Romania Coaching Legend Mircea Lucescu Dies at 80
- 14 hours ago
- 2 min read
Mircea Lucescu, the veteran coach who guided Shakhtar Donetsk to European success and managed Romania in two different eras, has died aged 80, the Romanian Football Federation said on Tuesday.
Body:
Lucescu was taken to hospital late last month after falling ill during a meeting before a training session with Romania, which ruled him out of a friendly against Slovakia on March 31.
The Romanian Football Federation announced on Thursday that he was stepping down as head coach, and has now suspended the search for a replacement for an indefinite period.
His most successful spell came during a 12-year tenure at Shakhtar Donetsk, where he won eight Ukrainian league titles and led the club to the 2009 UEFA Cup.
Lucescu also won league titles in Turkey with fierce rivals Galatasaray and Besiktas, while also managing in Italy with Inter Milan and Brescia.
A former Romania captain, he led the national team to Euro 1984 as a young coach and is widely credited with helping modernise the country’s football infrastructure.
His second spell as Romania manager proved to be the final chapter of his long career, ending after the team’s loss to Turkey in the 2026 World Cup playoff semi-finals on March 26.
In a statement, the Romanian Football Federation called it “a black day for Romania and for world football,” saying Lucescu was a man who lived for football every second of his life and whose impact on the game in Romania was beyond measure.
UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin also paid tribute, calling Lucescu an exceptional figure in European and world football whose influence, stature and legacy would endure for generations.
Known for his tactical discipline and ability to develop players, Lucescu leaves behind a legacy as one of the most successful coaches in European club football in terms of trophies won.
Before his coaching career, Lucescu was also one of Romania’s most decorated players. As a winger for Dinamo Bucharest, he won seven league titles and the Romanian Cup, captained Romania at the 1970 World Cup, and earned 64 international caps over more than a decade.
