Ion Lăpușneanu Explained

Ion Lăpușneanu
Birth Date:1908 12, df=yes
Birth Place:Bucharest, Romania
Position:Goalkeeper
Years1:1926–1928
Years2:1928–1929
Years3:1929–1930
Years4:1931–1935
Years5:1935–1937
Years6:1937–1938
Clubs1:Venus București
Clubs2:Banatul Timișoara
Clubs3:Sportul Studențesc București
Clubs4:Venus București
Clubs5:Rapid București
Clubs6:Gloria CFR Galați
Caps4:32
Caps5:12
Goals4:0
Goals5:0
Totalcaps:44
Totalgoals:0
Nationalyears1:1929–1932
Nationalteam1:Romania
Nationalcaps1:10
Nationalgoals1:0
Manageryears1:1942
Managerclubs1:Romania
Manageryears2:1946–1948
Managerclubs2:Sporting Club Pitești
Manageryears3:1948–1949
Managerclubs3:Politehnica Timișoara
Manageryears4:1951–1952
Managerclubs4:Flacăra Petroșani
Manageryears5:1953–1954
Managerclubs5:Dinamo Pitești
Manageryears6:1955–1956
Managerclubs6:Dinamo Pitești
Manageryears7:1958–1959
Managerclubs7:Dinamo Pitești

Ion "Jean" Lăpușneanu (8 December 1908 – 24 February 1994) was a Romanian football goalkeeper.

Club career

Ion Lăpușneanu was born on 8 December 1908 in Bucharest, Romania, starting to play football in 1926 at Venus București in the regional championship.[1] After two years he went to play for Banatul Timișoara with whom in the 1928–29 season he won the regional championship which helped the team qualify for the national league where they were defeated with 3–0 by România Cluj in the semi-finals.[1] [2] Afterwards he went for one year at Sportul Studențesc București, then he returned to Venus in 1931, keeping a clean sheet in his first match, a 2–0 over RGM Timișoara, making a total of 11 appearances by the end of the season as the team won the title.[1] [3] He won another title with Venus in the 1933–34 season when coach Karoly Weszter used him in seven games.[1] [3] In 1935, Lăpușneanu went to play for Rapid București where in his second season the team finished runner-up in the league and won the cup but he did not play in the 5–1 win over Ripensia Timișoara from the final, as Petre Rădulescu was preferred in his place.[1] [4] After spending the 1937–38 season in Divizia B at Gloria CFR Galați, Ion Lăpușneanu ended his playing career.

International career

Ion Lăpușneanu played 10 games at international level for Romania, making his debut when coach Constantin Rădulescu used him on 15 September 1929 in a friendly which ended with a 3–2 victory against Bulgaria.[5] [6] He played two games at the successful 1929–31 Balkan Cup, two at the 1932 Balkan Cup and one at the 1931–1934 Central European Cup for Amateurs.[5] [7] [8] Lăpușneanu was also selected by coach Rădulescu to be part of the team's 1930 World Cup squad in which he played in both of Romania's games at the tournament, the 3–1 victory against Peru and the 4–0 loss against eventual tournament winners Uruguay.[5] [9] His last game for the national team was a friendly which ended with a 5–0 loss against Poland.[5]

Managerial career

In 1942 Lăpușneanu was coach of Romania's national team, leading them in three friendly games, a 7–0 loss in front of Germany, a 1–0 loss against Slovakia and a 2–2 with Croatia.[1] [10] [11]

After coaching Sporting Club Pitești in the Romanian lower leagues for a while, he had his first coaching experience in the Romanian top-divsion Divizia A, being in charge of Politehnica Timișoara in the 1948–49 season.[1] [12] He made his debut on 22 August 1948 in a 3–1 win over Petrolul București, finishing the season on the 10th place, thus avoiding relegation.[13] [14] He then coached Flacăra Petroșani in the 1951 and 1952 Divizia A seasons, avoiding relegation in each of them.[1] [15] [16] [17]

