Romanian coach Mircea Lucescu passed away today at the age of 80, at the University Emergency Hospital in Bucharest.
The former Romanian national team coach had been hospitalized since March 29, after falling ill while on the training ground with Romania in Mogosoaia, having been on the bench for the World Cup play-off match against Turkey. Last Sunday, he was transferred to the intensive care unit after suffering an acute myocardial infarction.
"The Bucharest University Emergency Hospital announces that today, Tuesday, April 7, 2026, at around 8:30 pm (local time), Mr. Mircea Lucescu was pronounced dead," the hospital's announcement reads.
Mircea Lucescu was one of the most successful Romanian football coaches and players, the first to qualify the Romanian national team for a European Championship, in 1984.
He was the third coach with the most trophies won in his career, a full 35, surpassed only by Alex Ferguson and Pep Guardiola.
