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Anghel Iordănescu

Iordănescu in 2008
Personal information
Date of birth	(1950-05-04) 4 May 1950 (age 74)
Place of birth	Bucharest, Romania
Height	1.76 m (5 ft 9 in)
Position(s)	Forward
Youth career
1962–1968	Steaua București
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1968–1982	Steaua București	317	(156)
1982–1984	OFI	54	(7)
1986	Steaua București	0	(0)
Total		371	(163)
International career
1971–1981	Romania	57	(21)
Managerial career
1984–1986	Steaua București (assistant)
1986–1990	Steaua București
1990–1992	Anorthosis Famagusta
1992–1993	Steaua București
1993–1998	Romania
1998–1999	Greece
1999–2000	Al Hilal
2000	Rapid București
2001–2002	Al Ain
2002–2004	Romania
2005–2006	Al-Ittihad
2006	Al Ain
2014–2016	Romania
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Anghel Iordănescu (Romanian pronunciation: [ˈaŋɡel jordəˈnesku]; born 4 May 1950), is a Romanian former footballer and former manager, who played as a forward.

In 2007, Iordănescu retired from football, and the following February, after his predecessor resigned, he became a member of the Romanian Senate, sitting on the Social Democratic Party benches. On 26 December 2011, he became an independent senator, affiliated to the National Union for the Progress of Romania.

His son, Edward Iordănescu, is also a former footballer, currently the head coach of the Romania national team.

Club career

One of Steaua București's greatest players, Iordănescu was a forward or attacking midfielder with a well-developed scoring technique and uncommon dribbling ability. He was also well known for his vision and set-piece ability. In Romania, he played only for Steaua, a team he joined as a youth in 1962, aged 12. Six years later, he made his debut for the first team, followed by his first appearance for the Romania national team in 1971. During this period, he scored 155 goals, becoming the team's highest ever goal scorer.

Iordănescu won two league championships (in 1976 and 1978) and four Cupa Romaniei (in 1970, 1971, 1976, and 1979). In 1981–82, he was Divizia A's top goalscorer.

In 1982, aged 32, Iordănescu left Romania to play for OFI Crete in Greece under head coach Les Shannon, but returned to Steaua two years later to become the club's assistant manager. Together with Emerich Jenei, then head coach, he won the championship in 1985 and helped lead the team to its European Cup triumph in 1986, playing as a substitute in the final against Barcelona.

International career

Iordănescu made his international debut on 22 September 1971 against Finland and scored the opening goal of a 4-0 win. The highlight of his international career came in the 1977-80 Balkan Cup, when he scored a hat-trick in the second leg of the final to defeat Yugoslavia 4-3 on aggregate and give Romania a record-breaking fourth title (Bulgaria won 3 times), and subsequently being the tournament's top goal scorer with 6 goals.

International stats

International goals

Scores and results table. "Score" indicates the score after the player's goal:

