Article by Alexandru Stanciu – Published Saturday, April 11, 2026, 11:49 / Updated Saturday, April 11, 2026 11:49
Elias Charalambous (45 years old), former coach at FCSB between March 2023 and March 2026, paid tribute to Mircea Lucescu, the former great Romanian footballer and coach, who died at the age of 80.
“Il Luce” died at the Bucharest University Hospital on April 7, and after the two-day vigil at the National Arena, the former Romanian national team was buried at the Bellu Cemetery.
Elias Charalambous paid tribute to Mircea Lucescu: “A huge personality”
“The whole world was affected by his loss. With his work and his personality, he became an icon and left his mark on the world of football with his presence with the work he did in all the teams he coached.
I appreciate the Lucescu family very much, I always enjoyed the discussions and the things I learned from them. He was a mentor to many in Romania and beyond. It was an honor for me to meet such a huge personality.
Mircea Lucescu left this world exactly as he wanted. Until the last moment he was the selector of the Romanian national team”, said Elias Charalambous, according to metrosport.gr.
Mircea Lucescu, unparalleled career in football
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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.
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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.
