Costel Pantilimon

Costel Pantilimon

Pantilimon with Romania in June 2014
Personal information
Full name	Costel Fane Pantilimon[1]
Date of birth	(1987-02-01) 1 February 1987 (age 37)
Place of birth	Bacău, Romania
Height	2.03 m (6 ft 8 in)[2]
Position(s)	Goalkeeper
Youth career
1993–2003	Aerostar Bacău
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2003–2006	Aerostar Bacău
2006–2008	Politehnica II Timișoara	26	(0)
2006–2012	Politehnica Timișoara	93	(0)
2011–2012	→ Manchester City (loan)	0	(0)
2012–2014	Manchester City	7	(0)
2014–2016	Sunderland	45	(0)
2016–2018	Watford	2	(0)
2017–2018	→ Deportivo La Coruña (loan)	6	(0)
2018	→ Nottingham Forest (loan)	13	(0)
2018–2020	Nottingham Forest	44	(0)
2020	→ Omonia (loan)	6	(0)
2020–2021	Denizlispor	15	(0)
Total		257	(0)
International career
2003–2004	Romania U17	5	(0)
2005	Romania U19	3	(0)
2006–2008	Romania U21	12	(0)
2008–2019	Romania	27	(0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Costel Fane Pantilimon (Romanian pronunciation: [kosˈtel pantiliˈmon]; born 1 February 1987) is a Romanian former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper.

As a player, Pantilimon was deployed as a goalkeeper and began his career at Politehnica Timișoara. In 2011, he signed for Premier League team Manchester City on an initial loan, serving as a backup to Joe Hart. Pantilimon was first choice for City in their 2013–14 League Cup conquest, after which he promptly moved to Sunderland. He transferred to Watford in 2016, but only made two Premier League appearances before being loaned to Deportivo La Coruña and Nottingham Forest. Pantilimon signed a permanent deal with Forest in 2018, and spent his later years at Omonia and Denizlispor before retiring.

Pantilimon was an international for Romania from 2008 to 2017, being capped 27 times during the period. He was selected by the country in their UEFA Euro 2016 squad, but did not play in any game.