Răzvan Lucescu Explained

Răzvan Lucescu
Height:1.77 m
Birth Date:1969 2, df=yes
Birth Place:Bucharest, Romania
Currentclub:PAOK (head coach)
Position:Goalkeeper
Youthyears1:1981–1985
Youthclubs1:Dinamo București
Youthyears2:1985–1987
Youthclubs2:Sportul Studențesc
Years1:1987–1992
Years2:1992–1993
Years3:1993–1996
Years4:1996–1997
Years5:1997–1998
Years6:1998–1999
Years7:2000
Years8:2000–2001
Years9:2001–2002
Years10:2002–2003
Clubs1:Sportul Studențesc
Clubs2:Crema
Clubs3:Sportul Studențesc
Clubs4:Național București
Clubs5:Sportul Studențesc
Clubs6:Național București
Clubs7:Brașov
Clubs8:Rapid București
Clubs9:FCM Bacău
Clubs10:Rapid București
Caps1:24
Goals1:0
Caps2:3
Goals2:0
Caps3:81
Goals3:0
Caps4:31
Goals4:0
Caps5:31
Goals5:0
Caps6:23
Goals6:0
Caps7:13
Goals7:0
Caps8:26
Goals8:0
Caps9:10
Goals9:0
Caps10:1
Goals10:0
Totalcaps:243
Totalgoals:0
Nationalyears1:1989
Nationalteam1:Romania U21[1]
Nationalcaps1:2
Nationalgoals1:0
Nationalyears2:1998
Nationalteam2:Romania B
Nationalcaps2:1
Nationalgoals2:0
Manageryears1:2004
Manageryears2:2004–2007
Manageryears3:2007–2009
Manageryears4:2009–2011
Manageryears5:2011–2012
Manageryears6:2012–2014
Manageryears7:2014
Manageryears8:2014–2017
Manageryears9:2017–2019
Manageryears10:2019–2021
Manageryears11:2021–
Managerclubs1:Brașov
Managerclubs2:Rapid București
Managerclubs3:Brașov
Managerclubs4:Romania
Managerclubs5:Rapid București
Managerclubs6:El Jaish
Managerclubs7:Petrolul Ploiești
Managerclubs8:Xanthi
Managerclubs9:PAOK
Managerclubs10:Al Hilal
Managerclubs11:PAOK

Răzvan Lucescu (in Romanian; Moldavian; Moldovan pronounced as /rəzˈvan luˈt͡ʃesku/; born 17 February 1969) is a Romanian professional football manager and former player, who is currently managing Greek Super League club PAOK.

As a player, he operated as a goalkeeper and spent most years of his career at Sportul Studențesc during three stints. Lucescu also represented Național București, Brașov, Rapid București and Bacău in his country, as well as Crema abroad. He won his only national title with Rapid in the 2002–03 campaign.

He returned to Brașov in 2004 for his first role as a manager, before moving to Rapid where he guided the team to the Cupa României in the 2005–06 and 2006–07 seasons. Between 2009 and 2011, Lucescu was in charge of the Romania national team. His other managerial honours include six domestic trophies with El Jaish, PAOK and Al Hilal combined. With the latter side, he also won the AFC Champions League in 2019.

Playing career

Born in Bucharest, Lucescu made 243 appearances in the Divizia A for Sportul Studențesc, Național București, Brașov, Rapid București and FCM Bacău.[2]

Managerial career

Brașov

He began his coaching career with Brașov in the 2003–04 season spanning 15 matches in the first league.[3]

Rapid București

In June 2004, he was named coach of Rapid București.[4] In his first season, he qualified for the UEFA Cup, finishing third in the domestic league.

In the 2005–06 season, he had a dramatic start of the season, being dismissed for one night, before the owner of the club, George Copos, decided to take him back. Lucescu and his side managed to defeat teams such as Feyenoord, Shakhtar Donetsk (his father's team),[5] [6] Hertha Berlin and Hamburger SV, reaching to the quarter-finals of the UEFA Cup. Rapid was taken out by city rivals Steaua Bucharest after two draws. In the league, he finished as runners-up, after being sixth at the half of the season.

