Răzvan Raț started his football career in his hometown, Slatina, in Romania, featuring as left winger. His life changed at the age of 17, when he met his mentor Mircea Lucescu, who took him to Rapid Bucureşti

After graduating from the Physical Studies Institute and winning the league with Radip, Răzvan Raț made his next step without the guidance of Lucescu. “Shakhtar Donetsk came calling in 2003, they deposited the amount Rapid were asking for in their bank account and I moved to Ukraine. It was that simple”.

Initially he was in doubt whether he made the right move, but he chose to trust his instincts and also trusted the ambitious plans of the Ukrainians for a stellar side in the upcoming seasons. One year later, Lucescu joined the team to keep him… company and Shakhtar indeed became a fast-growing football power in Europe, winning 15 trophies at home and in Europe in the following years.

He was faced with the need to leave Shakhtar and Ukraine after 10 years. In the summer of 2013, Raț had to decide on his next step, taking into account the needs of the women of his life.

Beşiktaş JK and Olympique de Marseille were beaten in comparison with cosmopolitan London, who offered everything to Raț’s family. “We lived in the city suburbs, in a beautiful country place away from the crowds and noise”, father and husband Răzvan said. At the same time, footballer Raț saw in West Ham United an opportunity to realize a childhood dream of “playing in arguably the best league of the world”.

However things at West Ham United didn’t turn out as expected and, after getting released of his contract with the London club, he agreed terms with Rayo Vallecano in February 2014. The Madrid outfit were also fighting to avoid relegation. Before he joined them, they were second from the bottom in the standings.

Raț displayed his fine qualities as left full back in the Primera División, quickly established himself in the starting line-up and helped his side launch a powerful counterattack and secure their permanence in the top-flight league. The only dark spot of his short stay in Spain was the red card he received for headbutting a Celta rival and being handed a four-match ban.

He joined PAOK in July 2014 and quickly secured a spot in the starting line-up. He contributes both in defence and attack with his frequent charges forward and his assists, that helped him land the MVP awards for August, September and October.

Răzvan is also the skipper of Romania national team and has surpasssed the 100-cap barrier. In club football, he played his 100th encounter in European competition against FC Dinamo Minsk.