Who was Emeric Ienei, the coach who achieved the greatest performance of Romanian football. He wanted to become a lawyer, coached Romania and Hungary: “Have you seen great coaches with weak players?”
Emeric Ienei, who died on Wednesday, was the legendary coach of Stella, writes Golazo. With him on the bench, Steaua won the European Champions Cup in 1986, today's equivalent of the Champions League.
Emeric Ienei was born on March 22, 1937, in Agrişu Mic, in Arad county. Although he wanted to become a lawyer, he became a footballer and as a player he played for the teams UTA Arad, Steaua Bucharest and Kayserispor, Turkey, writes News.ro.
He won the title three times and the Romanian Cup four times, all with Steaua Bucharest.
He also coached the Hungarian national team
As a coach, Ienei worked at Steaua Bucharest, Crişul Oradea, Chindia Târgovişte, Videoton, Panionios and Craiova University and was a selector of the national teams of Romania and Hungary.
The greatest performance in his career as a technician was winning the European Champions Cup with Steaua in 1986. He also won five titles and three Romanian Cups with Steaua.
On March 9, 2017, Emeric Ienei was decorated by presidential decree by Klaus Iohannis with the National Order of the Star of Romania in the rank of Knight.
He also received the Order of Sports Merit awarded in 2008 by President Traian Băsescu.
Stella's message
Club Steaua Bucharest posted an emotional message on Facebook after the death of Emeric Ienei, noting that he was “the man who made Steaua shine above the whole of Europe, the whole world”.
“Smooth road, nea Imi!
Emerich Jenei, the legendary coach of Stella, passed away today, at the age of 88. We are talking about the most valuable Romanian coach of all time. The man who made our Star shine above all Europe, all the world.
As a player of Stella (1957-1969), he won the championship three times and the Romanian Cup four times. Then, he moved to the second technical bench, and main since 1975. In 1986, he won, with Steaua, the European Champions Cup, putting the Romanian champion on the map of the world's great clubs. As a coach with Steaua, he also won six championship titles and four Romanian Cups.
Between 1986 and 1990 he was the coach of the Romanian national football team, with which he participated in the World Cup in Italy.
Grinded by health problems, leg pain and an increasingly weak heart, sometimes getting lost among memories, he lived discreetly and quietly in recent years, in Oradea, the city he loved so much. He was married to the former fencer Ileana Gyulai-Jenei (1946 – 2021)”, notes Steaua.
Ienei dedicated her whole life to the sport of the round ball. “I almost always had formidable footballers at my disposal. And, perhaps, I also had some flair, some inspiration… Have you seen great coaches with weak players? Especially at Steaua and the national team, I worked with quality people. Both on the pitch and off it. Without these extraordinary people, I would probably have remained anonymous!”, he said.
“A football lord.
He went to train there, in another world. We will not forget him and we will honor his memory, as it should be. Smooth ride, my dear! May God rest him in peace!”, mentions Steaua.
