Following his successful short spell in Reșița, Bălace signed in January 2003 with newly promoted Divizia A side Poli AEK Timișoara.
[3] He ended his first season goalless, in which Timișoara eventually remained in the top flight, after winning the play-off against Gloria Buzău.
Despite he was one of the most beloved players from Timișoara's history,[11] Bălace was put on the transfer list in mid-2007, due to a conflict with Marian Iancu.
Following a conflict with Timișoara's boss Marian Iancu, on 19 December 2006, Bălace signed a three-and-a-half-year contract with Dinamo București with a reported transfer fee of €200,000.
[13] His league debut for Dinamo was twelve days later, coming as a substitute for Vojislav Vranjković and providing his first assist for Cătălin Munteanu's only goal against Jiul Petroșani.
[14] Although he helped his team winning the championship after a three-year break,[15] Bălace was put on the transfer list, following unsatisfying performances.
[19] On 30 March 2008, he alongside teammates Sorin Frunză and Daniel Sabou were accused by Adrian Porumboiu of fixing a match against Steaua București.
[25] On 6 October, he was in the startup team against FC Brașov, playing as a left midfielder, following N'Doye's suspension from yellow card accumulation.
[39] On 19 August, following Cânu and Wesley's injuries, Bălace captained Vaslui for the first time, leading his team to a 2–0 win in Europa League against Sparta Prague.
[40] Following Vaslui's qualification into the group stages, Porumboiu raised each player's wage up to 50%, meaning that Bălace's contract is now up to €180,000 per year.