FC Dinamo București facts for kids
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| Full name | SC Dinamo 1948 SA | |||
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| Short name | Dinamo | |||
| Founded | 14 May 1948 | |||
| Ground | Arcul de Triumf | |||
| Capacity | 8,207 | |||
| Owners | Red&White Management (80.77%) DDB Supporters Association (12.06%) Asociația Clubul Sportiv Fotbal Club Dinamo București (7.03%) Dinamo Socios (0.03%) Lotus Perfect Products SRL (0.01%) |
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| Chairman | Andrei Nicolescu | |||
| Head coach | Željko Kopić | |||
| League | Liga I | |||
| 2023–24 | Liga I, 13th of 16 | |||
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FC Dinamo București, often called Dinamo București or just Dinamo, is a professional football club from Bucharest, Romania. They play in the Liga I, which is the top football league in Romania.
The club was started in 1948. It was formed by combining two older teams, Unirea Tricolor and Ciocanul. Dinamo București has almost always played in Romania's top league. They are one of the most successful teams in the country. They have won the Liga I title 18 times, the Cupa României 13 times, and other national cups.
In the 1983–84 season, Dinamo made history. They became the first Romanian club to reach the semi-finals of the European Cup. They were eventually knocked out by Liverpool.
Dinamo București's main colours are white and red. Their home stadium is called Stadionul Dinamo. For big matches, they sometimes play at Arena Națională. Currently, they are playing at Stadionul Arcul de Triumf while their home ground is being rebuilt. Dinamo has strong rivalries with FC Steaua București, known as "the Eternal Derby", and also with Rapid București and Universitatea Craiova.
Contents
History of Dinamo București
How Dinamo Started (1948–1955)
Dinamo București was officially formed on May 14, 1948. It was created by merging two teams, Unirea Tricolor MAI and Ciocanul București. The new club represented the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
The name "Dinamo" was first used on May 1, 1948. The team played its first international match on July 14, 1948, winning 4-1 against Zidnice from Czechoslovakia. On August 22, Dinamo București played its first game in Romania's top league. Early players included Titus Ozon and Iuliu Farkaș.
In 1955, Dinamo won their very first championship title. The team had a strong attack and a solid defense. In 1956, Dinamo became the first Romanian team to play in the European Champion Clubs' Cup. They won their first game in this competition against Galatasaray with a score of 3–1.
European Successes (1950–1981)
Dinamo won their second league title in 1962, and their third in 1963. They also won the Romanian Cup in 1964, beating their big rival Steaua 5–3. In European matches, Dinamo played against famous teams like Real Madrid and Inter Milan. A game against Real Madrid in Bucharest set a record with 100,000 spectators.
In 1971, Dinamo won their sixth league title. A new star player, Florea Dumitrache, joined the team. Two years later, in 1973, they won their seventh title. In the European Cup, Dinamo achieved their biggest ever win, beating Crusaders Belfast from Northern Ireland 11–0. This is still the biggest win in the history of the European Cup!
In 1975, Dudu Georgescu became a top scorer in Europe, winning the "Golden Boot" with 32 goals. He won it again in 1977 with an amazing 47 goals, the same year Dinamo won their ninth title.
The Golden Team (1981–1992)
The 1980s were a great time for Dinamo. In the 1981–82 UEFA Cup season, they had exciting matches, including a win against Inter Milan. In 1982, Dinamo won their tenth national title and also the Romanian Cup.
The 1983–84 season was a highlight. Dinamo reached the semi-finals of the European Champions Cup. They beat strong teams like Hamburger SV and FC Dinamo Minsk. They were the first Romanian team to get this far in the competition. In the semi-finals, they played against Liverpool and lost, but it was a huge achievement.
In 1986, Dinamo won the Cup again, beating Steaua. In 1990, with Mircea Lucescu as coach, Dinamo won their 13th national title and the Cup final against Steaua. In 1992, Dinamo won their 14th title, completing a fantastic season without a single defeat in 34 matches.
Ups and Downs (1992–2013)
After the golden era, Dinamo had some mixed results. They continued to play in the UEFA Cup but didn't always get far. New talented players like Catalin Hildan, Florentin Petre, and Cosmin Contra joined the team.
In the 1999–2000 season, Dinamo won the league title again with players like Adrian Mutu. They won the title again in 2001–02. In 2003, they won the Romanian Cup. The 2003–04 season saw Dinamo win both the league title and the Romanian Cup.
In 2005, Dinamo played a big match against Manchester United in the UEFA Champions League qualifiers. They lost, but it showed how much they had improved. In the UEFA Cup 2005-06 season, Dinamo famously beat English team Everton 5–1. They also beat CSKA Moscow, who were the cup holders.
In the 2006–07 season, Dinamo won their 18th league title, securing it with four games left to play. They also reached the European Spring (knockout stages) of the UEFA Cup, but were eliminated by Benfica.
In 2012, Dinamo won two more trophies: the Romanian Cup and the Romanian Super Cup.
Recent Challenges (2013–Present)
In 2013, the club changed ownership. In 2014, Dinamo faced financial difficulties and entered a process called insolvency. This meant they couldn't play in European competitions for a while, even if they qualified.
After some tough years, Dinamo managed to return to European competitions in 2017, playing against Athletic Bilbao. However, they were eliminated. The team then struggled in the league for a few seasons.
