Dan Nicolae Nistor (born 6 May 1988) is a Romanian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Liga I club Universitatea Cluj.
After starting his career in the lower leagues, Nistor established himself at Pandurii Târgu Jiu, where he made over 90 Liga I appearances between 2010 and 2013. His performances earned him a move to French club Evian, but he struggled for playing time and soon returned to Pandurii. From 2016, Nistor represented Dinamo București, CFR Cluj, Universitatea Craiova, and Universitatea Cluj. In 2026, he became the record holder for Liga I appearances, reaching 516.
Nistor made his senior international debut for Romania in November 2012, in a 2–1 victory over Belgium.
Club career
Early career Nistor did not play football at junior level, but in 2005 joined his hometown club AS Rucăr in the lower leagues. Roughly two years later, during a match against the reserves of Argeș Pitești, he impressed Internațional Curtea de Argeș owner Benone Lazăr who was in the attendance. Nistor was then transferred to the latter club at the cost of seven football balls.
After his first season at Internațional in the third league, Nistor was loaned to Muscelul Câmpulung and Dacia Mioveni, respectively. Upon his return to Curtea de Argeș in 2010, the team withdrew from the Liga I championship due to financial issues.
Pandurii Târgu Jiu Nistor signed a four-year contract with Liga I team Pandurii Târgu Jiu in the summer of 2010. He played his first match in the top division on 23 July that year, featuring the full 90 minutes in a goalless draw with Unirea Urziceni. On 10 April 2011, he scored his first Liga I goal in a 4–2 home victory over Victoria Brănești.
Nistor made 35 appearances and netted six goals all competition comprised in the 2012–13 season, as Pandurii finished second in the championship and subsequently qualified for the UEFA Europa League. He made his debut in the latter competition on 16 July 2013, in a goalless away draw with Levadia Tallinn in the second qualifying round. His team went further after 4–0 on aggregate, and he recorded his first European goal in a 1–1 draw against Hapoel Tel Aviv on 1 August.
Evian In August 2013, amid interest from FC Steaua București, CFR Cluj, and Málaga, Nistor joined French club Evian for a rumoured fee of €800,000. He struggled to establish himself as a starter, making only six Ligue 1 appearances during the first half of the 2013–14 season. Nistor initially attributed his lack of playing time partly to his nationality, but later apologised and said that his comments had been misunderstood.
Return to Pandurii Târgu Jiu On 22 January 2014, Nistor was sent on loan to his former team Pandurii Târgu Jiu for a period of five months, which was later extended for the 2014–15 season. In the summer of 2015, after being released by Evian, he again joined the Alb-albaștrii as a free agent.
Dinamo București On 31 August 2016, Nistor agreed to a two-year deal with fellow league club Dinamo București. He won his first career trophy on 20 May 2017, after "the Red Dogs" came victorious 2–0 in the Cupa Ligii final against ACS Poli Timișoara.
CFR Cluj On 10 July 2017, Nistor joined CFR Cluj in a swap deal that sent Filipe Nascimento to Dinamo București. Under manager Dan Petrescu, he made 18 appearances across all competitions without scoring. In January 2018, Nistor publicly expressed dissatisfaction with his lack of playing time and Petrescu's communication.
Return to Dinamo București Nistor terminated his contract with CFR Cluj and rejoined Dinamo București on 13 January 2018. He was assigned the number 10 shirt and played his first match upon return on 4 February, in a 2–2 Liga I draw with Universitatea Craiova.
On 29 July 2018, Nistor scored in a cross-town derby with FCSB, which ended 3–3. The following month, FCSB reportedly made several bids for the transfer of the midfielder; Dinamo however rejected each offer and proceeded in contract extension talks. Nistor registered 13 assists across the 2018–19 league season, the most for a player in the previous ten years, and was named by Liga Profesionistă de Fotbal in the best team of the campaign.
Universitatea Craiova On 6 January 2020, Nistor signed a two-and-a-half-year contract with Universitatea Craiova for an undisclosed transfer fee. He made his debut on the 31st, in a 3–1 Liga I victory over Gaz Metan Mediaș, and scored his first goals on 4 March in a 2–3 Cupa României loss to Politehnica Iași.
On 23 June 2020, Nistor scored his first league goal for Craiova in a 2–1 home win over Botoșani. He then scored the winning penalty in a 2–1 victory over FCSB on 12 July. On 3 August, he opened the scoring in a 1–3 home defeat to CFR Cluj, which saw Craiova finish second as CFR secured their third consecutive title.
Universitatea Cluj On 13 February 2023, Nistor moved to Universitatea Cluj, the city rival of his former club CFR Cluj.
Nistor recorded the best individual figures of his career in the 2023–24 season, with 16 goals and 12 assists in all competitions. On 3 August 2026, he made his 515th top-flight appearance in a 2–1 win over Botoșani, drawing level with Ionel Dănciulescu as the joint record holder for appearances in the Liga I.
International career On 4 June 2013, Nistor made his international debut for Romania in a 4–0 victory over Trinidad and Tobago at the Arena Națională in Bucharest. He previously played in two unofficial friendlies against Belgium and Poland, respectively.
His next caps for the nation only came during late 2019 under manager Cosmin Contra, appearing as a substitute in both UEFA Euro 2020 qualifiers against Norway (1–1 home draw) and Spain (0–5 home loss).
Personal life In February 2012, Nistor was caught driving an Audi A5 without a licence and was fined.
He has been married since June 2013, with fellow footballer Mihai Pintilii serving as his best man. His wife, Cosmina, gave birth to their son in April 2017.
Career statistics
Club
+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competitionClubSeasonLeagueNational cupLeague cupEuropeOtherTotalDivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsDacia Mioveni (loan)2009–10Liga II28400———284Pandurii Târgu Jiu2010–11Liga I26120———2812011–12Liga I33230———3622012–13Liga I33620———3562013–14Liga I50——41—91Total97970—41—10810Évian 2013–14Ligue 1601020——90Pandurii Târgu Jiu (loan)2013–14Liga I141————1412014–15Liga I3113041——382Total4523041——523Pandurii Târgu Jiu2015–16Liga I3512010——381Dinamo Bucuresti 2016–17Liga I2932142——356CFR Cluj 2017–18Liga I17010———180Dinamo Bucuresti 2017–18Liga I18110———1912018–19Liga I32424———3482019–20Liga I16421———185Total66955———7114Universitatea Craiova2019–20Liga I14312———1552020–21Liga I38451—10—4452021–22Liga I34350—20104232022–23Liga I20220—10—232Total10612133—401012415Universitatea Cluj2022–23Liga I12331———1542023–24Liga I361362——2144162024–25Liga I391100———39112025–26Liga I31830—20—3682026–27Liga I9000—3010130Total12735123—503114739Career total5607546121131314163492
International
+ Appearances and goals by national team and yearNational teamYearAppsGoalsRomania201210201320201920202030Total80
Honours Internațional Curtea de Argeș Liga III: 2007–08
Pandurii Târgu Jiu Cupa Ligii runner-up: 2014–15
Dinamo București Cupa Ligii: 2016–17
CFR Cluj Liga I: 2017–18
Universitatea Craiova Cupa României: 2020–21 Supercupa României: 2021
Universitatea Cluj Cupa României runner-up: 2022–23, 2025–26 Supercupa României runner-up: 2026
Individual Liga I Team of the Season: 2018–19, 2019–20 Gazeta Sporturilor Romania Player of the Month: October 2023
Records Player with the most appearances in the Liga I: 520
References
External links