[1][3][4][5][6] In 1968, Pigulea went to play for Argeș Pitești where on 8 September coach Ion Bălănescu gave him his Divizia A debut in a 2–1 away loss in front of Petrolul Ploiești.
[1][3][4][5] In the 1971–72 season he helped Argeș win the first title in its history, coaches Titus Ozon and Florin Halagian giving him 27 appearances.
[1][10] Pigulea ended his playing career after spending two seasons at Divizia A club FCM Reșița, having a total of 182 matches with two goals scored in the competition.
[3][4][5][11][13] Then in the early 1990s he started coaching Romania's under-18 side once again, this time promoting players like Ionuț Luțu, Mugur Bolohan, Cristian Ciocoiu or Constantin Schumacher.
[3][4][5][11][14] In 1999 he founded the private school "Clubul Pro Luceafărul" where players like Răzvan Marin, Ianis Hagi or Nicolas Popescu took their first steps in football.