Dan Petrescu was a Chelsea legend in the latter half of the nineties for his relentless attacking and knack for scoring brilliant goals – despite nominally being a defender.
The Romanian was a marauding right-back long before it became a well-established trend in the Premier League, regularly making runs in behind the defence, getting on the end of chances and being the team’s extra attacker when he wasn’t defending.
Petrescu made 279 appearances for English clubs including Chelsea, Sheffield Wednesday, Bradford City and Southampton, scoring 30 goals in the process, and winning four trophies in four seasons at Stamford Bridge.
The full-back also enjoyed a stellar international career, winning 95 caps for Romania, playing in two World Cups and two European Championships, as well as scoring the winning goal against England at France ’98.
In the latest episode of the 90’s Football Hall of Fame show, Ste, Peter and Ant discuss Petrescu’s career, what made him so fun to watch, and why he made it in the English top flight when so many other Romanians of his generation couldn’t hack it in the Premier League.
Listen to the 90’s Football Hall of Fame on Spotify:
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