Nicolae Lupescu facts for kids
Lupescu pictured in the late 1960s
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 17 December 1940 | ||
| Place of birth | Bucharest, Romania | ||
| Date of death | 6 September 2017 (aged 76) | ||
| Place of death | Bucharest, Romania | ||
| Height | 1.77 m | ||
| Playing position | Defender | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1954 | ICAR București | ||
| 1958–1960 | Flacăra Roșie București | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1960–1961 | Academia Militară București | ||
| 1961–1962 | Olimpia București | ||
| 1962–1972 | Rapid București | 244 | (8) |
| 1972–1977 | Admira Wacker | 134 | (9) |
| Total | 378 | (17) | |
| National team | |||
| 1964–1972 | Romania | 21 | (2) |
| Teams managed | |||
| 1977–1978 | Mecanică Fină București | ||
| 1978–1980 | Rapid București | ||
| 1981–1982 | Șoimii Sibiu | ||
| 1983–1984 | Gloria Buzău | ||
| 1985–1986 | Rapid București | ||
| 1988 | Progresul București | ||
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Nicolae Lupescu (born December 17, 1940 – died September 6, 2017) was a famous Romanian football defender and manager. He was known for his strong play in defense and for leading his teams to victory.
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Playing for Football Clubs
Nicolae Lupescu was born in Bucharest, Romania. He started playing football as a junior in 1954. His first teams were ICAR București and Flacăra Roșie București. He began his professional career in 1960. He played for Academia Militară București and Olimpia București in the second division.
Time at Rapid București
In 1962, Nicolae Lupescu joined Rapid București. He made his top-league debut on September 16, 1962. Rapid won that game 4–2 against Farul Constanța. He stayed with Rapid for ten seasons, becoming a key player.
Lupescu helped Rapid win their first-ever top-league title in the 1966–67 season. He played in 26 matches that season and scored one goal. He also helped Rapid win the Romanian Cup in 1972. The team also won the Balkans Cup twice.
He played in all six games of the 1971–72 UEFA Cup in 1971–72. Rapid reached the quarter-finals, beating strong teams like Napoli and Legia Warsaw. They were eventually knocked out by Tottenham, who went on to win the competition.
Moving to Austria
During the time Romania was under communist rule, it was very rare for Romanian footballers to play outside the country. However, Nicolae Lupescu managed to get permission to move abroad. In 1972, he joined Admira Wacker in Austria. Rapid București received $40,000 for his transfer.
He played his first game in the Austrian top league on September 15, 1972. Admira Wacker finished fourth in the league that season, which was their best result during his five years there. He also helped Admira beat Inter Milan in the 1973–74 UEFA Cup in 1973.
Overall, Nicolae Lupescu played 244 matches and scored 8 goals in Romania's top league. He also played 134 games and scored 9 goals in the Austrian top league. In European competitions, he played 16 matches.
Playing for Romania
Nicolae Lupescu played 20 matches for the Romanian national team and scored two goals. He made his debut on June 25, 1967, in a game against Italy.
1970 FIFA World Cup
Lupescu was an important part of the Romanian team that played in the 1970 FIFA World Cup in Mexico. He played every minute of all three group matches. Even though Romania played well, they did not move on to the next stage of the tournament.
He also played in 8 matches and scored two goals during the qualifiers for the 1972 European Championship. Romania reached the quarter-finals but lost to Hungary. His last game for the national team was on June 17, 1972, in a friendly match against Italy.
For representing his country at the 1970 World Cup, Nicolae Lupescu received a special award. In 2008, the President of Romania gave him "The Sportive Merit" medal, Class III.
International Goals for Romania
Here are the goals Nicolae Lupescu scored for the Romanian national team:
| # | Date | Venue | Cap | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 22 September 1971 | Olympic Stadium, Helsinki, Finland | 13 |  Finland |
2–0 | 4–0 | 1972 Euro qualifiers |
| 2 | 24 November 1971 | Stadionul 23 August, București, Romania | 15 |  Wales |
1–0 | 2–0 | 1972 Euro qualifiers |
Personal Life
Nicolae Lupescu was the father of Ioan Lupescu, who also became a professional football player. Nicolae Lupescu passed away on September 6, 2017, in Bucharest, at the age of 76.
Achievements
As a Player
Rapid București
- Romanian Top League: 1966–67
- Romanian Cup: 1971–72
- Balkans Cup: 1963–64, 1964–66
As a Manager
Gloria Buzău
- Romanian Second League: 1983–84
