D. Matei

Matei worked his way through three academies in Bucharest before Steaua București gave him his league debut in March 2023. He became part of the generation that carried Steaua's youth sides to cup final wins, and by the time he left for Universitatea Craiova in May 2025 he had made 55 appearances and scored six goals for the first team. Steaua kept a 20% sell-on clause in the deal.

At Craiova he quickly became part of the attack. In the 2025/26 season the club took the Liga I title and the Cupa României. Matei scored in the 5-0 win over Universitatea Cluj and found the net again as Craiova beat Csikszereda by the same score. He also set up a goal in a 2-2 draw with Levski Sofia in the Europa League. The cup final against Universitatea Cluj finished goalless after normal time, and Craiova got over the line in a penalty shootout, winning 6-5.

Matei has represented Romania at several youth levels. He was part of the squad that reached the semi-final of the home European U19 Championship in 2025, losing 1-3 to the Netherlands. He has since featured for the U21 side in European Championship qualifying and in friendlies, and has been capped twice by the senior national team.