Legendary Romanian coach Mircea Lucescu has died at the age of 81. Romanian journalist Emanuel Rosu reported the news on his X page.
Lucescu was hospitalized during a training session with the Romanian national team. The coach was diagnosed with an acute myocardial infarction, and on Sunday, April 5, his condition worsened, which is why he fell into a coma.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan made a touching post on his social media pages. The former captain of the Armenian national team expressed gratitude to the coach, emphasizing his decisive role in his professional development and the start of his international career.
“You were one of my first coaches, who helped me grow and start my international career.” I will always be grateful to you for allowing me to live out what I dreamed of since childhood.
Thank you for your guidance, your trust, and for helping me become the player and person I am today. Football has lost a true gentleman and a true visionary of the game.
Rest in peace, mister. You will always hold an exceptional place in my heart,” Mkhitaryan wrote.
During his coaching career, Lucescu coached Dynamo Kyiv, Shakhtar Donetsk, Zenit St. Petersburg, and the Romanian national team, which was his last coaching position.
Lucescu is the oldest coach in the history of the Champions League and national teams. He has won 35 trophies with his teams; only Pep Guardiola (40) and Alex Ferguson (49) have won more.
