The spotter Victor Piţurcă asked to Maximilian Nicu, the midfielder from Hertha Berlin, to obtain immediately the Romanian citizenship in order to take him at the national team. The player could play in the matches with Serbia and Austria!
The national team prepares to receive a new player: Max Nicu (26 years old), the midfielder of the leader from Bundesliga, Hertha Berlin. He was born in Germania but his parents are Romanian! He would be the first "tricolor" naturalized from the modern history of the national team!
Nicu plays on any post in the middle line, but he is usually used as stopper or on the left side. He has an agreement with Hertha until in 2011, and his first goal in Bundesliga was scored Marica, 2-1 with Stuttgart on October, 18th 2008.
The papers were deposed yesterday at Munchen
Piţurcă asked imperiously the football player to start the demarches in order to obtain the Romanian citizenship, so that he can convoke him alongside Mutu and Chivu. Nicu complied with the solicitations, and the papers were handed in yesterday at the Consulatule from Munchen!
"We need to receive some papers from Romania, and I found out that after this, everything can be solved in two or three days", explained the mother of the player, Costela. This is because the diplomats offered to help to conclude fast the formalities, which, usually last one year! Consequently, when the spotter considers him helpful, Nicu could be present including at the "double" with Serbia and Austria from the preliminaries of World Championship.
Piţurcă: "Hurry up!"
The coach of the national team has been watching the midfielder from Hertha since this autumn. That is why the second coach Ştefan Iovan went especially in Germany at the beginning of this year in order watch and discuss with the player. Even the press officer from FRF, Paul Zaharia, called Nicu yesterday, because Piţurcă asked him. The press officer asked him if he can speak Romanian well and he also wanted to know about the demarches stage for obtaining the citizenship. He even asked him to hurry the process, because he knows that Germans would like to take him at the national team!
His parents left because of political reasons
Costela and Dan Alexandru, Max’s parents, are from Bucharest and they left from Romania in '77, because of political reasons. His father, being a diplomat, was refused to be named consul in Roma, in '75, because his sister and his wife sister were married in Torino and in Munchen! That is why they decide to leave for good from Romania. They left legally, with papers, not as fugitives!
"It is normal to be interested by a player who is on the first place in Bundesliga. He would deserve a chance to demonstrate that he has value for the national team, too"
Ionuţ Lupescu general director FRF
300 thousands euro paid Hertha this summer in order to bring Nicu from Wehen, the team from the second division
Nicu scored 2 goals in the first season in Bundesliga. He has also made 5 decisive passes and a goal in the preliminaries of UEFA Cup, with St. Patrick's
