Andrei Rațiu
RB
Romania28 years
Showing2026/27 seasonAll official competitions
Preferred Positions
Last 24 months · all competitions
RB
Right-backMain
7,443 min · 91 apps · 80 starts
Squad importance
Current squad importance over the club’s last 40 recorded competitive games in this spell, including previous seasons. Starts and minutes contribute 70%; performance contributes 30%. Absences reduce the score gradually, with less weight when a player is outside the matchday squad.Current role at Rayo Vallecano · independent of the season filter
Important
Involvement77%
Performance47%
Through the match on 31 Oct 2026. Refreshed daily.
Profile
Career & playing style
Andrei Rațiu is a right-back whose attacking value is not limited to crosses or assists. He can advance up the flank, but his runs also give a teammate an option behind the defence. Even when the pass goes elsewhere, that movement can pull an opponent away from the space another teammate wants to use.
Born in Aiud, Romania, Rațiu grew up in Spain and entered Villarreal's youth system in 2010. He played at several levels of the club's academy before making his first-team debut against Valencia in the Europa League quarter-finals in April 2019. The route gave him experience on the right side of the pitch before he became established as a senior full-back.
Villarreal loaned him to ADO Den Haag in August 2020, where the Dutch club described a defender who could also play further forward. He returned to Villarreal during that season, then joined Huesca for 2021/22. Huesca highlighted his ability to cover the entire right flank, whether as a full-back, wing-back or more advanced wide player.
Rațiu moved from Huesca to Rayo Vallecano for the 2023/24 season. His progress in Spain ran alongside an international role: he played in all four of Romania's matches at EURO 2024, including a start against the Netherlands in the round of 16. That tournament also exposed the trade-off in his advanced positioning. UEFA's analysis of the Belgium match showed Belgium attacking the space behind him after Romania lost the ball.
The next major club milestone came in May 2026. Rațiu started Rayo's Conference League final against Crystal Palace, which Rayo lost 1–0. UEFA's technical observers then named him in their 2025/26 Conference League Team of the Season. That was recognition of his individual tournament, separate from the title Palace won.
One UEFA analysis of Rayo's goal against Drita explains why his forward running matters. Rațiu anticipated the opening and accelerated beyond the defence; although he did not receive the pass, his run drew a defender and helped make room inside for Alfonso Espino to finish. It is a useful picture of his game: a right-back who can change the shape of an attack without taking its final touch.
Latest stats & form
Andrei Rațiu currently plays for Rayo Vallecano as a right-back. He has represented Romania internationally.