Mircea Lucescu facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Mircea Lucescu

Lucescu in 2017
Personal information
Full name	Mircea Lucescu
Date of birth	(1945-07-29) 29 July 1945 (age 79)
Place of birth	Bucharest, Romania
Height	1.77 m (5 ft 10 in)
Position(s)	Winger
Team information
Current team	Romania (head coach)
Youth career
1961–1963	Școala Sportivă 2 București
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1963–1977	Dinamo București	250	(57)
1965–1967	→ Știința București (loan)	39	(12)
1977–1982	Corvinul Hunedoara	111	(21)
1990	Dinamo București	1	(0)
Total		401	(90)
International career
1966–1979	Romania	70	(9)
Managerial career
1979–1982	Corvinul Hunedoara (player/coach)
1981–1986	Romania
1985–1990	Dinamo București
1990–1991	Pisa
1991–1995	Brescia
1995–1996	Brescia
1996	Reggiana
1997–1998	Rapid București
1998–1999	Inter Milan
1999–2000	Rapid București
2000–2002	Galatasaray
2002–2004	Beşiktaş
2004–2016	Shakhtar Donetsk
2016–2017	Zenit Saint Petersburg
2017–2019	Turkey
2020–2023	Dynamo Kyiv
2024–	Romania
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Mircea Lucescu (born 29 July 1945) is a famous Romanian football manager and former player. He is currently the head coach of the Romania national team. Many people consider him one of the most successful football managers of all time.

Lucescu is also one of the most successful players in the Romanian league. He won seven titles with Dinamo București. He also played for Știința București and Corvinul Hunedoara. He played 70 games for the Romania national team and was their captain in the 1970 FIFA World Cup.

As a coach, Lucescu has led teams in Romania, Italy, Turkey, Ukraine, and Russia. He is best known for his twelve years with Shakhtar Donetsk. There, he became the most successful coach in the team's history. He won eight Ukrainian Premier League titles, six Ukrainian Cups, seven Ukrainian Super Cups, and the 2008–09 UEFA Cup. He also won trophies in Ukraine with Shakhtar's rival, Dynamo Kyiv. In Romania, he won titles with Dinamo București and Rapid București. In Turkey, he won titles with Galatasaray and Beşiktaş.

Lucescu was named Romania Coach of the Year many times. He also received the Manager of the Decade award in Romania in 2013. In 2015, he became one of only five people to coach in 100 UEFA Champions League matches. He has won 38 official trophies, making him one of the top three managers in history by trophy count.

Playing Career Highlights

Mircea Lucescu was born in Bucharest, Romania. He started playing football as a junior at Școala Sportivă 2 București. He joined Dinamo București and played his first top-league game on 21 June 1964. In his first two seasons at Dinamo, he helped the team win the championship.

He was loaned to Divizia B club Știința București for two seasons. After returning to Dinamo, he won the 1967–68 Cupa României (Romanian Cup). He scored two goals in the final against Rapid București. He also won four more league titles with Dinamo. He played 250 top-league games for Dinamo and scored 57 goals. He even scored against famous clubs like Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid in European competitions.

In 1977, Lucescu moved to play for Corvinul Hunedoara. In 1979, he became the team's coach while still playing. The team went down to the second division, but Lucescu helped them get back to the first division in one year. He retired from playing after the 1981–82 season.

He briefly came out of retirement in 1990 while coaching Dinamo București. Many players were away with the national team. So, he played one game and became the oldest player to appear in a Divizia A match at 44 years old. He won the championship as both a player and a coach that season.

International Football for Romania

Mircea Lucescu played 64 games for the Romania national team and scored nine goals. He was captain in 23 of these games. He made his debut in 1966 while playing in the second league.

He played six games in the qualifiers for the 1970 FIFA World Cup. He was also the captain in all three group matches at the World Cup tournament. Romania did not move past the group stage. For the last game against Brazil, Lucescu even bought the team's blue uniforms with his own money. This was because the Romanian Football Federation only provided yellow uniforms, which were the same color as Brazil's.

He played seven matches and scored two goals in the 1972 Euro qualifiers. Romania reached the quarter-finals but lost to Hungary. His last game for the national team was in 1979.

In 2008, Lucescu received a special medal from the President of Romania for representing his country at the 1970 World Cup.

Coaching Journey

Starting at Corvinul Hunedoara

Mircea Lucescu learned a lot about coaching from Viorel Mateianu. He started coaching while still playing for Corvinul Hunedoara in January 1979. His first match as coach was a cup game. Three days later, he coached his first top-league game, a 2–0 win where he also scored a goal.

