Article by Remus Dinu – Published on Wednesday, 08 April 2026, 16:37 / Updated on Wednesday, 08 April 2026 16:39
Constantin “Jean” Barbu, 54 years old, “Cobra from Trivale”, as the microbists remember the former striker from FC Argeș and Rapid, is one of the footballers on whom Mircea Lucescu left his mark at the end of the 90s. Moving to Giulești meant for him the transition to the next level, after he managed to award his Mircea Lucescu's rapid his only career championship, plus the Supercup in the same year.
He quickly settled on Jean Barbu midway through the 1998-1999 season, he contributed eight goals to the Whites' title campaign in 11 appearances. His adventure in Giulesti was short-lived: he left Romania in 2000 to sign with the Spaniards from Numancia.
Almost 27 years after that remarkable performance, Constantin Barbu recalled, in an interview for Gazeta Sporturilor, one of the conversations he had with Mircea Lucescu that season.
The former striker began by paying tribute to the former great technician.
Jean Barbu's memories with Mircea Lucescu: “From now on, you will be the starter all the time, as long as I am the coach!”
“I'm sorry, he was a great man, who taught us a lot. I learned a lot from him. It was a sudden… Too bad! He could have lived.
It was hard to pull back, he couldn't do that. Maybe he should have done this in the winter, quit… But he simply could not do that. Life is a thread, what to do? You don't know when you're leaving. So it was to be.
The last time, I met him here, in Pitesti, when it was the charity match for Viorel Turcu. Then I talked to him, he was on a break, he didn't have a team,” “Cobra from Trivale” recalled.
Jean Barbu won the title together with Rapidul lui Mircea Lucescu / Photo source: GSP Archive
Jean Barbu then recounted the “tête-à-tête” he had with “Il Luce”, after the renowned technician left him on the bench in a match of Giulești in the championship:
“I remember… It was as if it was a match with Bacăul. It was the only match in which he didn't put me in the starting line-up, without telling me anything! Then he introduced me, I scored, we won 1-0, and the next day he called me and said: “From now on, you will be the starter all the time, as long as I am the coach!”.
The lot used by Rapid Bucharest in 1998/1999:
- Goalkeepers: Bogdan Ionuţ Lobonţ (31 matches / 0 goals), Marius Bratu (4/0) (goalkeepers),
- Defenders: Nicolae Stanciu (28/1), Cristian Alexandru Dulca (14/3), Mircea Rednic (32/1), Dorel Mutica (22/4), Mihai Adrian Iencsi (26/3), Vasile Nicolae Popa (1/0), Bogdan Ioan Andone (14/0), Daniel Chiriţă (3/1), Ionuţ Voicu (5/0), Răzvan Raț (3/0)
- Midfielders: Mugur Cristian Bolohan (22/1), Ioan Ovidiu Sabău (22/1), Dănuţ Lupu (28/5), Marius Constantin Măldărăşanu (33/4), Daniel Gabriel Pancu (27/6), Ştefan Dumitru Nanu (23/1), Zeno Marius Bundea (25/6), Narcis Mario Bugeanu (2/0), Alin Minteuan (4/0),
- Forwards: Marius Ninel Şumudică (31/17), Sergiu Radu (15/2), Ovidiu Maier (22/1), Radu Niculescu (8/2), Ioan Viorel Ganea (16/11), Constantin Barbu (11/8)
Mircea Lucescu, unparalleled career in football
infographic Rapid 1997-2000
- Mircea Lucescu took his first steps in football at Dinamo Bucharest, the team with which he has spent most of his career. He also performed at Știința Bucharest and Corvinul Hunedoara.
- As a player, he won 7 championship titles and a Romanian Cup, all with Dinamo.
- Throughout his coaching career, he trained Corvinul, the Romanian national team, Dinamo, Pisa, Brescia, Reggiana, Rapid, Inter, Galatasaray, Beşiktaş, Shakhtior, Zenit, the Turkish national team and Dinamo Kiev.
- He won 36 trophies in his career as a technician: 9 times the championship of Ukraine, 8 times the Ukrainian Cup, 7 times the Ukrainian Supercup, 3 times the Romanian Cup, 2 times the Romanian championship, 2 times the Turkish championship, as well as the UEFA Cup, the European Super Cup, the Russian Super Cup and the Anglo-Italian Cup.
