Mircea Lucescu, former head coach of both our National Team and Romanian National Team, has passed away at the age of 80 in the hospital where he had been receiving treatment following a series of heart-related complications.

Having begun his coaching career at the age of 34, the Romanian manager ranked third among the most decorated coaches in the world thanks to the many achievements he earned throughout his career. During his time in Türkiye, he won UEFA Super Cup with Galatasaray in 2000 and Süper Lig title in the 2001/02 season. The following season, he led Beşiktaş to Süper Lig championship in the club's centenary year.

After leaving Türkiye, Lucescu took charge of Shakhtar Donetsk, where he transformed the Ukrainian side into one of the leading teams both domestically and in European competitions. Under his management, Shakhtar Donetsk won the final edition of UEFA Cup in the 2008/09 season by defeating Werder Bremen in the final held in Istanbul.

The Romanian coach, who managed various clubs in his home country and in Italy, as well as working in Russia, served as the head coach of our National Team between 2017 and 2019. During his tenure, he played a key role in rejuvenating the squad and introducing new talents to our National Team. He was the first to give senior national team opportunities to players such as İrfan Can Kahveci, Merih Demiral, Mert Müldür and Zeki Çelik, all of whom were later part of the squad that qualified for FIFA World Cup 2026.

Since 2024, Lucescu had been serving his second spell with Romanian National Team. Despite not being in good health, he was on the touchline as the head coach of Romania in FIFA World Cup 2026 play-off semi-final match against Türkiye, played in Istanbul on March 26. With this match, he became the oldest active head coach at the international level.

The Romanian manager was taken to hospital after falling ill during a team meeting ahead of Romania's friendly match against Slovakia on March 31. On the day he was due to be discharged, he suffered a heart attack and was taken into intensive care.

As Turkish Football Federation, we express our profound sorrow over the passing of Mircea Lucescu and extend our condolences to his family, loved ones, Romanian Football Federation, and the clubs Beşiktaş and Galatasaray.

The contributions of Mr. Mircea Lucescu to Turkish football, both at national team and club level, will never be forgotten and will always be remembered with great admiration.