Țălnar, nicknamed "Țânțarul" (The
Mosquito), was born on 9 June 1957 in
Bărăbanț,
Alba County, Romania and began playing junior-level football in 1973 at
Unirea Alba Iulia. He played his first
Divizia A match on 21 August 1977, representing
Dinamo București, as coach
Ion Nunweiller sent him to replace
Ionel Augustin in the 60th minute of a 0–0 draw against
SC Bacău. Țălnar spent a total of eight seasons playing for Dinamo, winning three consecutive Divizia A titles from 1982 to 1984. At the first he contributed under coach
Valentin Stănescu with two goals scored in 30 matches. He made some notable performances with Dinamo in European competitions, such as helping the club eliminate
Inter Milan in the
1981–82 UEFA Cup. After his spell with Dinamo ended, Țălnar went to play for
Brașov,
Victoria București and
Petrolul Ploiești. At the latter, he made his last Divizia A appearance on 24 April 1988 in a 1–0 win over
Olt Scornicești, totaling 297 matches with 33 goals in the competition and 31 games with four goals in European competitions. He ended his career by playing three seasons in his native
Alba County for
Divizia B team Unirea Alba Iulia. ==International career==