Mircea Lucescu, is a former Romanian striker and head coach. With 36 trophies won during his career, he stands as the second most decorated head coach in football history, behind Sir Alex Ferguson with 49 trophies. His son, Răzvan Lucescu, who also became a coach, has managed the Greek club PAOK.

Playing Career and Early Years

As a player, Lucescu operated in the attacking line and captained the Romania national team. He made his first official international appearance wearing the national jersey on 2 November 1966 against Switzerland. He began his coaching career at the age of 28. In the early stages of his coaching career, he managed Corvinul Hunedoara, Dinamo Bucharest, and the Romania national team in Romania. After the fall of the communist regime in 1990, he left his country and moved to Italy. In Italy’s Serie A, he coached Inter Milan as well as Brescia, where he gave a 16-year-old Andrea Pirlo his first professional opportunity.

Turkish Period

After his time in Italy, Lucescu took charge of Turkish clubs Galatasaray and Beşiktaş, winning league titles with both. In later years, he was appointed head coach of the Romania national team; however, following unsuccessful results in World Cup qualifiers and the UEFA Nations League, he stepped down from this role in February 2019.

Shakhtar Donetsk Period (2004–2016)

In 2004, Lucescu was appointed head coach of Ukraine’s Shakhtar Donetsk and held the position for 12 years. In his first season, he led the club to a league title. During his tenure, he transformed the team’s traditional physical style of play into an attacking system based on Brazilian talent and short-passing football. He consistently maintained a contingency plan to safeguard the club’s competitive structure against the potential departure of key players.

Over this 12-year period, he delivered to the club 8 Ukrainian league titles, 6 domestic cups, and the 2009 UEFA Cup, totaling 22 trophies. Even after the conflict in the Donbas region forced the club to leave Donetsk and its stadium in 2014, playing its home matches in Kyiv, Lucescu continued in his role.

Zenit St. Petersburg Period

In 2016, Lucescu left Shakhtar Donetsk and signed with Zenit St. Petersburg, a Russian club backed by the state-owned energy company Gazprom. After a season marked by disagreements with players, management, and the press, he was dismissed from his position.

Dinamo Kiev Period (2020–2023)

In July 2020, Lucescu was appointed head coach of Dinamo Kiev, a club he had previously competed against for years and frequently criticized in the media. The appointment drew strong reactions from supporters of both clubs. Dinamo Kiev fan groups organized major protests against him, and under this pressure, Lucescu resigned four days after signing his contract.

However, after club president Ihor Surkis intervened and rejected his resignation, Lucescu remained in his position. To avoid direct confrontation with fans, he chose to live at the club’s training facilities. Despite all tensions, he completed his first season by winning the league title, the domestic cup, and the super cup, finishing with three trophies. In October 2020, at the age of 75, he became the oldest head coach ever to manage a match in the Champions League.

Ukrainian War and Evacuation Efforts

When Russia invaded Ukraine on 24 February 2022, Lucescu, who was in Kyiv, refused to leave the country but prioritized the safety of the players. In cooperation with UEFA and various football federations, he organized the evacuation by two buses of more than 80 foreign players and their families from Dinamo Kiev and Shakhtar Donetsk to Bucharest. He arranged housing in Bucharest for players such as Sergiy Sydorchuk, Serhiy Kryvtsov, and Taras Stepanenko and supported funds they established to send aid supplies back to Ukraine.

Over his 15 years in Ukrainian football, he was named Coach of the Year nine times and, with a total of 25 trophies won, became the most decorated coach in independent Ukrainian history. He concluded his club career in the country in November 2023.

Romania National Team and World Records

Without retiring, Lucescu returned as head coach of the Romania national team in the autumn of 2024. On 10 June 2025, following a 2–0 victory over Cyprus, the total time he spent with the Romania national team—as both player and coach—reached 58 years and 220 days. With this achievement, he broke the previous record held by Uruguayan Roque Máspoli (53 years and 172 days) and became the person with the longest service to his country’s national team in world history.

Later, while managing the team in a match against Turkey in the 2026 World Cup play-off final, which Romania lost 1–0, he surpassed Alan Taylor’s record to become the oldest national team head coach in history at 80 years and 7 months.

Health Condition

Following the defeat against Turkey, Lucescu collapsed during a training session in early April 2026 and was hospitalized. On Thursday, 2 April 2026, he announced his resignation from the Romania national team. While receiving treatment at Bucharest University Emergency Hospital, he suffered an acute myocardial infarction (heart attack) on Friday morning. Medical reports indicated that his condition was stable and under close observation.

Mircea Lucescu’s health condition reached a critical stage following developments on 6 April 2026. The experienced head coach of the Romania national team had been admitted to hospital on 29 March 2026 after falling ill during a national team training camp. His condition was initially described as stable, and treatment continued in the hospital.

However, his condition deteriorated significantly in the following days. A statement from Bucharest University Hospital revealed that during the night, Lucescu’s heart rhythm disturbances worsened, treatments proved ineffective, and he was transferred to intensive care. In the subsequent hours, he fell into a coma and his life became increasingly endangered.

Romanian Health Minister Alexandru Rogobete stated in a public announcement that Lucescu’s condition was extremely critical, particularly due to negative developments over the past 24 hours.

In response to these developments, Lucescu’s son and PAOK FC head coach Răzvan Lucescu traveled to Romania by private jet after his team’s match against Panathinaikos FC.

Death

Mircea Lucescu, the Romanian head coach who held significant roles in global and Turkish football history and led numerous clubs and national teams throughout his career, passed away on 7 April 2026 due to complications from prolonged health issues while still actively coaching at an advanced age.

Death Announcement and Cause

Mircea Lucescu, who was under intensive care in the hospital, passed away at the age of 80 after failing to respond to treatments for a series of cardiac complications. The Romanian Football Federation officially announced his death to the public. In its statement, the Federation described Lucescu as a national symbol and visionary who elevated Romania’s flag on the international stage and announced that a minute of silence would be observed before all domestic league matches in his memory.

Reactions and Condolences from the Sports World

Lucescu’s passing generated widespread reactions across the international sports community, with numerous institutions and individuals issuing condolences. Turkey’s Minister of Youth and Sports, Osman Aşkın Bak, and the Turkish Football Federation (TFF) released statements highlighting Lucescu’s contributions to Turkish football. The TFF specifically recalled how, during his tenure as head coach of the Romania national team, he introduced players such as İrfan Can Kahveci, Merih Demiral, Mert Müldür, and Zeki Çelik to international football and implemented a youth-focused policy.

In addition to Galatasaray and Beşiktaş, clubs with which he previously won titles, numerous Turkish clubs including Fenerbahçe and Trabzonspor issued official condolences. Beşiktaş President Serdal Adalı and former player and coach Sergen Yalçın, who was once a student of Lucescu during Beşiktaş’s centenary championship season, expressed their personal grief over his passing.

Leadership bodies in world football and Lucescu’s international colleagues also paid tribute to him. FIFA President Gianni Infantino emphasized Lucescu’s passion for football and underscored the legacy and legendary character he left behind. Meanwhile, Atlético Madrid head coach Diego Simeone shared memories of Lucescu ahead of Atlético’s Champions League quarter-final match against Barcelona. Simeone recalled how Lucescu supported him during his early career at Pisa and later at Inter, protected him, and consistently offered encouragement through his humble personality.