees
- Deaths from Alzheimer's disease
- Footballers from Cluj County
- 20th-century Romanian sportsmen