Romanian coach Mircea Lucescu, who helped shape Ukrainian football, dies at 80
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Mircea Lucescu, former head coach of Ukrainian football teams Dynamo Kyiv and Shakhtar Donetsk, has died at the age of 80, Romanian media reported on April 7.
His death was confirmed by the Bucharest University Emergency Hospital, where he had been hospitalized in critical condition following a heart attack.
Five days before his death, he stepped down as head coach of Romania’s national team, a role he had held since 2024.
Lucescu is widely regarded as one of the most influential coaches in Ukrainian football history, spending over a decade at Shakhtar Donetsk, where he led the club to eight league titles and eight domestic cups, as well as European silverware, winning the UEFA Cup in 2009.
He later coached Shakhtar's bitter rival, Dynamo Kyiv, where he continued to shape the country's football success, winning the Ukrainian Premier League, Ukrainian Cup, and Ukrainian Super Cup.
Before his coaching career, Lucescu was a Romanian international forward, earning around 90 caps and winning multiple league titles with Dinamo Bucharest.
Beyond Ukraine, his career spanned clubs and national teams across Europe, but his legacy remains especially tied to his long-standing impact on Ukrainian football and its international success.
Lucescu has won a total of 35 titles across a variety of European competitions, ending his career as the third most successful coach in football history.
