Mugurel “Pele” Buga, now 48 years old, present at the Legends Tournament in Brașov, fondly recalled the goals from two decades ago in the UEFA Cup, scored in memorable matches with Rennes, Hamburg or Hertha Berlin.
The former striker also drew a parallel to Rapidul of the present, underlining the urgent need to recruit a genuine striker, as well as a quality midfielder for Giulești.
“I couldn't wait for this moment, it's one of the few times when I still enjoy football; and with the kids, at the football school, things are going well to very well,” said Buga, reliving the beautiful memories of his career.
VIDEO. Mugurel Buga: “With two or three transfers this winter, Rapid has a good chance of even finishing in first place”
“It's been 20 years since the “UEFantastic quarter”. The memories remain and are very beautiful. You remember your past as a footballer and realize that you were the kind of player who left his mark on Romanian football.
I am happy for the successes I have had and for the journey with Rapid. We had amazing supporters who always supported us. At the match with Hamburg, I think there were 4,000-5,000 away spectators, and towards the end only they could hear each other, otherwise it was quiet”, recalled the nicknamed “Pele”, one of the “architects” of the Giulești campaign until the “quarters” of the UEFA Cup.
Referring to the current progress in the Superliga, Buga sees Rapidul in the fight for the first places: “Rapid needs a number 9, a central midfielder like Măldărășanu or Ilyeș and a central defender like Maftei or Marius Constantin. I'm talking about my generation because it was successful.
At the moment, Rapid is where it needs to be. With two or three transfers this winter, he has a good chance of finishing in one of the top three places, why not?, the very first. I was a little surprised by the course of the FCSB until three weeks, a month ago. Now they started playing, like they are a different team. They have a very good team, but the championship is long.
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Also, Buga commented on the situation of other clubs in the play-off area: “In Pitesti, Botoșani or Galați, the people around are football people, they come from the phenomenon and they want the teams to be on a good track”.
Regarding Brașov football, where League 1 performance has been lacking for many years, Buga said that he has faith in a new local project. The city authorities are working on a project called Football Club Metropolitan Brașov:
I am convinced that a new team will be formed in Brașov as well, based on the mayor's promises, which will be called FC Metropolitan Brașov. We want Brașov to return to League 1, being a team with history on the first stage of Romanian football, which produced many footballers, including the national team.
With a little patience, with the involvement of the people from the phenomenon, the sponsors and those from the City Hall, who are able to be with the team, you can do beautiful things in Brașov too
– Mugurel Buga, former striker
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FC Metropolitan Brașov is a project initiated by the mayor of Brașov, George Scripcaru, as part of the strategy to revive football in the city after the disappearance of the previous teams.
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What stage is it in now? The documents for the establishment of the Football Club Metropolitan Brașov Association have already been submitted to the Zărnești Court, and the name is officially reserved, but the club does not yet play in competitions. It is in the legal organization and structuring phase, with the intention of gradually building the team and infrastructure, plus the involvement of local authorities and the community.
