Mircea Lucescu, former coach of Shakhtar Donetsk and Dynamo Kyiv, passed away at the age of 80 after a long heart illness. The Romanian Football Federation announced this, as reported by UNN.
The Romanian Football Federation expresses its deepest condolences on the passing of someone who was, is, and will remain a true legend. Today, our football loses not only a brilliant coach but also a mentor, a visionary, and a national symbol who raised the tricolor flag to the highest peaks of global success.
As stated by the federation, Lucescu left behind a colossal legacy that is difficult to surpass in the history of the royal sport.
As a player, he embodied elegance and intellect on the field. Becoming a symbol of "Dinamo" (Bucharest), a club with which he won 7 championship titles, Lucescu also played brilliantly for the national team. A highlight remains the 1970 World Cup, where, as captain of the "Guadalajara Generation," he faced legends such as Pelé and Bobby Moore. However, the true scale of his genius manifested on the coaching bench. Mircea Lucescu was a coach who brought modern football to Romania, leading the national team to EURO-1984 and laying the foundations of the great "Corvinul" team from Hunedoara. His international successes, European trophies won, triumphs with "Galatasaray" and "Beşiktaş" in Turkey, and his period at "Shakhtar" in Ukraine elevated him to the pantheon of the most successful coaches in the history of world football.
The federation noted that moments of silence would be observed before the next round of Romanian championship matches.
Addition
On March 29, Mircea Lucescu was urgently hospitalized at the University Hospital after he fell ill during a technical meeting before the national team's training session.
On April 2, the specialist resigned as head coach of the Romanian national team. On April 3, Lucescu suffered an acute myocardial infarction directly in the hospital. Doctors had to perform resuscitation procedures three times, and the coach had his fifth stent implanted. Later, Lucescu was placed in a medically induced coma after severe cardiac arrhythmias that stopped responding to treatment.
On Monday, April 7, representatives of the Bucharest University Emergency Hospital considered installing an extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) system for Lucescu.
The Bucharest University Emergency Hospital provided an update on the condition of Mircea Lucescu, former coach of Shakhtar Donetsk and Dynamo Kyiv. Specifically, it was reported that the specialist showed multiple signs of ischemic cerebral strokes and pulmonary embolism.
The Ukrainian Football Federation reacted to the specialist's death, expressing condolences to his family and friends.
Lucescu led Shakhtar Donetsk for 13 seasons, setting a record for the Miners for the longest tenure as coach and the number of matches (573). During this time, Shakhtar won 22 trophies, including the UEFA Cup in 2009. In addition, Mircea was the head coach of Dynamo Kyiv from 2020-2023. Lucescu's record includes nine Ukrainian championship titles, seven Ukrainian Cup victories, and eight Super Cup wins. The UAF expresses its condolences to his family and friends.
Condolences for the great loss were expressed by Dynamo (Kyiv) president Ihor Surkis, head coach Ihor Kostiuk, and team captain Vitaliy Buyalskyi.
With deep sadness and a heavy heart, we received the news that the legendary coach Mircea Lucescu, whom we all knew very well, passed away into a better world at the age of 80. Mircea Lucescu's name is forever inscribed in the history of our club. Under his leadership, "Dynamo" achieved brilliant victories in the domestic arena, including winning championship medals, as well as becoming the owner of the Ukrainian Cup and Super Cup. In difficult times, his experience, charisma, and dedication to football helped the team regain stability, championship character, faith, and confidence in their own abilities. His colossal experience, deep understanding of the game, wisdom, and endurance left an indelible mark on the hearts of everyone who had the good fortune to be on the same team with him. We express our sincere condolences to Mircea Lucescu's family and friends. We share with them this pain of loss. We will always remember him. Mircea Lucescu will continue to live in our hearts. May he rest in peace.