Mircea Lucescu has died: soccer mourns the dean of coaches

Football bids a moving farewell to Mircea Lucescu, who died at the age of 80 on Tuesday afternoon.

The Romania coach had been hospitalized for several days at Bucharest University Hospital because of a heart attack that had caused him a series of strokes.

Lucescu had been ill with heart disease for some time but did not want to give up his post as coach, going out of his way to be on the sidelines during his Romania’s playoff match, which he later lost to Turkey. The Bucharest-born coach had felt ill in the days following the match, right on the training field, and was immediately transported to the hospital.

Lucescu, who a few days ago had become the oldest ct ever, had been in an induced coma for 24 hours: doctors tried repeatedly to save him but there was nothing they could do. Among the first clubs to pay tribute to him was Galatasaray: “We learned with deep sorrow of the passing of Mircea Lucescu, who brought another European trophy to our country with the victory of the UEFA Super Cup and who led our team in winning our 15th title. We express our deepest condolences to Mircea Lucescu’s family, loved ones and the entire football community. We will never forget you, Lucescu.”

Lucescu started coaching in 1982, and since then has sat on the bench almost continuously for 44 years, becoming a legend of Romanian soccer. In Italy he coached Pisa, Brescia, Reggiana and Inter. Among the big clubs he coached were Dinamo Bucharest, Rapid Bucharest, Galatasaray, Besiktas, Dinamo Kiev, Zenit St. Petersburg, and Shakhtar Donetsk, with whom he won nine Ukrainian championships and one Uefa Cup.