Article by Daniel Grigore – Published on Thursday, 09 April 2026, 13:56 / Updated on Thursday, 09 April 2026 13:58
Ismail Er, the Turkish journalist who he kissed Mircea Lucescu's hand before Turkey – Romania, the last match in which the legendary coach sat on the sidelines, he came to the vigil today and tried in his own way to strengthen his son, Răzvan.
Upon his return to Turkey, as Romania's coach before the World Cup qualifiers, Mircea Lucescu received a warm welcome, but a gesture by journalist Ismail Er, from the Hürriyet publication, was completely new.
Before Lucescu's press conference, he kissed his hand, thus trying to show his appreciation for what Lucescu achieved as a coach, especially in Turkey.
The Turkish journalist who kissed Mircea Lucescu's hand did the same with Răzvan
Today, on the second day of vigil after the coach's death, the Turkish journalist came to Bucharest. He was with a delegation of compatriots and, after saying goodbye to Mircea Lucescu, he tried to cheer up his son, Răzvan.
He showed Răzvan something on the phone, most likely the photo in which he kisses his father's hand, then he kissed his son's hand as well, briefly, smiling broadly.
Ismail Er, about Mircea Lucescu: “He never showed arrogance or pride”
After the meeting with Mircea Lucescu at the end of March, Ismail marked the moment with a post on social networks, accompanied by the following text:
“I met Mircea Lucescu, the one who coached in Turkey. We witnessed how Turkish coaches run after money, while Lucescu never engaged in dishonorable negotiations for bonuses or compensation, never showed arrogance or pride.
I hugged him with love and wished him success, I added: «Since the World Championship in 2002, we only watch the tournament on TV. May love and respect always bring victory to Turkey!” and Lucescu smiled as we spoke.
As they say, football is about friendship and peace. Regardless of the score, life goes on…”.
Mircea Lucescu, unparalleled career in football
- 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.
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