In 2020, the club was bought by a Spanish company. They brought in new players with big salaries, but the club faced more financial problems. In 2021–22, Dinamo București was relegated to Liga II for the first time in its history. This was a very sad moment for the club and its fans.
However, Dinamo fought hard to return to the top league. In 2023, new owners took over, and the team won a promotion play-off against Argeș Pitești. They won with a total score of 8–5 over two games, bringing Dinamo back to Liga I after just one season in Liga II.
Crest and Colours
Dinamo's main colours are red and white. The club's crest (logo) shows the profiles of two red dogs. There is also a gold star above them, which represents the club winning its tenth league title.
Stadium
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Dinamo plays its home games at Stadionul Dinamo. This stadium opened on October 14, 1951. It was designed to hold 16,000 people, but after seats were installed, its capacity became 15,032. The stadium is part of a bigger sports complex that includes other fields and a swimming pool.
Fans often call the stadium "Groapa" (The Pit) because it was built by digging down rather than raising stands. The North stand is named Peluza Cătălin Hîldan, in honor of a former Dinamo player who sadly passed away in 2000 at the age of 24.
For very important matches, like those against their rivals FCSB, Dinamo plays at the Arena Națională. Since 2022, the team has been playing its home matches at the new Stadionul Arcul de Triumf. This is because their traditional stadium needs to be rebuilt to meet the requirements for top-league games.
Support
Dinamo București is one of the most popular football clubs in Romania. Many of their fans live in Bucharest, especially in the northeast and central parts of the city. They also have many supporters in other parts of Romania and among Romanians living abroad.
Dinamo's most passionate fans, known as ultras, started forming groups in the mid-1990s. One of the most important groups was Nuova Guardia. After the death of former captain Cătălin Hîldan in 2000, the North stand of Dinamo's stadium was renamed Peluza Catalin Hîldan (PCH Stand) in his memory. Most of the dedicated supporters gather in the PCH.
Rivalries & Friendships
Dinamo's biggest rivalry is with FCSB. Matches between these two teams are called the "Eternal Derby". These games are always very intense and exciting for the fans.
The club also has a strong rivalry with Rapid București. In the 1990s, these two teams often competed fiercely for the championship title. Another rivalry is with Universitatea Craiava.
Dinamo's fans have a good friendship with the fans of Universitatea Cluj. This friendship started in the mid-1990s. Dinamo also has an unofficial friendship with Crvena Zvezda, a famous club from Serbia.
Youth Program
Dinamo has a strong program for training young football players. They have a system with nine age groups, for players between nine and 18 years old. Around 180 young players are part of Dinamo's youth academy.
All these young teams play in competitions organized by the Bucharest Football Association and the Romanian Federation. Older players, usually between 16 and 18 years old, can move up to the second team, Dinamo II.
The youth center is located at the Dinamo Sports Center. It has many training fields, dressing rooms, a medical center, and storage for equipment.
Honours
Dinamo București has won many trophies throughout its history.
Domestic Titles
- Liga I (Romanian League)
- Winners (18): 1955, 1961–62, 1962–63, 1963–64, 1964–65, 1970–71, 1972–73, 1974–75, 1976–77, 1981–82, 1982–83, 1983–84, 1989–90, 1991–92, 1999–2000, 2001–02, 2003–04, 2006–07
- Cupa României (Romanian Cup)
- Winners (13): 1958–59, 1963–64, 1967–68, 1981–82, 1983–84, 1985–86, 1989–90, 1999–2000, 2000–01, 2002–03, 2003–04, 2004–05, 2011–12
- Cupa Ligii (League Cup)
- Winners (1): 2016–17
- Supercupa României (Supercup)
- Winners (2): 2005, 2012
Continental Achievements
- European Cup (now UEFA Champions League)
- Semi-finalists (1): 1983–84
- Cup Winners' Cup
- Semi-finalists (1): 1989–90
Players
First-team squad
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Out on loan
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Retired numbers
Some jersey numbers are retired at Dinamo to honor special players:
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Club Officials
The club has a team of people who manage different parts of the club.
- Head coach: Željko Kopić
Statistics and Records
Dinamo București holds several records in Romanian football and European competitions.
- Most appearances for the club: Cornel Dinu (454 games)
- Top scorer for the club: Dudu Georgescu (207 goals)
- Biggest home win in European Cup: Dinamo 11–0 Crusaders F.C. (1973–74) – This is still the biggest win in the history of the European Cup!
- Biggest away win in European competition: Alki Larnaca F.C. 0–9 Dinamo (1979–80)
Notable Former Players
Many great players have played for Dinamo București. Cornel Dinu played the most games for the club, and Ionel Dănciulescu is second.
Notable Former Coaches
Nicolae Dumitru is the most successful coach in Dinamo's history, winning five league titles and two Romanian Cups. Ioan Andone also won five trophies for Dinamo, including one league title and three Romanian Cups.
Images for kids
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Dinamo Bucharest League runners-up in 1953
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Florea Dumitrache
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Cornel Dinu, the player with the most caps for Dinamo
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"Lia Manoliu" Stadium at a match between Dinamo Bucharest and Manchester United
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Mircea Rednic, the last coach that won the title with Dinamo
See also
In Spanish: Fotbal Club Dinamo de Bucarest para niños