The team was relegated, but Lucescu stayed and helped them get promoted back to the first division in one year. He also guided them to a third-place finish in the 1981–82 season. Lucescu was good at finding and helping young players like Ioan Andone and Dorin Mateuț.

Leading the Romania National Team

Lucescu coached the Romania national team for 58 matches. He started in November 1981. He helped the team qualify for UEFA Euro 1984. They won a tough qualification group that included 1982 World Cup winner, Italy. At the Euro 1984 tournament, Romania drew one game and lost two, not moving past the group stage.

He almost qualified the team for the 1986 FIFA World Cup, missing out by just one point. His last game as Romania's coach was a 4–0 win against Austria in 1986. He also gave Gheorghe Hagi, a future Romanian football legend, his debut for the national team at age 18.

Success with Dinamo București

Mircea Lucescu (left) talking to Ioan Sabău (right) during his time at Dinamo București.

Lucescu became coach at Dinamo București in November 1985. In his first season, he won the Cupa României (Romanian Cup). They beat their rivals, Steaua București, who had just won the European Cup.

Over five years, he built a strong team. He brought in young players from the club's youth academy and transferred talented young players. He mixed them with players he had coached before. This team reached the quarter-finals of the 1988–89 European Cup Winners' Cup. In the next season, they won the Divizia A title and the Cupa României. They also reached the semi-finals of the 1989–90 European Cup Winners' Cup.

Coaching in Italy

After the Romanian Revolution in 1989, Lucescu moved to Italy in 1990. He coached Serie A club Pisa. He had a good start but left the club in March 1991. He worked with a fitness trainer, Adriano Bacconi, to create a software program to track player performance. This was one of the first football data monitoring programs.

In 1991, Lucescu signed with Serie B club Brescia. He helped them get promoted to Serie A in just one season. He won the 1993–94 Anglo-Italian Cup with Brescia. He brought several Romanian players to the club, earning them the nickname "Brescia Romena." He also brought a 15-year-old Andrea Pirlo, who would become a famous player, to train with the senior team.

In 1996, Lucescu coached Serie A club Reggiana. However, his time there was short due to poor results.

Return to Rapid București

In 1997, Mircea Lucescu returned to Romania to coach Rapid București. He built a new team by promoting young players and bringing back some he had coached before. This team won the 1997–98 Cupa României (Romanian Cup). After a short time at Inter Milan, he returned to Rapid. He led them to win the 1998–99 Divizia A title, which was their first championship in 32 years. He also won the 1999 Supercupa României.

Time at Inter Milan

In December 1998, Lucescu became coach at Inter Milan in Italy. He worked with famous players like Ronaldo, Roberto Baggio, and Javier Zanetti. He led the team to the quarter-finals of the 1998–99 UEFA Champions League. They were knocked out by Alex Ferguson's Manchester United, who went on to win the competition. Lucescu left Inter Milan in March 1999.

Success in Turkey with Galatasaray and Beşiktaş

In 2000, Lucescu took over at Turkish club Galatasaray. With Romanian players Gheorghe Hagi and Gheorghe Popescu, he won the 2000 UEFA Super Cup. They beat Real Madrid 2–1. Galatasaray reached the Champions League quarter-finals in the 2000–01 season. The next year, they won the Turkish League title. Despite winning the league, Lucescu was replaced at the end of the season.

Soon after leaving Galatasaray in 2002, Lucescu joined their rivals, Beşiktaş. In 2003, Beşiktaş was celebrating its 100th year. Lucescu led them to win the Turkish title with only one loss, setting a record for points in a season. He also reached the 2002–03 UEFA Cup quarter-finals. In the next season, he left the club after finishing third, feeling that the championship was unfairly taken from them.

Long Reign at Shakhtar Donetsk

Lucescu coaching Shakhtar Donetsk in a Ukrainian Premier League match, October 2013.

In May 2004, Lucescu joined Ukrainian team Shakhtar Donetsk. He helped them become a top team in Ukraine. His first trophy with the club was the 2003–04 Ukrainian Cup. In his first full season, he won the Premier League title.

He continued to win many trophies with Shakhtar. In the 2008–09 season, he guided Shakhtar to their first ever European trophy, winning the 2008–09 UEFA Cup. They beat Werder Bremen 2–1 in the final.

The 2010–11 season was very successful. He led Shakhtar to win the Premier League, the Ukrainian Cup, and the Super Cup. They also had their best Champions League run, reaching the quarter-finals.