In 1953 he had his first spell at newly founded club, Dinamo Pitești, helping the club finish the first season of its existence on the 8th place in the regional championship.[1] [12] [18] In 1955 he started his second spell at Dinamo, helping the club promote from the regional championship to Divizia C where in the following season the team finished on the 8th place.[1] [12] [18] He had his third and final spell at Dinamo from 1958 until 1959, helping them promote once again from the regional championship to Divizia C.[1] [12] [18]

Writing

Lăpușneanu wrote a book about football called Jocul și antrenamentul portarului de fotbal (The game and training of the football goalkeeper) which was released in 1968.[19]

Death

Ion Lăpușneanu died on 24 February 1994 at age 85.[1]

Honours

Player

Venus București

1931–32, 1933–34[3] Rapid București

1936–37[4] Romania

1929–31[5] [7]

1931–34[5] [8]

Manager

Dinamo Pitești

1955, 1958–59[12]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Povestea lui Jean Lăpușneanu, portarul României de la primul Campionat Mondial din Istorie, Uruguay 1930. Tikitaka.ro. Romanian . The story of Jean Lăpușneanu, Romania's goalkeeper from the first World Championship in History, Uruguay 1930. 29 May 2024.
  2. Web site: 1928–29 Divizia A. RomanianSoccer.ro. 29 May 2024.
  3. Web site: Romania National Champions . RomanianSoccer. 29 May 2024.
  4. Web site: Romanian Cup – Season 1964–1965. RomanianSoccer. 29 May 2024.
  5. Web site: Ion Lăpușneanu player profile. European Football. 25 June 2021.
  6. Web site: Bulgaria 2-3 Romania. European Football. 25 June 2021.
  7. Web site: Balkan Cup 1929–31 . European Football. 14 March 2020.
  8. Web site: 1931-1934 Central European Cup for Amateurs . European Football. 14 March 2020.
  9. Web site: România la CM 1930 "Și noi am fost pe Conte Verde". Gsp.ro. Romanian . Romania at the World Cup 1930 "We were on Conte Verde too". 1 June 2010 . 25 June 2021.
  10. Web site: Ion Lăpușneanu manager profile. European Football. 25 June 2021.
  11. Web site: România a avut un singur antrenor străin într-un secol fotbalistic!. Prosport.ro. Romanian . Romania had only one foreign coach in a football century!. 3 July 2010 . 25 June 2021.
  12. Web site: Istoric. Main.fotbalclubarges.ro. Romanian . History. https://web.archive.org/web/20240529195733/https://main.fotbalclubarges.ro/despre-noi/istoric/. 29 May 2024. 29 May 2024.
  13. Web site: 1948–49 Divizia A. RomanianSoccer.ro. 29 May 2024.
  14. Web site: Ion Jean Lăpușneanu. Labtof.ro. Romanian . https://web.archive.org/web/20071025072117/http://www.labtof.ro/diviziaa/antrenor/Ioan_Jean_Lapusneanu. 29 May 2024. 25 October 2007.
  15. Web site: Fotbal. Jiul Petroşani - 90 de ani. Prigoana antrenorilor. Zvj.ro. Romanian . Football. Jiul Petrosani - 90 years old. The trainers' dungeon. 16 December 2008. 29 May 2024.
  16. Web site: 1951 Divizia A. RomanianSoccer.ro. 29 May 2024.
  17. Web site: 1952 Divizia A. RomanianSoccer.ro. 29 May 2024.
  18. Web site: Pe 8 decembrie se năștea primul antrenor din istoria FC Argeș. Jurnaluldearges.ro. Romanian . On 8 December the first coach of FC Argeș was born. 8 December 2023 . 29 May 2024.
  19. Web site: Jocul şii antrenamentul portarului de fotbal. Exlibris.usv.ro. Romanian . The game and training of the football goalkeeper. 29 May 2024.