Horațiu Moldovan

Horațiu Alexandru Moldovan (born 20 January 1998) is a Romanian professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for La Liga club Atlético Madrid and the Romania national team.

A youth product of his hometown club CFR Cluj, Moldovan briefly represented several sides during the first part of his career before becoming a starter at Rapid București in 2021. Three years later, his performances inspired a transfer to Spanish team Atlético Madrid.

Internationally, Moldovan earned his first cap for Romania in November 2022, in a 2–1 friendly loss to Slovenia. He represented the country in the UEFA Euro 2024.

Early life
Before turning to junior football, Moldovan was passionate about kart racing, engines and speed. He stated that he saw his first football at age seven, and "From that moment on, football was everything".

Early career
Moldovan spent a large part of his junior career at his hometown side CFR Cluj, but did not make his senior debut there and was instead loaned out to Hermannstadt and Energeticianul, respectively. Between 2019 and 2020, Moldovan had a series of transfers; he initially signed for Ripensia Timișoara, then moved to Sepsi OSK, and subsequently returned to Ripensia Timișoara.

UTA Arad
On 10 August 2020, Moldovan joined UTA Arad. Twelve days later, he made his Liga I debut in a 1–1 away draw at Viitorul Constanța. He assumed a substitute role at the team, only recording three additional appearances throughout the remainder of his spell.

Rapid București
On 6 January 2021, Moldovan moved to Liga II side Rapid București on a one-and-a-half-year contract, establishing himself as a regular starter. After Rapid's promotion to the top tier, he played 37 league matches and kept 11 clean sheets in the 2021–22 season, his consistency aiding the team to finish ninth overall.

On 14 December 2022, Moldovan saved a penalty kick in a 3–1 derby win over Petrolul Ploiești. On 21 May 2023, he agreed to a one-year contract extension lasting until the summer of 2025. On 21 December that year, the Gazeta Sporturilor newspaper announced that Moldovan came fourth in voting for the 2023 Romanian Footballer of the Year award.

Atlético Madrid
On 24 January 2024, Moldovan transferred to La Liga club Atlético Madrid for a €800,000 fee, representing his release clause. He signed a three-and-a-half-year contract and was assigned the number 1 shirt. Moldovan did not record his debut by the end of the 2023–24 season, being considered a backup option for Jan Oblak.

International career
On 17 November 2022, Moldovan made his debut for the Romania national team in a 2–1 friendly loss to Slovenia at Cluj Arena. The following year, he appeared in eight matches of the UEFA Euro 2024 qualifiers, aiding his nation in winning its group undefeated.

On 7 June 2024, Moldovan was named in Romania's squad for the Euro 2024. However, due to his complete lack of playing time at Atlético Madrid, he lost his starter status to Florin Niță, as the country won its group but was eliminated by the Netherlands in the round of 16.

Honours
Hermannstadt
 * Liga III: 2016–17

Individual
 * Gazeta Sporturilor Romanian Footballer of the Year fourth place: 2023
 * Gazeta Sporturilor Romania Player of the Month: November 2023