Mircea Lucescu, who coached Romania in last month’s World Cup playoffs, has died at the age of 80.

Lucescu oversaw Romania’s 1-0 loss in Turkey on March 26, before being taken ill at the national side’s training base in Bucharest three days later.

Lucescu’s assistant coach Ionel Gane was in charge for the 2-0 friendly loss in Slovakia on March 31, as Lucescu left his position as national team manager the same day with ongoing health issues.

In an interview with The Guardian published on March 25, Lucescu said he had been admitted to hospital on three occasions since December, although he would not disclose his health reasons. “I can’t leave like a coward,” Lucescu said of his position as Romania coach ahead of the playoff.

It brought an end to Lucescu’s second stint in charge of Romania, whom he first coached between 1981 and 1985, leading the country to the 1984 European Championship, its first appearance at the tournament.

“Our football today loses not only a brilliant tactician, but a mentor, a visionary, and a national symbol who carried the tricolor to the highest peaks of global success,” read a statement from Romania’s FA (FRF) on Tuesday.

The FRF’s president Razvan Burleanu said: “It is a black day for Romania and for world football. A man who lived through and for football in every second of his existence has left us. Mircea Lucescu was not just a coach, but a life teacher for entire generations of players. He was a man who loved this sport more than anything in life, and his impact on our football is immeasurable.”

Inter, one of Lucescu’s former clubs, said of Lucescu: “He was a coach of great human and professional depth, Mircea Lucescu embodied values ​​of skill, elegance, and passion, leaving a significant legacy in the world of football.”

FC Internazionale Milano e tutto il mondo Inter si uniscono al cordoglio per la scomparsa di Mircea Lucescu e, nel ricordarlo, abbracciano i suoi familiari.

➡️ https://t.co/0haqC64TLB

— Inter ⭐⭐ (@Inter) April 7, 2026

His 45-year managerial career spanned 1,544 matches, 11 club sides and two national sides — having also coached Turkey between 2017 and 2019.

Lucescu, who managed Italian clubs Inter, Brescia, Pisa and Reggiana, Zenit Saint Petersburg of Russia and Turkish teams Galatasaray and Besiktas, is perhaps most well-known for his 12-year stint in charge of Ukrainian side Shakhtar Donetsk, with whom he won eight league titles.

Among his managerial achievements, Lucescu won three different domestic league top divisions with two different teams: in Ukraine (with Shakhtar and Dynamo Kyiv), in Turkey (Galatasaray and Besiktas), and in Romania (Dinamo Bucharest and Rapid Bucharest).