Cosmin Contra

Cosmin Marius Contra (born 15 December 1975) is a Romanian football manager and former player.

He is the current manager of Saudi Pro League club Damac.

Primarily an attacking-minded right-back, he was also deployed as a midfielder.

He played professionally in three countries his own notwithstanding, mainly Spain where he appeared for Alavés, Atlético Madrid and Getafe, amassing La Liga totals of 188 games and eight goals.

A Romania international for nearly 15 years, he represented the nation in two European Championships.

Born in Timișoara, Cosmin Contra started his professional career at local club Politehnica Timișoara, making his Divizia A debut under coach Costică Ștefănescu on 27 February 1994 at age 18 in a 1–0 victory in the West derby against UTA Arad.

At the end of his first season they were relegated to Divizia B, but he stayed with the side, promoting back after one year.

Midway through 1995–96, he signed for Dinamo București at the request of coach Cornel Dinu.

Contra earned 73 caps for Romania and scored seven goals, making his debut on 24 April 1996 at the age of 20 when coach Anghel Iordănescu sent him on the field in the 65th minute in order to replace captain Gheorghe Hagi in a friendly against Georgia which ended with a 5–0 victory.

During his period with the Red Dogs he failed to win any trophy, the team's best performance during his stay being a runner-up finish in 1998–99; he also made his debut in European competitions, appearing in four matches in the 1996 UEFA Intertoto Cup and two in the 1997–98 UEFA Cup.

After three and a half campaigns with Dinamo, Contra was transferred for $800,000 to Deportivo Alavés in the Spanish La Liga.

He was an important part in the Basques' runner-up run in the UEFA Cup, his performances earning him in a place in the UEFA Team of the Year.

Contra scored eight goals in all competitions during his spell at the Mendizorrotza Stadium.

In December 2021, as the club celebrated its 100th birthday, he was voted its best-ever right-back by newspaper Noticias de Álava.

He played three games in the Euro 2000 qualifiers, being selected by Emerich Jenei to be part of the final tournament squad, where he was used as a starter the first three matches, helping the team pass the group stage, but did not play in the 2–0 loss to Italy in the quarter-finals, being suspended after receiving two yellow cards in the previous fixtures.

In the summer of 2001, Contra moved to Italian club A.C. Milan, but his spell there lasted only one season.

In September 2002 he returned to Spain and joined Atlético Madrid, appearing very rarely in the 2003–04 campaign due to a serious ankle condition; while still with Milan, he was suspended after a scuffle with Juventus's Edgar Davids.

He made nine appearances and netted twice in the 2002 FIFA World Cup qualifying phase, one in a 2–0 away victory over Georgia and one in the second leg of the play-off against Slovenia which was lost 3–2 on aggregate.

Contra signed for West Bromwich Albion on loan in August 2004, making his debut in a 2–1 defeat at Colchester United in the second round of the Football League Cup on 21 September.

His maiden Premier League appearance occurred almost two months later, when they lost 2–1 at home against Middlesbrough.

Overall, the loan was not particularly successful, with Contra playing just six games and receiving a red card in his last match, a 0–5 home loss to Liverpool.

He then returned to his country and Liga I, at the club which brought him up as a player, Politehnica Timișoara, where he managed to be recalled to the national side due to his good performances.

Contra made six appearances in the Euro 2004 qualifiers, scoring a hat-trick in the 7–0 away rout of Luxembourg, playing six times in the 2006 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign.

Contra returned to Spain in August 2005, agreeing to a season-long loan with Getafe which was subsequently made permanent (he was supposed to have arrived at the Coliseum Alfonso Pérez before, but the move was blocked because the squad had too many non-EU players, and his compatriot Gheorghe Craioveanu only ceased to be considered a foreigner the same year).

He was used regularly by the Madrid outskirts side, battling for a first-team slot with David Cortés.

In the 2007–08 UEFA Cup, Contra netted in both legs of the quarter-final tie against Bayern Munich, which ended in a 4–4 aggregate elimination after extra time.

Earlier in the competition, he scored a penalty kick against AEK Athens, appearing in that match even though his father had died just hours before.

He contributed six matches and two goals, one in a 3–0 victory against Luxembourg and one in the 2–0 defeat of Slovenia in qualification for Euro 2008, being used in the final tournament by manager Victor Pițurcă in all the minutes as his side failed to progress from their group.

Contra played four games in the 2010 World Cup qualifiers and, on 1 April 2009, after a match with Austria, he announced his retirement from international football; however, on 30 August 2010, the 34-year-old was recalled by manager Răzvan Lucescu for the Euro 2012 qualifiers, making his last appearance in a 1–1 against Albania.

In late January 2010, after being ousted from the starting XI by manager Míchel, Contra left Getafe and returned to his country, rejoining hometown's Politehnica Timișoara initially until June.

On 26 February he made his debut in his second spell for the club, scoring from a 30-yard free kick in the last minute of the 2–1 victory over Politehnica Iași.

Two months later, at Steaua București, he again found the net from two set pieces, one from a penalty (3–3 draw); during his second stint, he played mainly as a central midfielder.

On 29 August 2010, Contra scored again from a free kick and again against Steaua, in a late 1–1 equaliser.

His contract expired the following day, and on 9 September he agreed to a new deal, being announced as new player-coach six days later.

His last game as a player took place on 13 November 2010, in a 1–1 home draw with Unirea Urziceni.

Contra made his Timișoara debut as a manager in September 2010, with a win against Sportul Studențesc București.

Even though the team never lost a game under his guidance, he was sacked after 11 matches – six wins, five draws – because of a conflict with the club's owner.

Contra returned to Spain in July 2012, being appointed at Segunda División B side Fuenlabrada.

As a coach, Contra won the Cupa României with Petrolul Ploiești in 2013 and the Cupa Ligii with Dinamo București four years later.

In September 2017, he was appointed at the helm of the Romania national team.