George Daniel Birligea (born 19 April 2000) is a Romanian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Liga I club CFR Cluj and the Romania national team.
Born in Braila, Birligea moved to Italy at age 12 with his mother and elder sister, where he represented ASD Cantera Ribolla and Palermo at junior level.
On 22 January 2020, Birligea made his Serie C debut for Teramo in a 1–0 win over Catanzaro. Over the course of two years with Il diavolo, he amassed seven goals from 43 appearances in all competitions.
On 26 January 2022, Birligea returned to Romania after agreeing to a contract with defending champions CFR Cluj. He made his debut on 5 February, coming on as a 87th-minute substitute for Claudiu Petrila in a 1–1 Liga I draw at Universitatea Craiova.
Birligea scored his first goal for "the White and Burgundies" on 1 May 2022, in a 1–0 league defeat of Farul Constanta. Two weeks later, he started in a 2–1 home victory over Universitatea Craiova, as his club was crowned national champion one fixture prior to the end of the season.
On 10 November 2022, Birligea scored his first career hat-trick in a 5–0 defeat of Dumbravita counting for the Cupa Romaniei group stage.
Birligea made his debut for the Romania national under-21 team on 25 March 2022, equalising late in an eventual 2–1 friendly win against Finland at the Stadionul Arcul de Triumf in Bucharest. In June 2023, he was selected by manager Emil Sandoi in the squad for the 2023 UEFA European Under-21 Championship.
In September 2023, Birligea received his first call-up to the Romania senior national team for the UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying matches against Israel and Kosovo. |
