[citation needed] He played his first match in the top division on 23 July that year, featuring the full 90 minutes in a goalless draw with Unirea Urziceni.

[6] Nistor made 35 appearances and netted six goals all competition comprised in the 2012–13 season, as Pandurii finished second in the championship and subsequently qualified for the UEFA Europa League.

[8] In August 2013, amid interest from FC Steaua București, CFR Cluj, and Málaga,[9] Nistor was transferred by French club Evian for a rumoured fee of €800,000.

[23] The following month, FCSB reportedly made several bids for the transfer of the midfielder; Dinamo however rejected each offer[24][25] and proceeded in contract extension talks.

Nistor registered 13 assists across the 2018–19 league season, the most for a player in the previous ten years, and was named by Liga Profesionistă de Fotbal in the best team of the campaign.

[27] He made his debut on the 31st, in a 3–1 Liga I victory over Gaz Metan Mediaș, and scored his first goals on 4 March in a 2–3 Cupa României loss to Politehnica Iași.

On 3 August, Nistor opened the scoring in an eventual 1–3 home loss to CFR Cluj in the final fixture; the result meant that Craiova finished second in the table, while his former club won its third title in a row.

[29] On 4 June 2013, Nistor made his international debut for the Romania national team in a 4–0 victory over Trinidad and Tobago at the Arena Națională in Bucharest.