Nicky Cleșcenco is a Moldovan international footballer who plays as a winger for Scottish Premiership club Kilmarnock. Born on July 23, 2001, in Dublin, Ireland, Cleșcenco has an especially notable football family connection because his father is Serghei Cleșcenco, one of the best-known figures in Moldovan football history.
Nicky followed his father into professional football and eventually also represented Moldova at senior international level. However, while the identity and career of his father are well documented, considerably less is publicly known about his mother, possible brothers or sisters, girlfriend and whether he has children.
Who Is Nicky Cleșcenco’s Girlfriend?
Nicky Cleșcenco has not publicly identified a girlfriend or partner in reliable sources. Despite playing professional football in several European countries and representing Moldova internationally, the winger has kept his romantic relationships outside the public spotlight.
Interviews and profiles of Cleșcenco have generally focused on his football career, including his development in Portugal, his time in Switzerland and Moldova and his move to Kilmarnock.
There is therefore no dependable basis for naming anyone as Nicky Cleșcenco’s girlfriend. Any relationship claims based solely on social-media photographs or unverified accounts should not be presented as established fact.
Is Nicky Cleșcenco Married?
There is no reliable public confirmation that Nicky Cleșcenco is married. No wife has been identified in official club or Moldovan Football Federation profiles of the player.
The absence of publicly available information does not necessarily mean that Cleșcenco is single. It simply means that he has chosen to keep his relationship status private.
Does Nicky Cleșcenco Have Children?
There is no publicly verified information confirming that Nicky Cleșcenco has children. He has not publicly announced becoming a father, and reliable football profiles do not identify any sons or daughters.
Cleșcenco has generally maintained a football-focused public profile, leaving his personal and family life largely outside media coverage.
Who Are Nicky Cleșcenco’s Parents?
Nicky Cleșcenco’s father is Serghei Cleșcenco, a former Moldova international footballer who later became a coach and managed the country’s senior national team.
The Moldovan Football Federation has explicitly identified Nicky as Serghei Cleșcenco’s son. Their father-son relationship is therefore one of the best-documented aspects of Nicky’s personal background.
Nicky’s mother, however, has not been reliably identified by name in official football sources. There is very little publicly available information about her background, profession or nationality.
For that reason, the confirmed parent information concerns his father Serghei, while the identity of Nicky Cleșcenco’s mother should be regarded as private unless the family chooses to make it public.
Who Is Nicky Cleșcenco’s Father Serghei Cleșcenco?
Serghei Cleșcenco is a former Moldovan professional footballer and coach who enjoyed a long career as a striker.
He became one of Moldova’s most prominent players during the 1990s and 2000s and represented his country extensively at senior international level. For many years, Serghei was Moldova’s record international goalscorer.
His club career also took him outside Moldova. He played abroad during a career that included football in the Netherlands, Israel and Russia as well as several spells in Moldovan football.
After retiring as a player, Serghei moved into coaching. His jobs included working with Moldova’s youth national teams and domestic clubs before eventually becoming head coach of the senior Moldova national team.
He remained Moldova’s national-team coach until September 2025, when he stepped down from the position.
Nicky Cleșcenco Followed His Father Into Professional Football
The career similarities between Nicky and Serghei Cleșcenco make their family story particularly interesting. Both became professional footballers and both progressed far enough to represent Moldova at senior international level.
However, Nicky did not simply follow the same route as his father. He spent much of his developmental career outside Moldova and experienced several different football cultures before establishing himself at senior level.
Nicky initially developed at CSCT Buiucani before moving to Portugal in 2014. He spent time within Sporting CP’s respected academy and later developed with União de Leiria.
He eventually made senior appearances for União de Leiria before continuing his career in Switzerland with FC Sion.
That international pathway gave Nicky a different football education from his father while ultimately leading both men to the same achievement of representing Moldova.
Did Serghei Cleșcenco Coach His Son Nicky for Moldova?
Nicky Cleșcenco’s international career overlapped with the period when his father Serghei was involved with Moldova’s national-team setup.
Serghei became head coach of the Moldova senior national team in 2021, the same year Nicky made his senior international debut.
This created the unusual situation of a father serving as national-team coach while his son was an eligible Moldova international. Nicky continued to receive senior international opportunities during that period.
The situation naturally attracted attention because professional football rarely produces father-and-son relationships at senior international level.
Who Is Nicky Cleșcenco’s Mother?
The identity of Nicky Cleșcenco’s mother has not been reliably disclosed in major publicly accessible football sources.
Official profiles from the Moldovan Football Federation have extensively documented the connection between Nicky and his father Serghei but do not provide similarly detailed information about his mother.
Her name, profession and personal background should therefore not be inferred from unverified social-media accounts or people who share the Cleșcenco surname.
Does Nicky Cleșcenco Have Brothers or Sisters?
There is currently no reliable public information clearly confirming whether Nicky Cleșcenco has brothers or sisters.
Football sources documenting the Cleșcenco family consistently identify Nicky as the son of Serghei but do not clearly identify additional children or siblings.
It would therefore be inaccurate to state that Nicky is an only child or to name someone as his brother or sister without reliable confirmation.
Nicky Cleșcenco’s Family Has a Major Place in Moldovan Football
The Cleșcenco name has been associated with Moldovan football for more than three decades. Serghei became a prominent international striker shortly after Moldova began competing independently in international football.
Nicky subsequently extended the family’s international football history into another generation by earning his own Moldova senior caps.
Their careers also demonstrate how Moldovan footballers increasingly developed international experience. Serghei played professionally in several countries, while Nicky’s youth and senior career has taken him through Moldova, Portugal, Switzerland and Scotland.