The 2006–07 season was not as good. Rapid got eliminated from the UEFA Cup group stages after four draws, finishing fourth.However, in 2007 Lucescu decided not to continue with Rapid, after a fallout with some of the supporters and several disagreements with the club owner. He opted to return to Braşov.

Răzvan won the Romanian Cup with Rapid in 2006 and 2007, both leading Rapid into the UEFA Cup.[7]

Return to Brașov

Lucescu decided to start over and, instead of accepting to manage bigger clubs from abroad, he decided to coach Brașov, who relegated two years before and finished tenth in the last season of the second division. He didn't disappoint and won promotion from the first place, bringing Braşov back in the first league.[8]

Romania national team

On 29 April 2009, he was appointed head coach and general manager of Romania, leaving Braşov after a ninth-place finish in the first division and replacing Victor Piţurcă in this position.[9] After two years in control he gave up the national team, following the 3–0 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina, leaving it with chances of qualifying to the UEFA Euro 2012.[10]

Return to Rapid București

In June 2011, Lucescu returned to Rapid București for a second spell as coach. Lucescu's Rapid side defeated Polish champions Śląsk Wrocław 4–2 on aggregate in the play-off round to qualify for the UEFA Europa League group stage. The club finished fourth in Liga I and reached the finals of the 2011–12 Romanian Cup.[11]

El Jaish

On 31 May 2012, he was appointed at the helm of Qatari side El Jaish on a two-year deal.[12] In his first season in charge Lucescu won the 2012–13 Qatari Stars Cup[13] and led his side into the knockout stages of the AFC Champions League.[14] His contract with El Jaish was terminated in January 2014 and he was replaced by coach Nabil Maâloul who led the club to the runner-up spot in the Qatar Stars League.

Petrolul Ploiești

In March 2014, he was named the head coach of Liga I side Petrolul Ploiești replacing Cosmin Contra.[15] He was sacked six months later, Petrolul finished third in the domestic league and were knocked out in the semi-finals by Astra Giurgiu in the Romanian Cup and also eliminated in the play-offs of the Europa League.

Xanthi

On 24 September 2014, Lucescu signed a one-year contract with Greek Super League club Xanthi.[16] He guided them to their first Greek Cup final in their history.[17] Lucescu went on to extend his contract with the Akrites for a further two seasons.

PAOK

On 11 August 2017, Lucescu would return to the benches of Superleague Greece as he signed a three-year contract with PAOK.[18] His tenure at the club started against Östersunds for the play-off round of 2017–18 UEFA Europa League. PAOK went to win the first leg in Thessaloniki, 3–1, but a 0–2 defeat in Sweden in the second leg eliminated them from the competition, as they failed to reach the UEFA Europa League group stage for the first time in 5 years. Despite a bad start in the Super League he managed to build an impressive winning streak to be in first place in the league table until the derby with AEK Athens on 11 March, 2018 where in the 90th minute of the match Fernando Varela scores and makes it 1–0, the referee righty calls him offside and rightly disallows the goal.[19] This decision led to incidents in the match culminating of the president of the two-headed Ivan Savvidis storming the pitch and stopping the match at the expense of PAOK 0–3 and deducting three (3) points from the league table, something that led AEK Athens to win the Super League.[20] On 12 May 2018, PAOK wins 0–2 at the home of AEK Athens and wins the Greek Cup.[21]

In the 2018–19 season, PAOK begin their European adventure in the second qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League, eliminating Basel and Spartak Moscow, before losing in the play-offs against Benfica and dropping to the UEFA Europa League group stages. PAOK finished fourth in a group with Chelsea, BATE Borisov and MOL Vidi, only winning 4–1 against BATE in Barysaw and losing all the other matches.

