Article by Daniel Grigore – Published Friday, April 10, 2026, 3:09 p.m. / Updated Friday, April 10, 2026, 3:12 p.m.
Mircea Lucescu was buried with military honors today, April 10, at Bellu Cemetery. Before his body was laid to rest, the legendary former coach and footballer was lowered to the football pitch for the last time.
Mircea Lucescu was hopelessly obsessed with football. He was an important footballer, multiple champion of Romania and captain of the Romanian national team at the 1970 World Championship, and even greater as a coach, third in the number of trophies in the history of football, surpassed only by the giants Sir Alex Ferguson and Pep Guardiola.
His whole life was connected to the “king sport”: he started as a player in 1961, ended as a coach, even a Romanian national team coach, not even two weeks ago, on March 31.
Mircea Lucescu, lowered “into the grass” a few hours before the funeral
His last hours on earth, before he was buried, were also linked to the playing field.
This is because early in the morning, before the funeral cortege left for the church where the funeral service was held, the coffin with the lifeless body of Mircea Lucescu was lowered onto the lawn of the National Arenaas can be seen from the image published by one of the people who was extremely close to him, impresario Arcadie Zaporojanu:
A funeral ceremony with military honors followed, held before the funeral cortege left for the church.
“All I want is to die on the football pitch”
It was also a symbolic moment, in tune with one of the last wishes expressed by Mircea Lucescu. Professor Dragoș Vinereanu, head of the cardiology department at the University Emergency Hospital, told how in his last days of life, Mircea Lucescu “said to me, at one point: “Teacher, all I want is to die on the football field””.
“I could feel him being open, somewhat at peace with himself. He was always sorry when he was not on the field. That was his life,” the doctor added to the Observer.
Shots captured by the photojournalist Cristi Preda at the funeral service of Mircea Lucescu:
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.
