Career
Adrian Bucurel Ilie (Romanian pronunciation:. Born April 20, 1974) is a Romanian former international football player. His nickname was Cobra, because of his skills to attack on the field
Ilie began his career with his local club Football Club Electroputere Craiova before transferring to Romania"s biggest club Football Club Steaua București in 1993.
During his three years with Steaua, Ilie helped the club to three consecutive Romanian league titles and the 1995-1996 Cupa României. After an impressive season, he moved from Galatasaray to for a reported €4.7 million, where he replaced in the squad the Brazilian star Romário and took over his northern
11 jersey. At Valencia he impressed from his debut, scoring twelve goals in 17 matches, and thus getting the nickname of "Cobra" from coach Claudio Ranieri, because he was as "lethal as a cobra".
In 2000, under Héctor Cúper"s command, Valencia reached the final of the Union of European Football Associations Champions League, where Ilie appeared as a substitute for Gerardo in a 3–0 loss to Real Madrid CF. In 2002, Ilie left Valencia to join Deportivo Alavés but the club was relegated to the Segunda División in his only season. He then returned to Turkey to play for Beşiktaş J.K. before transferring to Switzerland"s Football Club Zürich a year later.
In 2005, he signed with Belgian side Beerschot Air Corps but never played with the club due to a severe ankle injury, resulting in his retirement from football at the age of only 31. He tried a comeback in 2009, at the Russian side Terek Grozny, but he didn"t pass the physical tests.
He played at the 1996 European Football Championship, 1998 Fédération internationale de football association World Cup and 2000 European Football Championship.
At 1998 Fédération internationale de football association World Cup, he scored against Colombia one of the most spectacular goals of the tournament. In the period between 1997-2000, alongside team mate Gheorghe Hagi, he was Romania"s national team leader, scoring important goals and impressing with his skills. Club Football Club Steaua București 1.