Quick Facts
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Ioan "Ionuț" Angelo Lupescu (born 9 December 1968) is a former Romanian footballer who played as a midfielder and a former manager. He became a member of FIFA's Technical and Development Committee in early 2008.
Club career
Lupescu, son of the late Romanian international Nicolae Lupescu, began his career in 1975 in the youth of Admira Wacker, the club where his father played until his retirement. In 1977, he moved to Mecanică Fină a club where his father Nicolae started his coaching career, before moving to Dinamo Bucharest in 1982. He made his Dinamo debut at the age of 17 in the Divizia A on 21 September 1986 in a 4–1 victory against SC Bacău. After winning the Romanian championship and the Cup in the 1989–90 season, and reaching the Cup Winners' Cup semi-finals during the 1989–90 season. Lupescu moved to Germany at Bayer Leverkusen there he won the DFB-Pokal in 1993, and reached the UEFA Cup semi-finals in 1994–95. After five seasons with Leverkusen, Lupescu signed with Borussia Mönchengladbach for two more years. In 1998, he returned to Dinamo Bucharest, and won another Championship in 2000. After a brief detour to Bursaspor in the Süper Lig in the beginning of the season 2000–01, Lupescu again returned to Dinamo Bucharest. On 29 October 2001, he had a short half-year spell contract with Al-Hilal club from Saudi Arabia a period of five months, but could not adapt, because of the high climate. In the same year he returned for the third time at Dinamo Bucharest, only to retire.
International career
Lupescu made 74 appearances for the Romanian squad, and scored six goals. He debuted on 3 February 1988, in a 2–0 win over Israel.He participated in the FIFA World Cup 1990 in Italy and in the 1994 FIFA World Cup in the USA and reached the quarter-finals, he also participated at the UEFA Euro 1996 in England, and UEFA Euro 2000 in Belgium and the Netherlands.
Coaching career
In 2003, Lupescu acquired his coaching license at the German Sport University of Cologne. By the end of his active career, he was head-coach for a short period at FCM Bacău and FC Braşov in Divizia A till 2004, and was dismissed because of poor results. He became Vice President Director of the Romanian Football Federation.
Personal life
Lupescu is the son of former Romanian national player Nicolae Lupescu, who for a time also served as a manager.
Career statistics
International goals
- Scores and results list Romania's goal tally first. "Score" column indicates the score after the player's goal.
| Goal | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 29 August 1990 | Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow, USSR |  Soviet Union | 2–0 | 2–1 | Friendly |
| 2 | 5 December 1990 | Stadionul Naţional, Bucharest, Romania |  San Marino | 4–0 | 6–0 | UEFA Euro 1992 Qualifying |
| 3 | 6 May 1992 | Stadionul Ghencea, Bucharest, Romania |  Faroe Islands | 5–0 | 7–0 | FIFA World Cup 1994 Qualifying |
| 4 | 20 May 1992 | Stadionul Ghencea, Bucharest, Romania |  Wales | 2–0 | 5–1 | FIFA World Cup 1994 Qualifying |
| 5 | 20 May 1992 | Stadionul Ghencea, Bucharest, Romania | Wales | 3–0 | 5–1 | FIFA World Cup 1994 Qualifying |
| 6 | 18 August 1999 | Tsirion Stadium, Limassol, Cyprus |  Cyprus | 1–1 | 2–2 | Friendly |
Honours
Club
Dinamo Bucureşti
- Divizia A: 1989–90, 1999–00
- Cupa României: 1989–90, 1999–00, 2000–01
Bayer Leverkusen
- DFB-Pokal: 1992–93
Al-Hilal
- Saudi Premier League: 2001–02