International goals
Goal	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	22 September 1971	Helsinki Olympic Stadium, Helsinki, Finland	Finland	1-0	4-0	UEFA Euro 1972 Qual.
2	8 April 1972	Stadionul 23 August, Bucharest, Romania	France	1-0	2-0	Friendly
3	29 May 1974	Stadionul 23 August, Bucharest, Romania	Greece	1-1	3-1	1973–76 Balkan Cup
4				3-1
5	12 October 1975	Stadionul Republicii, Bucharest, Romania	Turkey	1-1	2-2	Friendly
6	16 November 1975	Stadionul 23 August, Bucharest, Romania	Spain	2-2	2-2	UEFA Euro 1976 Qual.
7	23 March 1977	Stadionul Steaua, Bucharest, Romania	Turkey	4-0	4-0	1977-80 Balkan Cup
8	8 May 1977	Stadion Maksimir, Zagreb, SFR Yugoslavia	Yugoslavia	2-0	2-0	1978 FIFA World Cup Qual.
9	14 August 1977	Stade de F.U.S., Rabat, Morocco	Czechoslovakia	3-1	3-1	Friendly
10	13 November 1977	Stadionul 23 August, Bucharest, Romania	Yugoslavia	2-2	4-6	1978 FIFA World Cup Qual.
11	5 May 1978	Stadionul 23 August, Bucharest, Romania	Bulgaria	1-0	2-0	1977-80 Balkan Cup
12	31 May 1978	Vasil Levski National Stadium, Sofia, Bulgaria	Bulgaria	1-1	1-1	1977-80 Balkan Cup
13	11 October 1978	Stadionul Steaua, Bucharest, Romania	Poland	1-0	1-0	Friendly
14	25 October 1978	Stadionul Steaua, Bucharest, Romania	Yugoslavia	3-1	3-2	UEFA Euro 1980 Qual.
15	27 August 1980	Stadionul 23 August, Bucharest, Romania	Yugoslavia	1-0	4-1	1977-80 Balkan Cup
16				3-0
17				4-1
18	10 September 1980	Yuri Gagarin Stadium, Varna, Bulgaria	Bulgaria	2-1	2-1	Friendly
19	24 September 1980	Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo, Norway	Norway	1-1	1-1	1982 FIFA World Cup Qual.
20	15 October 1980	Stadionul 23 August, Bucharest, Romania	England	2-1	2-1	1982 FIFA World Cup Qual.
21	25 March 1981	Stadionul 23 August, Bucharest, Romania	Poland	2-0	2-0	Friendly

Coaching career

Emerich Jenei was appointed as Romania's manager in the summer of 1986, leaving Iordănescu as Steaua's new head coach. From his new position, he led his side to victory in three championships (1987, 1988 and 1989) as well as three Cupa Romaniei in the same years. At international level, Steaua and Iordănescu reached the European Cup semi-final in 1988 and the final one year later.

In 1990, he left Steaua for the second time as he signed a two-year contract with Cypriot club Anorthosis Famagusta. After being released from his contract, he returned to Steaua in 1992 to lead the club to the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup quarter-finals in 1993, and then a new league championship.

In the summer of 1993, he was asked to replace Cornel Dinu as Romania's coach and managed to lead the team to qualification for the 1994 FIFA World Cup, where Romania reached the quarter-finals, the best-ever performance of the Romanian national team at that level. He continued as Romania's coach after the World Cup and led the team to a new qualification, for UEFA Euro 1996 and the 1998 World Cup, where Romania reached the knockout stage as winners of Group G.

However, although he had led the team to a new qualification for a World Cup, Iordănescu was harshly criticized by the media, with some journalists accusing him of the low level of the team during the process. After losing against Croatia in the second round of the 1998 World Cup, he resigned and took over the managerial position of Greece, from where he would be sacked in 1999 after Greece failed to qualify for Euro 2000.

In the 1999–2000 season, Iordănescu was appointed head coach of Saudi club Al-Hilal, where he won the Saudi Crown Prince Cup and the Asian Club Championship (the forerunner to the AFC Champions League). Despite these performances, he left the club to lead Rapid București. He led Rapid to the first round of the 2000–01 UEFA Cup, losing 1–0 on aggregate to eventual winners Liverpool. However, he was sacked after only three months, after which he signed with Emirati club Al Ain, guiding them to UAE President's Cup title.

After Romania failed to qualify for the 2002 World Cup, Iordănescu was asked to replace Gheorghe Hagi, thereby becoming the national football team's coach for the second time. His main objective was to qualify the team for Euro 2004, but failed to do so. Saying that there was no one else both better than he and available to take charge of the national team, the Romanian Football Federation gave him credit for the 2006 World Cup qualifying stage, but after a poor performance away against Armenia, he was finally sacked.

After his second stint as Romania's coach, Iordănescu returned to Saudi Arabia to manage Al-Ittihad, with whom he won his second AFC Champions League (in 2005) and the Arab Champions League, but one year later was sacked after drawing with Al-Ettifaq. Just as the 2006–07 UAE League season began, Iordănescu returned to coach Al Ain for a few months before announcing his retirement from professional football.