Despite the early European exit, the team enjoyed a great domestic season. On 21 April 2019, PAOK won their third league title and their first in 34 years after beating Levadiakos at home with 5–0. Lucescu received wide praise from PAOK fans and became a major figure in the club after leading it to its most successful season by that point.[22] Despite the departure of star player Aleksandar Prijović in January, Lucescu led his side to league triumph without a single defeat, a milestone last reached by Panathinaikos 65 years before, and finished the season with a record-breaking 80 points.[23]

Al-Hilal

On 28 June 2019, Lucescu parted ways with PAOK after receiving an offer to manage Saudi Arabian club Al-Hilal.[24] The club reportedly paid PAOK the manager's €2M release clause. Răzvan had rejected the proposal from the specific team in May, however he changed his mind after a strong disagreement with the president of PAOK Ivan Savvidis and his son Giorgos Savvidis who had different plans for the team from them, that Lucescu had. As a result, he judged that he had no reason to stay in the team if his own plans for the team were not accepted, and so he left taking advantage of the fact that Al Hilal again proposed to him.[25] [26] He brought the club to its third AFC Champions League-era title and first continental title in 17 years, after a 3–0 win on aggregate over Urawa Red Diamonds in the 2019 AFC Champions League Final.[27] He was dismissed after a 1–0 defeat against Damac in February 2021.[28]

Return to PAOK

After two years in Saudi Arabia, Lucescu returned to PAOK for a second term, signing a three-year contract with a salary of €1.7 million without including the bonuses and became the highest paid coach in the history of PAOK.[29] [30] [31] [32] In the Super League, PAOK finished second, 19 points behind the champion Olympiacos,[33] which they, however, eliminated in the semi-finals of the Greek Cup[34] to find PAOK for the fifth time in six years in a cup final, where they suffered a 1–0 defeat by Panathinaikos; there were many protests for refereeing against PAOK.[35] [36] In the Europa Conference League, he managed to reach the quarter-finals of the tournament, where he was eliminated by Marseille there were also protests against refereeing against PAOK.[37]

In the 2022–23 season, PAOK without the necessary transfer support charged to the team president Ivan Savvidis finished in fourth place in the league table, while in the cup, they reached the final, where they were defeated 2–0 by AEK Athens.[38] [39] The only notable thing about the season was the emergence of Greek wonder kids such as Giannis Konstantelias and Kostas Koulierakis.[40]

In the 2023–24 season, PAOK eliminated Beitar Jerusalem, Hajduk Split and Heart of Midlothian in succession to reach the UEFA Europa Conference League group stage.[41] Then, in the group stage with Eintracht Frankfurt, Aberdeen and HJK, they finished first,[42] qualifying for the round of 16, where they eliminated Dinamo Zagreb and made it to the quarter-finals.[43] In the league, the double-header finished in first place in Super League however, they were forced to play in the play-offs with the six first teams of Super League.[44] In the cup, PAOK successively eliminated Volos and Panserraikos they then advanced to the semi-finals, where they played Panathinaikos, and were eliminated after several refereeing error sat the expense of PAOK. However, they managed to win the championship under his leadership, after a dramatic away win against Aris Thessaloniki which was necessary to seal the title.[45]

Personal life

Lucescu's father, Mircea, also coached the Romania national team and Rapid București, and is one of the most decorated managers of all time.[46]

Managerial statistics

Managerial record by team and tenure
TeamNatFromToRecord
Brașov5 February 200410 June 2004
Rapid București10 June 200427 May 2007[47]
Brașov14 June 200711 June 2009[48]
Romania29 April 20094 June 2011[49]
Rapid București4 June 201131 May 2012[50]
El Jaish31 May 201215 January 2014[51]
Petrolul Ploiești11 March 201416 September 2014[52]
Xanthi24 September 201411 June 2017[53]
11 August 201728 June 2019[54]
Al-Hilal1 July 201914 February 2021
PAOK26 May 2021present
Total

Honours

Player

Național București

Rapid București

2002–03

Manager

Rapid București

2005–06, 2006–07, runner-up: 2011–12

Brașov

2007–08

El Jaish

2012–13

Xanthi

PAOK

2017–18,[57] 2018–19[58]

Al-Hilal

2019[27]

2019–20

2019–20

Individual

2018–19, 2023–24[62]

September 2019,[63] January 2020,[64] February 2020,[65] November 2020,[66]

