How Mircea Lucescu was saved 17 years ago, after a heart attack. The richest Ukrainian brought surgeons from Kiev “and that night they operated on him”
Billionaire Rinat Ahmetov, the owner of the Ukrainian football club Shakhtior Donetsk, said goodbye to Mircea Lucescu, Thursday evening, at the National Arena, and on his way out he said that his friend taught him to drink wine, and in turn he taught the former coach to sing karaoke, writes Agerpres.
“I'm here today to say goodbye to my friend. While we worked together, we shared both pain and joy. That's how we became great friends. He is a very important man in my life. I always respected Mircea's vision and philosophy in football. He had a happy life. He couldn't do without work, without football… and now he left us all from the football field. I can't say what is the most beautiful memory even in an hour. I lived He taught me to drink wine. Then, after the matches, he would tell me that I should drink a little bit of wine during the match. And I, in turn, didn't manage to sing, either said Akhmetov.
“It's an unexpected departure, a great tragedy for the supporters of the Shakhtior Donetsk team, for football lovers in Ukraine, Romania and around the world. Mircea Lucescu was my friend, together we won 22 trophies. I remember when we won the UEFA Cup how happy Mircea was and how he carried the Romanian flag on his shoulders. That's why I think you should be proud that Mircea Lucescu is Romanian,” added the richest man Ukrainian.
He recalled that 17 years ago Lucescu suffered a heart attack in Donetsk: “17 years ago it happened in Donetsk that Mircea had a heart attack. I brought surgeons from Kiev and that night they operated on him. All night then I circled around the hospital worried. When he recovered I visited him, it was a memorable moment. I came here and when the accident happened with the tram”.
Rinat Ahmetov, who remained very close to the Lucescu family, was happy that Răzvan Lucescu is following in his father's footsteps in coaching.
“I have now conveyed to Mrs. Neli (no – Mircea Lucescu's wife) that my soul and heart are with the Lucescu family. They are very close to me, they are my dear ones. I spent a lot of time with Mrs. Neli and Mircea. I met Răzvan less often, but it can be seen that he is on the right path in football. I spoke to him now and told him that he has one more trophy than his father had at the same age. So Răzvan is a very good coach. I remember that he beat us 1-0 when he was at Rapid, even though Shakhtior was the better team. We remembered that episode together, how he beat us in Donetsk. Răzvan took the best qualities from Mircea and I'm sure he will reach the top,” said the Ukrainian businessman.
Rinat Ahmetov was accompanied to the National Arena by the former captain of Shakhtar Donetsk, Darijo Srna.
During the day, another former component of the Ukrainian group, Dmitro Cigrinski, said goodbye to Mircea Lucescu.
The coffin with Mircea Lucescu, at the National Arena
The coffin, covered with the Romanian flag, was placed on a stage built on the esplanade from the Official Tribune of the National Arena.
A photo of him and a white wreath of flowers were placed at the head of the former selector, and on the left and right were four members of the Honor Guard of the Romanian Gendarmerie.
According to the schedule announced by the Romanian Football Federation, the funeral ceremonies will take place over three days, under strict security and protocol measures.
Friday, the last day of the ceremonies, will be marked by discretion and solemnity, with events held in two locations. The funeral cortege will move to the Church of Saint Elefteria in the Capital, where the funeral service will begin at 10:00. Church attendance is strictly limited to family and close guests. The funeral ceremony is scheduled to begin at 12:20 p.m. at the Bellu Cemetery in the capital. The moment of burial (1:10 p.m.) will be preceded by military honors, thus recognizing the special merits of the late coach.
According to the wishes of the family, the access of the general public will be restricted within the cemetery, the area being delimited exclusively for the restricted circle of relatives.
The great coach Mircea Lucescu died on Tuesday, at the age of 80. The announcement was made by the Bucharest Emergency University Hospital, where the former coach was hospitalized. The Bucharest Emergency University Hospital specified that the death was declared around 8:30 p.m.
Mircea Lucescu was urgently hospitalized on March 29 at the Bucharest University Hospital, after he was hurt during a technical session prior to a training of the national football team, being affected by the failure to qualify for the 2026 World Cup, after the defeat against Turkey (0-1) on March 26.
Lucescu did not travel with the national team to Slovakia, as the Romanian team was led by second-half Ionel Gane in the friendly match lost on Tuesday with 0-2.
Under the leadership of Mircea Lucescu, Romania managed an exceptional campaign in the League of Nations, after which the representative obtained the place in the play-off in March, for access to the World Cup this summer.
His record on the national team bench during this period includes 11 wins, 1 draw and 6 defeats.
