Romania mourns as former national coach Mircea Lucescu dies aged 80 | OneFootball

Romania is in mourning after former national team coach Mircea Lucescu died on Tuesday at the age of 80 following a heart attack. The Bucharest hospital where he was being treated said in a statement that he passed away on Tuesday evening. His death came days after he was removed from his post.

Lucescu fell ill about 10 days ago while preparing a friendly against Slovakia. He was taken to hospital and was due to be discharged on Friday after treatment to stabilise his heart rhythm, but he suffered a heart attack that day.

Appointed in August 2024 on a two-year deal, he took charge for the final time two weeks ago, a 1-0 defeat by Türkiye that ended hopes of a first World Cup appearance since 1998.

He had previously managed Romania in the 1980s, delivering qualification for Euro 1984 before leaving two years later after missing out on the World Cup in Mexico. As a player, he represented Romania from 1966 to 1979 and captained the side at the 1970 World Cup in Mexico.

His club career spanned Romania, Italy, Türkiye and Ukraine, bringing more than 30 trophies. In 2024 he described turning down the national job as cowardly, and he recently called himself the product of his own will. He also led Türkiye between 2017 and 2019.

Source: Le Progres