Lucescu presenting Fernando in 2013. Lucescu often signed talented Brazilian players for Shakhtar.

In 2009, Lucescu received a special award from the President of Romania. He was also made an "Honorary citizen of Donetsk" for his achievements with Shakhtar. He won the Coach of the Year award in Ukraine many times.

He left Shakhtar in 2016 after 12 years, becoming the club's greatest manager. In his last match, he won the 2015–16 Ukrainian Cup. During his time at Shakhtar, he often relied on talented young Brazilian players.

Zenit Saint Petersburg and Turkey National Team

Lucescu with Zenit in 2016.

In May 2016, Lucescu moved to Russia to coach Zenit Saint Petersburg. He won the 2016 Russian Super Cup with them. However, he was dismissed a year later.

In August 2017, he became the new head coach of the Turkey national team. The team did not qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. His contract ended in February 2019.

Dynamo Kyiv and Return to Romania

In July 2020, Lucescu returned to Ukraine to coach Dynamo Kyiv, a main rival of his former club Shakhtar Donetsk. His arrival caused some debate among fans because of his long history with Shakhtar.

In October 2020, Lucescu became the oldest manager to coach a UEFA Champions League game at 75 years old. He won his first league title with Dynamo Kyiv in April 2021. He also won the Ukrainian Cup in May, completing a "double" (winning both the league and cup).

In February 2022, when Russia invaded Ukraine, Lucescu was living in Kyiv. He eventually left to help Dynamo's foreign players get to safety. He stepped down as Dynamo Kyiv manager in November 2023.

On August 6, 2024, Lucescu returned as the head coach of the Romania national team, 38 years after his first time in charge.

Writing and Personal Life

Mircea Lucescu started writing about football in 1980. He has also written two books about football:

• The Mirage of the Lawn (1981)
• Miner's Life (2011)

Lucescu is a polyglot, meaning he speaks many languages. Besides Romanian, he speaks English, Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, French, and Russian. He often tells his players that reading books or going to the theatre is better than going to clubs. He also encouraged his players to go to university. His son, Răzvan Lucescu, is also a football manager.

In 2009, Lucescu had a health issue and needed surgery. In 2012, he was involved in a car accident in Bucharest and was seriously hurt.

Honours

Player

Dinamo București

• Divizia A: 1963–64, 1964–65, 1970–71, 1972–73, 1974–75, 1976–77, 1989–90
• Cupa României: 1967–68

Corvinul Hunedoara

• Divizia B: 1979–80

Individual

• Romanian Footballer of the Year (fourth place): 1971

Manager

Corvinul Hunedoara

• Divizia B: 1979–80

Dinamo București

• Divizia A: 1989–90
• Cupa României: 1985–86, 1989–90

Brescia

• Serie B: 1991–92
• Anglo-Italian Cup: 1993–94

Rapid București

• Divizia A: 1998–99
• Cupa României: 1997–98
• Supercupa României: 1999

Galatasaray

• Süper Lig: 2001–02
• UEFA Super Cup: 2000

Beşiktaş

• Süper Lig: 2002–03

Shakhtar Donetsk

Lucescu lifting the 2010–11 Ukrainian Cup with Shakhtar Donetsk.

• Ukrainian Premier League: 2004–05, 2005–06, 2007–08, 2009–10, 2010–11, 2011–12, 2012–13, 2013–14
• Ukrainian Cup: 2003–04, 2007–08, 2010–11, 2011–12, 2012–13, 2015–16
• Ukrainian Super Cup: 2005, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015
• UEFA Cup: 2008–09

Zenit Saint Petersburg

• Russian Super Cup: 2016

Dynamo Kyiv

• Ukrainian Premier League: 2020–21
• Ukrainian Cup: 2020–21
• Ukrainian Super Cup: 2020

Individual

• Gazeta Sporturilor Romania Coach of the Year: 2004, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2021
• Ukrainian Premier League Manager of the Month (3): 2020–21 (March, April, May)

Orders

• Order of Merit (Ukraine) III degree (2006)
• Order of The Sportive Merit (Romania) III degree (2008)
• Order of the Star of Romania (2009)
• Order of Merit (Ukraine) II degree (2009)
• Order of Merit (Ukraine) I degree (2011)
• Honorary Citizen of Donetsk

Images for kids

• 

  Lucescu (foreground, in white) in a derby match against cross-town rivals Steaua București.

See also

In Spanish: Mircea Lucescu para niños