Eric Bicfalvi
Bicfalvi with Ural Yekaterinburg in 2019
Personal information
Full name Eric Cosmin Bicfalvi
Date of birth (1988-02-05) 5 February 1988 (age 36)
Place of birth Carei, Romania
Height 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in)
Position(s) Attacking midfielder, forward
Team information
Current team
 Ural Yekaterinburg
Number 10
Youth career
Școala Sportivă Carei
0000–2005 Kaizer Carei
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2005–2006 Fink Fenster Petrești 23 (9)
2006–2007 Jiul Petroșani 16 (0)
2007–2012 Steaua București 63 (3)
2008 → Gloria Buzău (loan) 25 (1)
2012–2015 Volyn Lutsk 73 (26)
2015–2016 Liaoning Whowin 12 (0)
2016 Dinamo București 7 (1)
2016 Tom Tomsk 15 (3)
2017– Ural Yekaterinburg 176 (48)
International career‡
2006–2007 Romania U19 3 (1)
2007–2010 Romania U21 23 (3)
2014– Romania 9 (1)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 9 March 2024
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 25 March 2021

Eric Cosmin Bicfalvi (Romanian pronunciation: ['erik kosˈmin ˈbikfalvi]; born 5 February 1988) is a Romanian professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder or a forward for Russian Premier League club Ural Yekaterinburg.

Bicfalvi began his senior career with Fink Fenster Petrești in the Romanian third tier, and went on to amass over 100 appearances in the Liga I for Jiul Petroșani, FC Steaua București and Gloria Buzău combined. He moved abroad for the first time by joining Ukrainian team Volyn Lutsk in 2012, where he was top scorer of the national league in the 2014–15 season. After brief spells in China and back to Romania, Bicfalvi has played in Russia since 2016.

Bicfalvi has been a full Romania international since November 2014, making his debut in a 2–0 friendly win over Denmark. He previously represented the nation at under-19 and under-21 levels.

Club career

Bicfalvi with Volyn Lutsk in 2015

In 2005, Bicfalvi began his senior career in the Romanian third division with Fink Fenster Petrești, where he spent one year. During this period, he made 23 appearances and scored nine goals for the club. The following season he moved to Liga I side Jiul Petroșani. After the team was relegated, he was signed by FC Steaua București on a five-year deal.

In 2012, as his contract expired he subsequently joined Ukrainian club Volyn Lutsk. Bicfalvi ended the 2014–15 Ukrainian Premier League season as joint-top scorer with 17 goals,[1] which earned him a transfer to Liaoning Whowin in the Chinese Super League on 7 July 2015.[2]

He did not adapt to life in China and after a brief spell with Dinamo București, the cross-town rival of his former club Steaua, he put pen on a contract with Tom Tomsk, newly promoted to the Russian Premier League.[3]

On 23 January 2017, he signed a two-and-a-half-year contract with another Russian first division side, Ural Yekaterinburg.[4] Bicfalvi was chosen as Russian Premier League player of the month for May 2022 after scoring 4 goals in 4 games during the month.[5]

International career

Bicfalvi is a former Romania youth international, representing the nation at under-19 and under-21 levels.

In August 2013, after not being convoked by the Romania senior team on any occasion, his agent announced that Bicfalvi would like to play for Hungary in the near future.[6][7][8][9][10][11][12]

However, Romania senior manager Anghel Iordănescu named him as a possible call-up for the next UEFA Euro 2016 qualifier against Northern Ireland in November 2014.[13][14] On 18 November that year, Bicfalvi made his full debut in a friendly with Denmark.[15][16]

Personal life

Bicfalvi's paternal grandfather, Alexander Bicfalvi/Sándor Bikfalvi was also a footballer and played for Victoria Carei. He was ethnic Swedish according to Gazeta Sporturilor and Hungarian according to Nemzeti Sport, while Eric's mother, Elisabeta/Erzsébet, is of Hungarian heritage.[17][18]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 13 March 2024[19]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National Cup Continental Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Jiul Petroșani 2006–07 Liga I 16 0 0 0 — — 16 0
Steaua București 2007–08 Liga I 9 1 2 0 4 0 — 15 1
2008–09 Liga I 6 1 0 0 — — 6 1
2009–10 Liga I 7 0 2 0 6 0 — 15 0
2010–11 Liga I 20 0 3 0 6 0 — 29 0
2011–12 Liga I 21 1 1 0 6 0 1[a] 0 29 1
Total 63 3 8 0 22 0 1 0 94 3
Gloria Buzău (loan) 2007–08 Liga I 14 1 1 0 — — 15 1
2008–09 Liga I 11 0 0 0 — — 11 0
Total 25 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 26 1
Steaua II București 2009–10 Liga II 3 1 — — — 3 1
Volyn Lutsk 2012–13 Ukrainian Premier League 24 5 1 0 — — 25 5
2013–14 Ukrainian Premier League 23 4 1 0 — — 24 4
2014–15 Ukrainian Premier League 26 17 3 2 — — 29 19
Total 73 26 5 2 0 0 0 0 78 28
Liaoning Whowin 2015 Chinese Super League 12 0 0 0 — — 12 0
Dinamo București 2015–16 Liga I 7 1 2 1 — 1[b] 0 10 2
Tom Tomsk 2016–17 Russian Premier League 15 3 0 0 — — 15 3
Ural Yekaterinburg 2016–17 Russian Premier League 9 2 3 2 — — 12 4
2017–18 Russian Premier League 26 8 0 0 — — 26 8
2018–19 Russian Premier League 26 6 5 2 — 1[c] 0 32 8
2019–20 Russian Premier League 26 8 1 0 — 1[c] 0 28 8
2020–21 Russian Premier League 22 7 2 3 — — 24 10
2021–22 Russian Premier League 28 10 1 0 — — 29 10
2022–23 Russian Premier League 26 4 11 4 — — 37 8
2023–24 Russian Premier League 13 3 3 1 — — 16 4
Total 176 48 26 12 0 0 2 0 204 60
Career total 390 83 42 15 22 0 4 0 458 98
  1. ^ Appearance in the Supercupa României
  2. ^ Appearance in the Cupa Ligii
  3. ^ a b Appearance in the FNL Cup