Notes and References

  1. News: Răzvan Lucescu profile. 11v11. 14 November 2020.
  2. Web site: The playing career of Răzvan Lucescu. RomanianSoccer.ro. 20 October 2011.
  3. News: Răzvan Lucescu in 2003–04 with FC Braşov. 21 October 2011. Labtof.ro.
  4. News: Rapid appointment for Lucescu. 10 June 2004. 15 March 2013. UEFA.
  5. News: Shakhtar Donetsk 0–1 Rapid București. UEFA. 9 October 2017.
  6. Web site: SAHTIOR – RAPID 0–1 Dulce si amar. jurnalul.ro. ro. SAHTIOR – RAPID 0–1 Bitter and sweet. 9 October 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20171008053100/http://jurnalul.ro/sport/sahtior-rapid-0-1-dulce-si-amar-32634.html. 8 October 2017. dead.
  7. News: Lucescu makes Rapid exit. 28 May 2007. 15 March 2013. UEFA.
  8. News: Coaching profile Răzvan Lucescu . 31 May 2010. 10 April 2013. UEFA.
  9. Web site: Romania appoint Lucescu. 29 April 2009. Worldsoccer.com. 12 April 2013.
  10. News: Lucescu leaves Romania post. 5 June 2011. 12 April 2013. UEFA.
  11. News: Dinamo a învins Rapid scor 1–0 si a câstigat Cupa României. ro. 23 May 2012. 17 May 2013. Mediafax.
  12. News: El Jaish signs deal with new coach Lucescu. https://web.archive.org/web/20160304032154/http://www.qsl.com.qa/en/News/view/6736/el-jaish-signs-deal-with-new-coach-lucescu. dead. 4 March 2016. 31 May 2012. 21 June 2013. Qatar Stars League.
  13. News: El Jaish clinch Qatar Stars Cup. https://web.archive.org/web/20160304100541/http://thepeninsulaqatar.com/sports/football/230414/eljaish-clinch-qatar-stars-cup. dead. 4 March 2016. 25 March 2012. 7 July 2013. The Peninsula Qatar.
  14. News: El Jaish 3–1 Al Jazira. 3 April 2013. 26 August 2013. The AFC. 31 August 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170831233710/http://www.the-afc.com/afc-champions-league-2013-acl-reports/el-jaish-3-1-al-jazira. dead.
  15. News: Lucescu takes charge at Petrolul. 11 March 2014. 5 September 2014. Eurosport.
  16. News: Lucescu, Sa Pinto take Greek club coaching jobs . 24 September 2014. 28 September 2014. Sports.Yahoo.com.
  17. News: http://www.sport24.gr/football/ellada/GreekCup/loytseskoy-o-olympiakos-aksize-to-kupello.3487537.html . el:Λουτσέσκου: "Ο Ολυμπιακός άξιζε το Κύπελλο". el. 23 May 2015. 24 May 2015. Sport24.gr.
  18. News: Greece's PAOK names Răzvan Lucescu as new coach . 11 August 2017. 11 August 2017. Associated Press.
  19. Web site: Ναι! Και αυτό το πρωτάθλημα ήταν δωσμενο υπερ του ΠΑΟΚ Blog - Δημήτρης Τσορμπατζόγλου Gazzetta . 2024-03-28 . www.gazzetta.gr . el.
  20. Web site: Παναγιώτης . Κακούρης . 2018-04-22 . ουτε με την εφορια να εκδιδει εισιτηρια ξημερωματα για το τσαντιρι δεν μπορει ο νανος μπαοκ!Αξια πρωταθλήτρια η ΑΕΚ μετά από 24 χρόνια! . 2024-03-28 . Sofokleousin.gr . el.
