Darius Dumitru Olaru

Darius Olaru made his way into professional football through the Gaz Metan Mediaș academy, which he joined in 2011 after coming up through CSȘ Mediaș. He made his senior debut for Gaz Metan in August 2015 and stayed with the club until January 2020, racking up 113 league appearances and 11 goals before FCSB moved for him. The fee was reported at between €600,000 and €700,000, with Gaz Metan holding on to a 20% sell-on clause.

At FCSB, Olaru established himself as an attacking midfielder: 202 league appearances and 49 goals across his time there. He was named in the Liga I Team of the Season three times, for 2020–21, 2021–22 and 2023–24, and picked up Player of the Month awards in April 2022 and September 2023. He also won the Liga I title in 2023–24 and 2024–25, the Cupa României in 2019–20, and the Supercupa României in both 2024 and 2025.

In June 2026, Olaru left for Belgian side Union Saint-Gilloise in a €3 million deal, waiving a €5 million release clause in the process. He signed a four-year contract and won the Belgian Super Cup, and by August 2026 he was involved in the club's Champions League qualifying campaign, wearing the number 28 shirt he still carries.

Olaru has represented Romania at senior level, earning 28 caps. He was part of the squad for UEFA Euro 2024, appearing as a substitute against Belgium and the Netherlands, and had previously featured for Romania at two Under-21 European Championships, reaching the semi-finals in 2019.