Florin Andone

At 31 years old, Florin Andone has this physical status:

Florin Andone (Romanian pronunciation: [florin andone]; born 11 April 1993) is a Romanian professional footballer who plays for the Spanish Segunda División team UD Las Palmas.

Andone, who was born in Spain at the age of 12, began playing in the country's lower divisions before making his professional debut for Córdoba at the age of 21. He joined Deportivo La Corua in 2016 and two years later, he signed for Brighton & Hove Albion in England. Andone returned to Spain in September 2022 after registering with UD Las Palmas.

Andone earned his first full cap for Romania in June 2015 and was selected for UEFA Euro 2016.

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Club career

Andone, a born in Botoşani, migrated to Vinar, Spain, at the age of 12, to rejoin his mother after his father died in a car accident. He jumped into Vinar's youth team straight away, and then moved to Castellón in 2008.

Andone made his senior debut on January 16, 2011 against Pau Franch in a 1–1 away draw against Orihuela in the Segunda División B championship, a late replacement for Pau Franch. He appeared in three more games for the club, which ultimately resulted in relegation.

Andone returned to youth football after returning to Villarreal on June 2nd. He was also with the C-team during the campaign, with the team in Tercera División.

Andone was loaned to Atlético Baleares, a third level player, on a season-long contract on August 15, 2013. He finished the season with 12 goals in 34 games, with the Balearic outfit being one point shy of the play-offs.

Andone signed a three-year contract with Córdoba on July 3rdoba, being first assigned to the reserves in the same division. Miroslav uki's boss promoted him to the main squad on November 29th.

Andone played his first match as a professional on December 3, 2014, swapping Xisco in the 57th minute of a 1–0 away loss to Granada in Copa del Rey's season. He scored his first goal on the second leg on the second leg, netting his team's first victory in a 1–1 home draw.

Andone was given his first start in La Liga on January 5, 2015, and he led to a 2–0 home win over the same opponent. He scored the first after only ten seconds against Eibar on January 16th, and the fourth overall.

Following Córdoba's demise, he was named Segunda División Player of the Month in October 2015, putting his team in first place.

He renewed his contract with the Blanquiverdes until 2016, earning a salary per year 10 times more (and 20 if his club earns promotion), and with a release clause of €20 million, the highest figure in the club's history.

In a 4–4 draw at Gimnâstic de Tarragona on Thursday, he scored his first hat-trick. He scored the game's only on Mallorca in order to join Romania, but Elche's Sergio León claimed the division's Pichichi Trophy after finishing his season with 21 goals.

Deportivo La Corua, the top-flight club, sold Andone for €4.7 million plus 30 percent over a potential future transfer fee; it was the team's biggest purchase in nine years. He was given the number 10 jersey and made his debut as a substitute against Eibar on August 19th, scoring his first goal on 5 November to begin a 1–1 draw at Granada. After scoring three goals and two assists, including a brace, against Real Sociedad, he was named La Liga Player of the Month for December.

In a 1–1 league draw with Atlético Madrid on March 2, 2017, Andone scored his eighth goal of the season. He scored one for himself and set up another goal in a 6–2 home loss to Real Madrid on April 26.

Deportivo La Corua, a player from Burnley's Premier League, turned down a €13 million bid for the player, but club president Tino Fernández said Andone would only leave if his €30 million release clause is activated. Brighton & Hove Albion was also interested in moving him and made a €20 million offer, which was later reported to be denial. In the 2017–18 season, he scored six goals and assisted three more, resulting in the Galician team's relegation.

Andone signed a five-year contract with Brighton & Hove Albion for an undisclosed fee and joined the Premier League on May 25, 2018, beginning with the Premier League. The estimated transfer fee was €6 million, reflecting the removal clause in his deal in the case of Deportivo La Corua's relegation.

Andone scored for Brighton in his fourth appearance and also his first appearance in his debut, a 2–1 win over Huddersfield Town, and then netted again in the upcoming match against Crystal Palace, dribbling into the area and scoring from an acute angle in a 3–1 victory.

Andone scored on his FA Cup debut against Bournemouth on January 5th, 2019; a month later, he scored in a fourth round replay victory over West Bromwich Albion. He elbowed Sam Field's face without seeing him; he was later fined and suspended for three matches.

Following a rash knee injury in Yan Valery, Andone was sent off in a Premier League match against Southampton on August 24th. The attack was described as "one we can't protect," Brighton boss Graham Potter said, and Paul Merson, who spoke on Soccer Saturday, called it "five red cards" and "one of the worst tackles you will ever see."

Andone committed to a season-long loan with Turkish Süper Lig side Galatasaray after three league appearances, one goal, and a red card for Brighton in August 2019. Andone made his Turkish debut against Yeni Malatyaspor on September 20th, beginning in the eventual 1–1 away draw against Yeni Malatyaspor. Andone made his Champions League debut in Galatasaray's next match against Ligue 1 side PSG on October 1st. Andone made his Süper Lig debut against Gençlerbirli on October 5th, a 0–0 away draw against Gençlerbirli. In a 3–2 home win over Sivasspor, he scored his first goals for Gala scoring a brace, one of which was a penalty.

In a 2–0 away loss at Caykur Rizespor on June 14th, he sustained a MCL injury that ruled him out until the new year. He suffered another MCL injury and ACL tears after colliding with opposition goalkeeper Tarin. He then returned to Brighton. In 12 appearances in all competitions, he has scored 2 goals in 12 appearances.

Potter said that "Florin is making good strides" after recovering from his injury in January 2021. He returned to the matchday squad for the first time in the 2020–21 season, remaining an unused substitute in the 1–1 home draw against West Ham United. Andone was the last 12 months of his deal in September 2022, having been mutually terminated in 2024.

Andone returned to Spain and the top tier on August 2321 after agreeing to a one-year loan agreement with Cádiz.

Andone signed a one-year contract with Segunda División's UD Las Palmas on the last day of the summer transfer window on September 1, 2022.

International career

Despite living in Spain for the majority of his life, Andone said that his dream is to play for the Romania national team. He was called up by Anghel Iordescu for the UEFA Euro 2016 qualifier against the Faroe Islands in March 2015, but he was a late replacement in the 1–0 victory. Andone made his international debut in another qualifier on June 13, 2015, in the last 18 minutes of a 0–0 away draw against Northern Ireland.

Andone scored his first international goal on November 17, 2015, after exploiting Italian goalkeeper Salvatore Siri's mistake for a last-minute equalizer in a 2–2 draw in Bologna. He was selected for UEFA Euro 2016 in France, where he played against the hosts in the first game after recovering from a hand injury and made two more substitute appearances in a group-stage departure.

Andone scored his first goal in front of the home crowd and only second overall in a 1–2 loss to Spain in a Euro 2020 qualifier on September 5th.

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