Denis Alibec (Dobrujan Tatar: Deñíz Alibek; born 5 January 1991) is a Romanian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Liga I club Farul Constanța and the Romania national team.
[1] He had a brief spell as a junior at Steaua București in 2006, before making his senior debut for Farul Constanța in a 1–1 Liga I draw with Oțelul Galați on 27 September 2008.
In January 2014, Romanian club Astra Giurgiu transferred Alibec for an undisclosed fee, with the player penning down a four-and-a-half-year contract.
[7] He established himself as one of the league's best players during the 2015–16 campaign,[1] amassing 33 matches and 20 goals in all competitions as manager Marius Șumudică led Astra to its maiden championship title.
[9] He went on to make five appearances and score two goals in the group stage of the competition, his notable display throughout 2016 earning him the Gazeta Sporturilor Romanian Footballer of the Year award.
[14] After going twelve matches without scoring in the 2017–18 Liga I, Alibec finally found the net in a 2–1 away victory against Gaz Metan Mediaș on 3 February 2018,[15] although his poor performances continued.
In July 2018, after falling out of favor at the now-renamed FCSB, Alibec returned to Astra Giurgiu in a transfer rumoured to be worth €1.4 million.
On 2 October 2020, Alibec officially transferred to Turkish team Kayserispor, where he joined compatriots and former Astra teammates Silviu Lung Jr. and Cristian Săpunaru.
One week later against Universitatea Craiova, Alibec missed a penalty kick, provided an assist and received a straight red card before half-time in an eventual 1–1 draw; he was thus suspended for the last two fixtures against title contenders and his former clubs FCSB and CFR Cluj, respectively.
After being called up on several occasions in the past, he gained his first cap for the full side in the last UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying match against the Faroe Islands, on 11 October 2015.
[32] In June 2016, Alibec was selected by Anghel Iordănescu in his squad for the final tournament in France, and entered as a substitute in the opening 1–2 defeat to the hosts.
[36] Alibec's father and uncle, Gevrim and Gelil, respectively, are of Tatar ethnicity and played football together for roughly ten years at FC Neptun in the third division.