In 1991, he left his club, at the time relegated to Liga II, for Oțelul Galați.
Nicknamed Vioară (Violin), he subsequently transferred to Steaua București, winning three Romanian Champion titles with that team.
Later on, he attempted to lead Gloria to Liga I in 2003, when the team lost the promotion play-off to Politehnica Timișoara.
[2] In 2008-2009 season he went on to be a shareholder and president of 2008-09 Liga III Petrolul Berca, the club that transformed intoFC Voluntari in 2010.
In 2016 Viorel Ion, alongside most of the players and coaches, was suspended for match fixing by the football federation.