In October 2014, Iordănescu came out of retirement to take charge of Romania for a third time. On 27 June 2016, he resigned as Romania coach after an unsuccessful Euro 2016 finals campaign, finishing last place in Group A with just one point earned, from a 1–1 draw with Switzerland.

Honours

Player

Steaua București

• Divizia A: 1975–76, 1977–78
• Cupa României: 1968–69, 1969–70, 1970–71, 1975–76, 1978–79
• European Cup: 1985–86

Romania

• Balkan Cup: 1977–80

Individual

• Gazeta Sporturilor Romanian Footballer of the Year runner-up: 1980
• Divizia A top scorer: 1981–82

Coach

Steaua București

• Divizia A: 1986–87, 1987–88, 1988–89, 1992–93
• Cupa României: 1986–87, 1987–88, 1988–89
• European Cup runner-up : 1988–89
• European Super Cup: 1986
• Intercontinental Cup runner-up: 1986

Al Hilal

• Asian Club Championship: 1999–00
• Saudi Crown Prince Cup: 2000
• Saudi Federation Cup: 1999–00
• Saudi Founder's Cup: 1999–00
• Gulf Club Champions Cup runner-up: 2000

Al Ain

• UAE President's Cup: 2000–01

Al Ittihad

• AFC Champions League: 2005
• UAFA Arab Champions League: 2005

See also

• List of UEFA Super Cup winning managers
• List of Asian Cup and AFC Champions League winning managers

References

1. "Anghel Iordanescu – Goals in International Matches". The Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation.
2. "Anghel Iordănescu Senate 2004–2008" (in Romanian). Cdep.ro. Retrieved 27 September 2020.
3. "Anghel Iordănescu senate 2008–2012" (in Romanian). Cdep.ro. Retrieved 27 September 2020.
4. "Progressist Parliamentary Group". Senate website. Retrieved 28 August 2012.
5. "Anghel Iordănescu a împlinit 70 de ani! 5 momente decisive din cariera "Generalului": cel mai mare regret, o viață pentru Steaua, lupta FCSB-CSA, naționala și lumea politică" [Anghel Iordănescu turned 70! 5 decisive moments in the "General's" career: the biggest regret, a life for Steaua, the FCSB-CSA fight, the national team and the political world] (in Romanian). prosport.ro. 4 May 2020. Retrieved 27 September 2020.
6. "Anghel Iordănescu a decis! Anunțul făcut azi de fiul său" [Anghel Iordănescu has decided! The announcement made today by his son] (in Romanian). gsp.ro. Retrieved 8 October 2017.
7. "SPECIAL Situaţie de gradul I în Liga 1. Ce a realizat Silviu Lung jr. prin câştigarea titlului cu Astra. De la fraţii Vâlcov, la fraţii Costea şi familia Piţurcă" [SPECIAL First grade situation in Liga 1. What Silviu Lung jr. accomplished by winning the title with Astra. From the brothers Vâlcov to the brothers Costea and the Piţurcă family] (in Romanian). prosport.ro. 9 May 2016. Retrieved 8 October 2017.
8. "Lotul 1986 al Stelei, decorat de Armată". România Liberă (in Romanian). 6 May 2011. Retrieved 20 September 2011.
9. "National football team player Anghel Iordănescu". football.eu. Retrieved 25 May 2022.
10. "Balkan Cup 1977-1980 results". football.eu. Retrieved 25 May 2022.
11. "Experienced Al Ain back on familiar territory". The Asian Football Confederation. 11 July 2006. Retrieved 26 February 2009.
12. "Reds achieve Rapid progress". BBC Sport. 28 September 2000. Retrieved 13 April 2009.
13. "Al Ain hope to maintain winning streak". Gulf News. 22 November 2001. Retrieved 24 September 2009.
14. "Saudi League: Al Ittihad sack Iordanescu". The Asian Football Confederation. 6 March 2006. Retrieved 15 October 2009.
15. "Iordanescu returns to Romania helm". FIFA. 27 October 2014. Archived from the original on 28 October 2014. Retrieved 28 October 2014.
16. "Anghel Iordanescu to step down as Romania coach". 27 June 2016.

