Florin Răducioiu (56 years old), the only Romanian player who played in the five strongest championships in the world, was present at the wake of the most famous Romanian coach, Mircea Lucescu, who died on Tuesday, April 7, at the age of 80.
The former striker of the national team spoke with emotion about the immense legacy left by Lucescu, both in football and off the field.
VIDEO. Florin Răducioiu, tribute to “Il Luce”: “A man of an extraordinary culture”
A former striker for teams such as Dinamo or AC Milan, Răducioiu emphasized the huge impact that Mircea Lucescu had on generations of players and on Romanian football. Visibly moved, he admitted that he owes an important part of his career to the great coach.
“It is a unique heritage that Mircea Lucescu leaves behind, from a human, football and cultural point of view. He was of unusual culture. It is clear that there are two aspects: the football one, trophies won thanks to his intelligence and vision, and, on the other hand, Lucescu the man.
He was a man of extraordinary culture, he spoke 5-6 languages. We are left with a mentor of many generations, people grateful to him, accomplished in life thanks to him. These days are very painful. I have a lot of memories with him, pictures that I will post. I put my glasses on because I'm really excited. I always thanked him.
I had no way to see him in Istanbul, to talk to him. The disappointment was great. If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't be here in front of you. It was his last goal, qualifying for the World Cup, and he would have liked to end his career with this qualification, which remains cursed. His heart, already weak, marked him a lot. He knew well what it was about, that it would not be simple. Unfortunately, he didn't make it. But nothing can overshadow a unique career.”
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At the end, Florin Răducioiu made time for a special moment, exchanging a few passes with a kid in that area.
Mircea Lucescu, a legendary career in football
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Born in 1945, Mircea Lucescu took his first steps in football at Dinamo Bucharest, a team with which he spent most of his career. He also performed at Știința Bucharest and Corvinul Hunedoara.
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As a player, he won 7 championship titles and a Romanian Cup, all with Dinamo.
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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.
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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.
