“Obviously I'm thinking about the title! It's a unique moment”

Gâlcă dared to take over a team with claims and a lot of interference, including from the lawn, but it did its job and is in the top, with the same number of points as the leader in the Superliga, Botoşani.

An October without defeat, with three victories that bring much-desired peace to Giulesti: 3-1 against Farul, 2-0 against Dinamo and 4-1 against Unirea Slobozia. Results that make sprinters dream of the title of champion.

VIDEO. Constantin Gâlcă: “Very, very nice atmosphere, but with demanding supporters”

– Mr. Gâlcă, congratulations! You are the coach of October, an undefeated month for you and Rapid.
– Thank you! Of course this trophy should be for everyone: my staff and those around me, because it is everyone's work. All these wins we've had have propelled us to the top spot, and it's everyone's work; we are happy Let's continue this work.

– You have coached important teams in your career. Is the air different in Giulesti?
– I said it: it's a very, very nice atmosphere, but with demanding supporters. But they help you in many moments and I am with the team body and soul.

– With your arrival at Rapid, the atmosphere also changed.
– It is a joy for us to make this connection with the supporters. It is a joy that we can reward them with our victories.

Costel Gâlcă // photo: Imago Images

“I always say that our attitude is important”

– Are you still haunted by the defeat with Hermannstadt?
– It happens… I'm glad I got over this moment very well.

– Is it more difficult for you to prepare the team when it keeps it from victory to victory?
– I say it's easier, but there are also times when you have to score certain situations. I say all the time that our attitude is important, concentration in matches is essential, and we have to prove match by match that we are a good team and a very good group.

– How do you see the second part of the regular season?
– We have many matches! We want to win, to play good matches and we have to manage the matches very well and treat them with a lot of confidence.

– How do you make plans as a team? Match by match or over a longer period?
– We think about which players we have available, we also think about the upcoming matches and then it depends on the week.

– You coped brilliantly with the injured players you had.
– We have to manage these situations so that we can get over them. The better we manage them, the better we will be at the end of the championship.

“I want us to win all the games, but it won't be easy”

– What are your objectives, the club's?
– The objectives are clear! We want to qualify for a European cup. The sooner we do it, after that we will set other goals: the championship and, of course, the Romanian Cup.

– You remained in the history of Romanian football with the treble from FCSB. Are you doing the event with Rapid?
– I would like to and I know it's a lot of work! It all depends on how we have to handle the situations. It's important to finish with options to win these trophies.

– Do you think about that moment, visualize it?
– Obviously I'm thinking! It's a unique moment! You can't win trophies every time.

– How do you see the next months for Rapid?
– I want us to win all the matches, but it won't be easy. I am aware that there are good teams in the championship and, in return, we will meet teams that have a very good game and players with a lot of experience, like CFR Cluj.

– Does the Superliga ranking surprise you?
– It's a little surprising. If we look at Botoșani, FC Argeș or Slobozia, they played very good matches and proved that they can be in the play-offs. Certainly both CFR and FCSB have very good teams and can come back.

Gazeta nominated 3 technicians for the “October Coach of the Month” trophy: Constantin Gâlcă (Rapid), Leo Grozavu (FC Botoșani) and Eugen Neagoe (Petrolul).

The preliminary list also included: Mihai Teja (Metaloglobus), Laszlo Balint (Oțelul), Robert Ilyes (Csikszereda), Florin Maxim (Corvinul Hunedoara) and Ovidiu Burcă (Sepsi).

How we will choose Player of the Month and Coach of the Month

Very briefly, about the algorithm used for tie-breaking to determine the winners. The GSP editors make the nominations, based on statistics and clear performance figures, then they will vote for 3 categories:

• GSP.ro readers
• journalists in the newsroom
• 5 specialists (former footballers or coaches)

FINAL RANKING October 2025 coach of the month

DETAILED RANKING

Readers' vote

Vote of GSP journalists

Expert vote