Why Was Nicky Cleșcenco Born in Ireland?
Nicky Cleșcenco was born in Dublin, Ireland, on July 23, 2001. Kilmarnock officially lists Dublin as his birthplace, while the Moldovan Football Federation identifies him as a Moldovan international.
Public football sources do not provide enough detail about the family’s circumstances in Ireland at the time of Nicky’s birth to confidently explain why he was born in Dublin.
It is therefore safer not to speculate about his parents’ residence or employment in Ireland without direct confirmation.
Why Does Nicky Cleșcenco Play for Moldova?
Although Nicky Cleșcenco was born in Ireland, his family connection to Moldova is clear through his father Serghei, who represented the country internationally and later coached its national team.
Nicky entered Moldova’s international system at youth level and represented the Under-21 national team before progressing to the senior side.
He made his senior Moldova debut in June 2021 in a friendly against Turkey. That appearance made him another member of the Cleșcenco family to represent Moldova at senior international level.
Nicky Cleșcenco’s Early Career in Portugal
Cleșcenco left Moldova for Portugal during his youth career in 2014. He spent time developing with Sporting CP, one of the country’s most respected academies, before moving to União de Leiria.
At União de Leiria, he represented several youth age groups and eventually made six appearances for the senior team in Portugal’s third tier.
Moving abroad while still young became an important feature of Cleșcenco’s development and helped prepare him for a professional career that would later take him to several other countries.
Nicky Cleșcenco’s Career at FC Sion
In February 2021, the Moldovan Football Federation announced that Cleșcenco had joined Swiss club FC Sion.
The federation specifically introduced him as the son of Serghei Cleșcenco when reporting the transfer, demonstrating how closely Nicky’s emerging career was linked publicly with his father’s reputation in Moldovan football.
Cleșcenco spent several years connected with Sion before returning to Moldova to gain more regular senior experience.
Nicky Cleșcenco’s Return to Moldova
Cleșcenco joined Petrocub Hîncești in 2023 and enjoyed an important period of his career with the Moldovan club.
He was part of the Petrocub squad that won both the Moldovan league championship and domestic cup during the 2023/24 season.
In February 2025, Cleșcenco moved to Zimbru Chișinău, another club with considerable significance in his family story because his father Serghei had previously enjoyed successful spells there as a player and coach.
Nicky’s performances for Zimbru eventually attracted interest from outside Moldova and opened the door to another move abroad.
Nicky Cleșcenco’s Move to Kilmarnock
Kilmarnock announced the signing of Nicky Cleșcenco from Zimbru Chișinău on January 30, 2026.
The Moldovan winger signed a permanent contract running until May 2027. The Moldovan Football Federation also reported that the agreement includes an option for a further season.
The move brought Cleșcenco into the Scottish Premiership and represented another significant step in a career that had already taken him through Portuguese, Swiss and Moldovan football.
Kilmarnock highlighted his experience with Moldova and his development in Sporting CP’s academy when introducing him to supporters.
Nicky and Serghei Cleșcenco’s Football Legacy
Nicky and Serghei Cleșcenco represent one of Moldova’s notable football father-and-son combinations.
Serghei established the family name through his international goals and lengthy playing career before becoming a coach. Nicky then followed him into professional football and senior international representation.
While comparisons between the two are natural, Nicky has built his own career through a different pathway, developing abroad from a young age and playing primarily as a winger rather than as the central striker his father was known as.
His move to Kilmarnock provides another opportunity for Nicky to establish his own identity while continuing a family association with professional football that began with his father decades earlier.
Frequently Asked Questions About Nicky Cleșcenco’s Family
Who is Nicky Cleșcenco’s girlfriend?
Nicky Cleșcenco has not publicly identified a girlfriend or partner in reliable sources. His romantic life remains private.
Is Nicky Cleșcenco married?
There is no reliable public confirmation that Nicky Cleșcenco is married or has a wife.
Does Nicky Cleșcenco have children?
There is no publicly verified information confirming that Nicky Cleșcenco has children.
Who are Nicky Cleșcenco’s parents?
Nicky Cleșcenco’s father is former Moldova international footballer and coach Serghei Cleșcenco. The identity of Nicky’s mother has not been reliably disclosed publicly.
Who is Nicky Cleșcenco’s father?
Nicky Cleșcenco’s father is Serghei Cleșcenco, a former Moldovan international striker who later became a coach and managed Moldova’s senior national team.
Was Nicky Cleșcenco’s father a footballer?
Yes. Serghei Cleșcenco had a long professional playing career and was one of Moldova’s leading international goalscorers before moving into coaching.
Who is Nicky Cleșcenco’s mother?
Nicky Cleșcenco’s mother has not been reliably identified by name in major public football sources.
Does Nicky Cleșcenco have siblings?
It is not publicly known whether Nicky Cleșcenco has brothers or sisters. No sibling has been reliably identified.
Where was Nicky Cleșcenco born?
Nicky Cleșcenco was born in Dublin, Ireland, on July 23, 2001.
Why does Nicky Cleșcenco represent Moldova?
Cleșcenco has Moldovan family roots through his father, Serghei, and progressed through Moldova’s youth international system before making his senior debut in 2021.
Who does Nicky Cleșcenco play for?
Nicky Cleșcenco plays for Kilmarnock in the Scottish Premiership. He joined the club permanently from Zimbru Chișinău in January 2026 on a contract running until May 2027, with an option for an additional season.
Miguel Manjate is a football journalist and editor covering the Premier League, European competitions, and transfer news, with a strong focus on match analysis and data-driven reporting.