External links

• Anghel IORDĂNESCU at RomanianSoccer.ro (in Romanian)
• Anghel Iordănescu at National-Football-Teams.com

Romania squads

v t e Romania squad – 1994 FIFA World Cup 1 Prunea 2 Petrescu 3 Prodan 4 Belodedici 5 Lupescu 6 Popescu 7 Munteanu 8 Chiriță 9 Răducioiu 10 Hagi (c) 11 Dumitrescu 12 Stelea 13 Selymes 14 Mihali 15 Panduru 16 Vlădoiu 17 Moldovan 18 Gâlcă 19 Papură 20 Stîngă 21 Ivan 22 Preda Coach: Iordănescu v t e Romania squad – UEFA Euro 1996 1 Stelea 2 Petrescu 3 Prodan 4 Belodedici 5 Lupescu 6 Popescu 7 Lăcătuș 8 Sabău 9 Răducioiu 10 Hagi (c) 11 Munteanu 12 Prunea 13 Selymes 14 Gâlcă 15 Doboș 16 Mihali 17 Filipescu 18 Stîngă 19 Ilie 20 Moldovan 21 Vlădoiu 22 Tene Coach: Iordănescu v t e Romania squad – 1998 FIFA World Cup 1 Stângaciu 2 Petrescu 3 Dulca 4 Doboș 5 Gâlcă 6 Ghe. Popescu 7 Lăcătuș 8 Munteanu 9 Moldovan 10 Hagi (c) 11 Ilie 12 Stelea 13 Ciobotariu 14 Niculescu 15 Marinescu 16 Ga. Popescu 17 Dumitrescu 18 Filipescu 19 Stîngă 20 Selymes 21 Craioveanu 22 Prunea Coach: Iordănescu v t e Romania squad – UEFA Euro 2016 1 Pantilimon 2 Mățel 3 Raț 4 Moți 5 Hoban 6 Chiricheș (c) 7 Chipciu 8 Pintilii 9 Alibec 10 Stanciu 11 Torje 12 Tătărușanu 13 Keșerü 14 Andone 15 Găman 16 Filip 17 Sânmărtean 18 Prepeliță 19 Stancu 20 Popa 21 Grigore 22 Săpunaru 23 Lung Jr. Coach: Iordănescu

• 1950 births
• Living people
• Footballers from Bucharest
• Romanian football managers
• Romanian men's footballers
• Romania men's international footballers
• Romanian expatriate men's footballers
• Liga I players
• Super League Greece players
• FCSB players
• UEFA Champions League–winning players
• OFI Crete F.C. players
• Expatriate men's footballers in Greece
• FCSB managers
• Ittihad Club managers
• Expatriate football managers in Cyprus
• FCSB non-playing staff
• FC Rapid București managers
• 1994 FIFA World Cup managers
• UEFA Euro 1996 managers
• 1998 FIFA World Cup managers
• Men's association football forwards
• Greece national football team managers
• Al Hilal SFC managers
• Members of the Senate of Romania
• Social Democratic Party (Romania) politicians
• Romanian sportsperson-politicians
• Anorthosis Famagusta FC managers
• Al Ain FC managers
• Romanian expatriate football managers
• Romania national football team managers
• Expatriate football managers in Greece
• Expatriate football managers in Saudi Arabia
• Expatriate football managers in the United Arab Emirates
• Romanian expatriate sportspeople in Greece
• Romanian expatriate sportspeople in Cyprus
• Romanian expatriate sportspeople in the United Arab Emirates
• Romanian expatriate sportspeople in Saudi Arabia
• UEFA Euro 2016 managers
• 20th-century Romanian sportsmen