  21. Web site: Team . Onsports . 2018-05-12 . ΑΕΚ-ΠΑΟΚ 0-2: Το σήκωσε και της έδειξε ποιος είναι ο πραγματικός πρωκταθλητής αφου την επομενη χρονια καταφερε και πηρε 3ο πρωταθλημα ισοφαριζοντας τον Αρη την 1η ομαδα της μοναδικης συμπρωτευουσας του κοσμου! . 2024-03-28 . Onsports.gr . el.
  22. Web site: PAOK fans celebrate their 1st Greek league title in 34 years. The Washington Post. 21 April 2019. 5 May 2019.
  23. Web site: PAOK 1st undefeated team in Greek league season for 55 years. Yahoo! News. 5 May 2019. 5 May 2019.
  24. News: Al Hilal name Romanian Lucescu as head coach. . 30 June 2019 . 30 June 2019.
  25. Web site: 25 July 2019. Λουτσέσκου: Από τον ΠΑΟΚ έφυγα γιατί δεν μπορούσα να πείσω τον Σαββίδη να προσαρμοστεί στις ιδέες μου. 24 August 2020. ProtoThema. el.
  26. Web site: Λουτσέσκου: "Ο ΠΑΟΚ είναι στην ψυχή μου". 24 August 2020. www.tzantzaras.gr.
  27. News: Final – 2nd Leg: Al Dawsari, Gomis strikes seal Al Hilal title. Asian Football Confederation. 24 November 2019. 24 November 2019.
  28. Web site: 'We achieved a dream,' says departing Al-Hilal coach Răzvan Lucescu . Arab News . 16 February 2021 .
  29. Web site: 2021-05-26. ΠΑΟΚ: Ανακοίνωσε επίσημα τον Λουτσέσκου για τρία χρόνια. 2021-05-26. ProtoThema. el.
  30. Web site: Team. Onsports. 2021-05-26. ΠΑΟΚ: Καλωσόρισε τον 'στρατηγό' Ραζβάν Λουτσέσκου για τα επόμενα τρία χρόνια! (video+photos). 2021-05-26. Onsports.gr. el.
  31. Web site: Ο Ραζβάν Λουτσέσκου επιστρέφει στον ΠΑΟΚ!. 2021-05-26. www.gazzetta.gr. el.
  32. Web site: Ο Λουτσέσκου έγινε ο πιο ακριβοπληρωμένος προπονητής με 5,1 εκατομμύρια ευρώ. 2021-09-19. www.sport24.gr. el.
  33. Web site: 2022-05-17 . Δεύτερος ο ΠΑΟΚ, έσπασε το αήττητο του Παναθηναϊκού στα πλέι-οφ: η τελική βαθμολογία της Super League . 2022-05-31 . SDNA . el.
  34. Web site: Ολυμπιακός - ΠΑΟΚ 1-1 παρ.: 'Χρυσός' Τσόλακ στο 108' και μεγάλη πρόκριση του Δικεφάλου στο Καραϊσκάκης . 2022-05-31 . www.sport24.gr . el.
  35. Web site: 2022-05-23 . ΠΑΟΚ: Επιστολές διαμαρτυρίας στον Κλάτενμπεργκ και στους φορείς του τελικού Κυπέλλου . 2022-05-31 . Pronews.gr . el.
  36. Web site: 2022-05-23 . ΠΑΟΚ: Στέλνει επιστολές διαμαρτυρίας σε Κλάτενμπεργκ, ΕΠΟ, υπουργεία και αστυνομία για τα επεισόδια στον τελικό Κυπέλλου . 2022-05-31 . Newsbeast . el.
  37. Web site: Μαρκάτος . Νίκος . 2022-04-10 . Μαρσέιγ - ΠΑΟΚ: Δεν αδικήθηκε απλά, τον "εσφαξαν" - Και το δεύτερο γκολ offside! (vids) . 2022-05-31 . sportime.gr . el.
  38. Web site: Επίσκυρος . 2023-05-30 . ΠΑΟΚ 2022/23: Μία σεζόν που τελείωσε όπως ξεκίνησε! . 2024-03-28 . Episkyros . el.
  39. Web site: ΑΕΚ - ΠΑΟΚ 2-0: Ασύγκριτη! Η Ένωση κατέκτησε ένα ιστορικό νταμπλ, σάρωσε τους Θεσσαλονικείς με 10 παίκτες από το 6' . 2024-03-28 . www.sport24.gr . el.
  40. Web site: Χιονίδου . Όλγα . 2023-07-22 . Στη λίστα με τα κορυφαία wonderkids ο Ντέλιας! . 2024-03-28 . inpaok.com . el.
  41. Web site: Οι ομάδες που προχώρησαν και όσες αποκλείστηκαν στο Europa Conference League . 2024-03-28 . www.sport24.gr . el.
