Florin Matache (born 3 August 1982) is a Romanian former footballer who played as a goalkeeper, currently goalkeeping coach at Liga II club Voluntari.

Career

Florin Matache was born on 3 August 1982 in Bucharest, Romania, starting to play football at Metalul Plopeni in 2001 Liga II. In 2004 he signed with Dinamo București where firstly he played for the club's satellite, making his debut for the first team on 7 June 2006 when coach Florin Marin sent him on the field in the 54th minute of an away Liga I match with Politehnica Timișoara in order to replace Florentin Petre because the starting goalkeeper, Cristian Munteanu received a red card, managing to keep a clean sheet as the game ended 0–0. In the following season, Matache helped the club win the title, being used by coach Mircea Rednic in seven games as he had to compete with international goalkeepers Bogdan Lobonț and Uladzimir Hayew. In the same season he played three games in the early stages of the UEFA Cup campaign, helping the club pass Beitar Jerusalem and Skoda Xanthi as they reached the sixteenths-finals. Next season he was loaned in the first half at Ceahlăul Piatra Neamț, then in the second half at Liga II team, Otopeni which he helped earn promotion to the first league. Afterwards he returned to Dinamo, helping the club fulfill "The wonder from Liberec" after winning with 3–0 the away game against Slovan Liberec, as the first leg was lost with the same score, qualifying to the group stage of the 2009–10 Europa League after the penalty shoot-out in which he saved two penalties, earning the nickname "The Hero from Liberec". In January 2010 he went to play for Universitatea Cluj in the second league where he was wanted by his former coach from Ceahlăul, Viorel Hizo, helping the club promote to the first league. In January 2013, Matache returned to the second league when he signed with Damila Măciuca, working there with coach Claudiu Niculescu who was his former teammate at Dinamo. For the 2013–14 Liga II season he and coach Niculescu went at CSM Râmnicu Vâlcea. In the summer of 2014, Matache signed with Concordia Chiajna, returning for a final spell in Liga I football, a competition in which he gained a total of 71 appearances, also he reached with Chiajna the 2016 Cupa Ligii final but coach Emil Săndoi preffered to use Cristian Bălgrădean in the eventual 2–1 loss in front of Steaua București. In the following years he played in the Romanian lower leagues at Academica Clinceni and Flacăra Horezu which he helped promote from the fourth to the third league, retiring in 2019. In a poll organised by the Prosport newspaper in 2024, Florin Matache was selected the best goalkeeper of Dinamo București's last 25 years.

Honours

Dinamo București Concordia Chiajna Flacăra Horezu