Bănel Nicoliță (born 7 January 1985) is a Romanian professional footballer who plays as a winger for Liga IV club CSO Vălenii de Munte.

On 27 August 2008, he has scored one goal in the match against Galatasaray, in the third qualifying round of UEFA Champions League,[6] which sent Steaua to the group stage for the third consecutive year.

Starting with the 2010–11 season, Bănel was the new captain of Steaua București ,[7] but with the arrival of new coach Ilie Dumitrescu, he soon gave his armband to Cristian Tănase.

On 30 August 2011, Saint-Étienne announced on their official website that they had reached an agreement with Steaua for Nicoliță's transfer and that the player would fly to France and undergo a medical the following day.

[15] On 2 September 2013, Ligue 1 club FC Nantes confirmed Nicoliță was signed on a season long loan from Saint-Étienne.

Nicoliță grew up determined to succeed and his speed and diligence on the field are proof of his unalloyed passion for the game.

One of his brothers, Stelian is also a professional footballer who played for CF Brăila and other teams in the lower leagues of Romania.