Emil Cosmin Dică (born 17 July 1982 in Scornicești, Romania) is a Romanian former professional footballer who played as a defensive midfielder. Over the course of his career he represented numerous clubs in Romania’s Liga I and Liga II, as well as teams abroad in Greece and Kazakhstan.
Playing career
- Youth: Began at CSȘ Aripi Pitești (1992–1998) before moving to Argeș Pitești’s youth system (1998–2001).
- Senior clubs:
- Argeș Pitești (2001–2004) – 42 appearances, 1 goal.
- Loan spells at Pandurii Târgu Jiu (2001–2002) and Internațional Pitești (2002–2003).
- Dacia Mioveni (2005) – 3 appearances, 1 goal.
- Rapid București (2005–2009; 2013; 2014) – 110 appearances, 6 goals; won two Romanian Cups (2005–06, 2006–07) and the Romanian Supercup (2007).
- CFR Cluj (2009–2011) – 30 appearances, 3 goals; part of the squad that secured the Liga I title (2009–10), the Romanian Cup (2009–10), and two Supercups (2009, 2010).
- Skoda Xanthi (2011) in Greece – 7 appearances.
- FC Astana (2012) in Kazakhstan – 8 appearances, 1 goal.
- Additional Romanian clubs include CS Mioveni, Ceahlăul Piatra Neamț, Oțelul Galați, Baia Mare, Târgu Mureș, and Național Sebiș, bringing his total senior caps to 291 with 17 goals.
Managerial and executive roles
Following retirement, Dică transitioned to football administration and coaching:
- Sporting director at Pandurii Târgu Jiu (2018).
- Sporting director at Energeticianul (2018–2019).
- Manager of Muscelul Câmpulung (2020).
- Sporting director at Comuna Recea (2020).
Honours
- Rapid București: Romanian Cup (2005–06, 2006–07); Romanian Supercup (2007).
- CFR Cluj: Liga I (2009–10); Romanian Cup (2009–10); Romanian Supercup (2009, 2010).
Emil Dică is noted for his versatility in midfield, contributing both defensively and in transitional play throughout his extensive domestic and international career.