Article by Marius Mărgărit, Daniel Grigore – Published Wednesday, 05 November 2025, 12:49 / Updated Wednesday, 05 November 2025 12:49
Dorinel Munteanu, 57 years old, the record holder for selections in the national team of Romania, reacted to the death of Emeric Ienaithe one who trained him in the national team, especially in the 2000 European Championship.
Emeric Ienei, one of the greatest coaches in the history of Romanian football, passed away at the age of 88, due to health problems and a concussion suffered today.
Among his former students who reacted to the news is Dorinel Munteanu, the player with the most matches played for the Romanian national team.
Dorinel remembered the way Ienei managed the participation of the “tricolors” in Euro 2000, the final tournament in which they stopped in the quarter-finals. Munteanu was an integralist in all Romanian parties since that competition.
Dorinel Munteanu, Emeric Ienei's student on the national team, reacted: “Titan of football!”
“I heard about nea Imi. May God rest him! He was a special man, a titan of football, a gentleman. As a coach he was among the greatest in Romanian football. As a person, as well as behavior, he was a man to be framed.
I only had him as a coach for the national team, at Euro 2000, and he was one of the artisans of the qualification in that group. He knew how to manage that transition period from the national team. His performances, winning the Champions Cup, are milestones that are difficult or impossible to match.
He didn't get angry, he always had a kind word, he had great common sense, he spoke to us “gentlemen”, to us, the players. A sad day for Romanian football. We lost a special, special man!”, reacted Dorinel in dialogue with GSP.ro.
10 landmark statistics from Emeric Ienei's coaching career:
- 386 matches in the first division with Steaua, FC Bihor, CS Târgovişte and U Craiova. Record: 218 wins, 79 draws, 89 losses
- 6 championship titles, all with Steaua: 1975/76, 1977/78, 1984/85, 1985/86, 1986/87, 1993/94. In 1976 he stopped a streak of 8 years without a title, the longest in the history of the red-blues
- 4 Romanian Cups: 1975/76, 1984/85, 1991/92, 1998/99
- European Champions Cup 1985/86
- 51 of matches for the Romanian national team: 23 wins, 14 draws, 14 failures
- He qualified Romania for the WC 1990, after a break of 20 years
- It was Romania's coach at EC 2000, the first victory in a continental final tournament, 3-2 with England, is also linked to his name
- He succeeded the first qualification from the groups of a world tournament (CM 1990) and the first of the groups of a European tournament (EC 2000)
- He led Steaua in 31 European games. Record: 13 wins, 8 draws, 10 losses. The final with FC Barcelona was the 13th match
- It's the technician with most Derbies Steaua – Dinamo, 23 (19 in the championship and 4 in the Cup)