International

As of match played 25 March 2021[20]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
Romania
2014 1 0
2016 2 0
2017 3 0
2020 2 1
2021 1 0
Total 9 1
Scores and results list Romania's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Bicfalvi goal.[20]
List of international goals scored by Eric Bicfalvi
No. Date Venue Cap Opponent Score Result Competition
1 18 November 2020 Windsor Park, Belfast, Northern Ireland 8  Northern Ireland 1–1 1–1 2020–21 UEFA Nations League B

Honours

Steaua București[19]

Dinamo București

Ural Yekaterinburg[19]

Individual

References

  1. ^ "Top Scorers. Season 2014/2015". Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 20 July 2015.
  2. ^ 辽足官宣乌超金靴加盟 (in Japanese). sports.sina.com. 2015-07-07. Retrieved 2015-07-07.
  3. ^ "Eric Bicfalvi și-a găsit echipă după despărțirea de Dinamo! Prima reacție a mijlocașului (Eric Bicfalvi found his team after breaking up with Dinamo! The midfielder's first reaction)" (in Romanian). Archived from the original on 5 March 2017. Retrieved 6 July 2016.
  4. ^ "УРАЛ" ЗАКЛЮЧИЛ КОНТРАКТ С ЭРИКОМ БИКФАЛВИ (in Russian). FC Ural Yekaterinburg. 23 January 2017. Archived from the original on 26 January 2017. Retrieved 23 January 2017.
  5. ^ "БИКФАЛВИ, ФЕДОТОВ И КРИВЦОВ – ЛУЧШИЕ В МАЕ!" (in Russian). Russian Premier League. 27 May 2022.
  6. ^ "Un fotbalist român, nemulțumit că nu e băgat în seamă de selecționer, vrea să evolueze pentru Ungaria!".
  7. ^ "Magyar lenne egy román játékos". rangado. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 21 November 2013.
  8. ^ ORIGO. "Bikfalvi a magyar vlogatottsgon gondolkodik". origo.hu/.
  9. ^ SZFU. "Magyar válogatott lenne Bikfalvi?". Szatmári Friss Újság.
  10. ^ "Magyar válogatott akar lenni a románok elfelejtett játékosa". csakfoci.hu. Archived from the original on 26 November 2013.
  11. ^ "Maszol - A magyar válogatott felé tapogatózik Eric Bicfalvi?". maszol.ro/. 14 August 2013.
  12. ^ "Játékossors: magyar válogatott lenne a Steaua egykori játékosa? - N". NSO.hu. 13 August 2013.
  13. ^ SZFU. "Iordănescu lehet a kapitány, Bikfalvit is meghívta". Szatmári Friss Újság.
  14. ^ "OFICIAL: FRF confirmă varianta cu Iordănescu. "Secunzi" surpriză, Bicfalvi şi Puşcaş printre convocaţi".
  15. ^ "România - Danemarca 2-0. Keşeru a adus victoria "tricolorilor" cu prima sa dublă la naţională".
  16. ^ "Felkészülés: Bevették a dánok a Keserü-pirulát - NSO". 18 November 2014.
  17. ^ "Haginál a románok lecsaphatnak a magyar válogatottba vágyó Bicfalvira". Nemzeti Sport. 21 November 2013. Retrieved 21 November 2013.
  18. ^ "Bunicul lui Eric, Alexander Bicfalvi, este de origine suedez, dar s-a stabilit in Romania si s-a casatorit cu o romanca, Maria. "Nu ma consider nici macar 0,1 la suta suedez, sint roman get-beget", a spus Bicfalvi". GSP. 10 June 2007. Retrieved 10 June 2007.
  19. ^ a b c Eric Bicfalvi at Soccerway
  20. ^ a b "Eric Bicfalvi". European Football. Retrieved 22 April 2017.

External links

FC Ural Yekaterinburg – current squad
Ukrainian Premier League top scorers
Categories