Biography
Zoli Crișan made his top-flight debut at Universitatea Craiova after signing from Minerul Baia Mare, and wore the white and blue from 1974 to 1984. He played 304 league matches, scoring 50 goals, and won 46 caps for Romania, scoring four times.
A defining moment of Zoli’s career was the match against Benfica on 20 April 1983. In the 78th minute his shot crashed against the crossbar. A centimetre lower and Universitatea would have been in the UEFA Cup final. “The next day, Doctor Frânculescu measured the goals. That one was 8 cm lower,” Crișan recalled.
Zoli Crișan won the league twice with Știința and the Romanian Cup four times. In 1974 he became Balkan champion with Romania’s youth team.
He passed away at the age of 48 after a merciless illness.
