The former UEFA Cup winner had a cardiac emergency four days before his death.
Mircea Lucescu, a legendary figure in Romanian and Ukrainian football, has died at the age of 80.
Lucescu died from heart complications, having resigned from being the Romania national team manager on the second of April after collapsing in training.
Born in Bucharest, Lucescu had a successful playing career as a forward, especially with Dinamo Bucuresti, who he played for over 260 times. He also captained Romania at the 1970 World Cup, playing the likes of Pele’s Brazil, Bobby Charlton’s England and Ivo Viktor’s Czechoslovakia.
Over his career, Lucescu made 64 caps for Romania and scored nine times for them, including against Teofilo Cubillas’ Peru and Dino Zoff’s Italy.
But it was in management that Lucescu became a worldwide figure.
Over a 47-year spell in management, Lucescu managed powerhouses such as Inter Milan, Galatasaray and, most notably, Shakhtar Donetsk, where he created a dynasty.
Lucescu won eight Ukrainian Premier League titles, six Ukrainian Cups and, famously, the UEFA Cup in 2009 by beating Bundesliga champions Werder Bremen.
Lucescu remains the third-most successful football manager of all time. He won 38 trophies as a manager – behind only Sir Alex Ferguson and Pep Guardiola. Other trophies he won included the top flight championships of Romania and Turkey, Serie B with Brescia and the domestic cup competitions of Romania.
As a player he won seven top flight championships in Romania, as well as one domestic cup competition.
He also managed several national teams, including being Romania’s manager at the 1984 Euros.
Tributes were paid to Lucescu by Shakhtar Donetsk president Rinat Akhmetov, who said in a club statement:
“FC Shakhtar express its deepest condolences to Mircea Lucescu’s family – his wife Neli, his son Răzvan, his grandchildren Meril and Matei – as well as his relatives, friends and all who knew and valued Mister. In these days, all our thoughts and prayers are with his loved ones and millions of fans in Romania and around the world. Your name is forever written into the history of world football.”
He added:
“Your name is forever written into the history of world football. Rest in peace, Great Coach.”