  42. Web site: Άιντραχτ - ΠΑΟΚ 1-2: Τεράστιος Δικέφαλος, θριάμβευσε στην Φρανκφούρτη και πέταξε απευθείας στους '16' του Conference . 2024-03-28 . www.sport24.gr . el.
  43. Web site: Σαρωτικός, ονειρικός, ψυχωμένος! Ο ΠΑΟΚ διέλυσε την Ντίναμο με 5-1 και πέταξε στους '8' του Conference League . 2024-03-28 . www.sport24.gr . el.
  44. Web site: 2024-03-03 . Pole position... . 2024-03-28 . PAOKFC . en.
  45. Web site: PAOK wins the most dramatic Super League championship . ekathimerini . 20 May 2024.
  46. Web site: Europe's ultimate footballing families. UEFA. 28 April 2015. 11 May 2015.
  47. Web site: FC Rapid București: Matches . Soccerway . Perform Group . 30 January 2019.
  48. Web site: FC Brașov: Matches . Soccerway . Perform Group . 30 January 2019.
  49. Web site: Romania: Matches . Soccerway . Perform Group . 29 January 2019.
  50. Web site: FC Rapid București: Matches . Soccerway . Perform Group . 28 January 2019.
  51. Web site: El Jaish: Matches. Soccerway . Perform Group . 28 January 2019.
  52. Web site: Petrolul Ploiești: Matches . Soccerway . Perform Group . 28 January 2019.
  53. Web site: Xanthi: Matches . Soccerway . Perform Group . 28 January 2019.
  54. Web site: PAOK FC: Matches . Soccerway . Perform Group . 15 January 2019.
  55. Web site: Έτσι έφτασαν στον τελικό Ολυμπιακός και Ξάνθη! . 2023-01-08 . www.sport24.gr . el.
  56. Web site: Ο ΠΑΟΚ πρωταθλητής Ελλάδας 2018-2019 . 2023-01-08 . www.sport24.gr . el.
  57. Web site: Σαν σήμερα το 2018: Ο τελικός του Αντρέ και της λύτρωσης για τον ΠΑΟΚ! (pics-vids) Gazzetta . 2023-01-08 . www.gazzetta.gr . el.
  58. Web site: Βιδάλη . Αθανασία . Τελικός Κυπέλλου 2019: Κυπελλούχος ο ΠΑΟΚ - Τρομερό ντάμπλ για τον «Δικέφαλο» του Βορρά! . 2023-01-08 . www.dikaiologitika.gr . el-gr.
  59. Web site: 2018-12-21 . Προπονητής της χρονιάς στη Ρουμανία ο Λουτσέσκου . 2023-01-08 . tempo24.news . el.
  60. Web site: 2019-12-02 . Προπονητής της χρονιάς στη Ρουμανία ο Λουτσέσκου . 2023-01-08 . SDNA . el.
  61. Web site: Luna juniorilor » Octavian Popescu a fost ales "Jucătorul lunii martie", iar Răzvan Lucescu - "Antrenorul lunii"! Cum s-a votat. Month of the juniors » Octavian Popescu was chosen "Player of the month in March", and Răzvan Lucescu - "Coach of the month"! How the voting took place. Gazeta Sporturilor. ro. 4 April 2022. 8 April 2022.
  62. Web site: 2019-05-09 . Καλύτερος προπονητής ο Λουτσέσκου, καλύτερος παίκτης ο Φορτούνης . 2023-01-08 . Matrix24 . el.
  63. Web site: لوشيسكو وجونز ورومارينهو يحصدون أول جوائز الأفضلية . spl.com.sa . 12 October 2019 . ar.
  64. Web site: لوشيسكو وجوفينكو وبن مصطفى يحصدون جوائز الأفضلية لشهر يناير .
  65. Web site: لوشيسكو والجبلي والمعيوف يحصدون جوائز الأفضلية لشهر فبراير .
  66. Web site: أفضلية نوفمبر تذهب إلى رازافان والسومة وبخاري .
  67. Web site: AFC MEN TEAM 2020. IFFHS. 16 December 2020.