My childhood bedroom window looked out on… cars, traffic. We lived on one of the busiest streets in Bucharest, a direct route to the motorway. You could always hear car horns, police sirens, all kinds of noise. But inside our house, it was quiet and peaceful – a whole other world. When I was ten, my parents, brother and I moved to Brussels for my father’s job. I miss Romania and my friends there. I remember the hot summers and snowy winters. Sometimes the snow was so deep I couldn’t see over it as a little kid. I go back twice a year. Only my grandmother still lives there; the rest of my family lives nearby. My parents are still in Belgium and my brother is studying in Tilburg.
Football is my life. I was six when I started playing. I tried handball for a couple of years, but I decided to pursue football. At school, I’d play football with the older boys. They made me play goalie and that’s how I became a goalkeeper. I was thirteen, showed talent, and kept moving up the ranks at the local club. One day, a coach said, “Let’s try higher.” That’s how I ended up at RDW Molenbeek, then Union Saint-Gilloise, Patro Eisden and eventually VVV-Venlo. I spent the past six months studying abroad in Sydney. Now that I’m back in Europe, I’m training with professional clubs, including VVV. I have offers from Dutch, Belgian and German clubs that play in different divisions, but I’m close to finishing my bachelor’s degree. Should I go straight into a master’s, or go all in on football? There’s a lot for me to think about.
"I still pray regularly at home, before I go to bed or when I wake up, and before matches"
As a child, I was… Hmm. [Thinks] Demanding. What I mean is that I was always pushing myself to the next level, whether it was in football and other sports or in school. When my older brother was doing his homework, I’d peek over his shoulder to learn too. I was chair of the student sports council MUSST and devoted all my free time to it because I wanted to use my professional sports background to make things more efficient. It’s not about being better than anyone else; I’m competing with myself, always raising the bar.
I’m an optimist. Generally, yes. I’m happy with my life. But when I look at politics or the state of the world today, it makes me think. Sometimes I wonder where we’re headed as a society. Ten years ago, people were kinder, groceries were cheaper, and life was easier and more fun.
Do you ever pray? Yes. I was raised in the Orthodox Christian faith. I wouldn’t say I’m the most religious, but I do try my best to be a good person and go to church on Sundays. My parents never forced anything on me – they let me decide for myself. I still pray regularly at home, before I go to bed or when I wake up, and before matches. I’m not superstitious, but when it comes to matches, I like wearing gloves I’ve trained in at least a few times. It just feels right.
"I’m not bothered by what others think, I just want to make a positive contribution to society"
I still want to learn... Everything. I love learning new things; it keeps you sharp. I hope I’ll still be learning when I’m eighty or ninety. I’m fascinated by the world around me – how things were built or came to be, but also my own history. Who were my ancestors? What were their lives like? My grandparents lived through communism in Romania. My parents were in their early twenties when the regime fell. They met at university. What if they hadn’t been there, in the same place at the same time? I wouldn’t be here. I think about those things.
Would you rather be rich or famous? Rich. I’d like to have enough money to enjoy life and accumulate experiences, although being healthy is even more important. Money doesn’t buy happiness, but it helps. You can do what you want and help people who need it, to spread happiness. I’m not bothered by what others think, I just want to make a positive contribution to society. I feel a responsibility to do that. It doesn’t have to be anything huge, but even just things like giving someone money so they can buy groceries.
In 10 years… I’ll still be playing football. I’ve got my coaching qualifications and will work on improving them, so I’ll be doing something with those as well. I’d like to have children. And hopefully, I’ll be a diplomat, working in international relations. I want future generations to grow up in a better world and hope to leave this place more beautiful than I found it.