Robert Dumitru Jerdea

At Petrolul Ploiești, the number 98 on Robert Jerdea's shirt sits oddly against a career built almost entirely in Romania's lower divisions. The forward came through Luceafărul Drobeta-Turnu Severin before spells with FCSB's academy and a brief stay at CF Gandía in Spain, eventually landing at Academica Clinceni, where he made his senior debut in Liga I on 22 April 2021.

The move that shaped his career came in 2022, when he joined CSM Alexandria on a free transfer. Over two seasons there he scored 10 goals in 43 league appearances and helped the club win the Liga III title in 2022–23, his only major honour to date. He carried that form into a subsequent free transfer to CSM Reșița in 2024, where he became a reliable source of goals: 12 in 41 league matches, including 10 in 25 Liga 2 appearances in 2025–26 as Reșița earned promotion to the SuperLiga.

That promotion push made his next move a natural one. Jerdea signed for Petrolul Ploiești on 1 July 2026 on a free transfer, agreeing a three-year contract and stepping up to Romania's top flight for the first time. The early return has been modest — one goal in six league appearances by August 2026 — but it adds to a domestic record of 15 goals in 82 matches built almost entirely outside the top division.

Jerdea has represented Romania at youth level, from the under-17s through to the under-20s, though he has yet to earn a senior cap. He has built his reputation on scoring in the lower leagues rather than on physical presence.