Early career / Farul Constanța Popa started practising youth football with his hometown club
Farul Constanța at age seven, and two years later moved to the nearby
Gheorghe Hagi Academy. On 11 July 2020, in a league
derby against
Petrolul Ploiești, Popa was given two
yellow cards and
sent off for stepping out of the goal-line twice during a
penalty kick; Petrolul missed the subsequent third shot and the game finished goalless. On 14 November 2020, upon his return to
Giurgiu, Popa registered his Liga I debut by starting in a 1–1 draw at
Dinamo București. On 22 May 2022, he played the full match as Astra lost 2–3 after
extra time to
Universitatea Craiova in the
Cupa României final. He appeared in 15 games all competitions comprised during the
2020–21 campaign, which ended in relegation for "the Black Devils".
Voluntari On 11 August 2021, Popa was transferred to
Voluntari for an undisclosed fee, with Astra Giurgiu reportedly retaining 50% participation rights in a
co-ownership deal. Three days after the final, the
Gazeta Sporturilor daily wrote that five-time defending champions
CFR Cluj made a €300,000 offer to sign Popa, but on 17 June 2022 the Voluntari Board of Directors decided that he would not be sold for less than €1 million. In the
2022–23 season, Popa kept 13
clean sheets, the most in the national league tied with
Mihai Aioani.
Torino On 8 June 2023, Italian club
Torino confirmed the signing of Popa for an undisclosed period. On 4 August 2024, after failing to record his official debut for Torino, Popa returned to his home country on a one-
year loan at CFR Cluj. He made his club and
European debut on 22 August, in a 1–0 home win over
Pafos in the
UEFA Conference League play-off round.
Return to CFR Cluj On 22 January 2026, Popa returned to
CFR Cluj on a permanent basis. ==International career==