Mircea Lucescu, who turned 79 on July 29, has been appointed as the new head coach of Romania's national football team. The Romanian Football Federation announced this news on social media.
Lucescu's contract extends for two years. He replaces Edward Iordănescu, who stepped down from the team after the Euro 2024 tournament, where Romania was eliminated by the Netherlands in the Round of 16 with a score of 0-3. Lucescu previously managed the national team from 1981 to 1986, during which time he led Romania to the 1982 World Cup finals.
Lucescu's most recent position was with Dynamo Kyiv, which he left in November 2023. Under his leadership, the team won the Ukrainian Championship (2020/21), the Cup (2020/21), and the Super Cup (2020). Prior to this, Lucescu managed Shakhtar Donetsk from 2004 to 2016, leading the club to eight national championships, six cups, and seven Super Cups, as well as winning the UEFA Cup in the 2008/09 season.
In the 2016/2017 season, Mircea coached Zenit Saint Petersburg. During his tenure, the club won the Russian Super Cup and finished third in the Russian Premier League.
Lucescu has also coached the Turkish national team and various Romanian clubs, including Corvinul, Dynamo Bucharest, and Rapid, as well as Italian teams such as Pisa, Brescia, Reggiana, and Inter, and Turkish clubs Galatasaray and Beşiktaş.