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Lucescu Marks 80th Birthday While Steering Romania Toward World Cup Qualification

Boasting four decades of innovation plus 37 trophies, he leads Romania’s drive for a first World Cup berth since 1998

Lucescu, gli 80 anni del mago: i trofei, le difficoltà Inter e ora il sogno Mondiali
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Overview

  • Lucescu celebrated his 80th birthday on July 29 while remaining in charge of Romania’s national team.
  • In his 40-year coaching career he has won 37 major trophies with eight clubs across Romania, Italy, Turkey and Ukraine.
  • During a 12-year spell at Shakhtar Donetsk he transformed the club into a European power with eight league titles, seven national cups, six super cups and the 2009 UEFA Cup.
  • He pioneered the use of tactical analysts in Europe and gave Andrea Pirlo his Serie A debut at Brescia before Pirlo turned 16.
  • Since returning as Romania’s head coach in 2024, he has focused on rebuilding the squad to end the nation’s World Cup drought dating back to 1998.