Gheorghe Popescu

Gheorghe "Gică" Popescu (; born 9 October 1967) is a Romanian former professional football player who played as a defender.

He notably played in La Liga, where he was a former captain of FC Barcelona. He played for a string of European clubs in that period, including a four-year stint at PSV Eindhoven and winning the UEFA Cup with Galatasaray. He also played in the Premier League with Tottenham Hotspur, in Serie A with Lecce and in the Bundesliga with Hannover 96. In his native country he played for Universitatea Craiova, Steaua București and Dinamo București. In addition to his defensive skills, he was also capable of starting attacks deep from his own half.

His tactical knowledge as a defender made him a valuable team member in top European competitions until he reached his late thirties. He was a key part of the Romania national team in the 1990s and earned 115 caps, scoring 16 goals. He was present at the 1990 World Cup, the 1994 World Cup, Euro 1996, the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000. He is the brother-in-law of fellow Romanian international Gheorghe Hagi.

Club career

Dunărea Calafat

Gheorghe Popescu, nicknamed ''Baciul'' (The Shepherd) because he was known for his leadership skills was born on 9 October 1967 in Calafat, Romania, starting to play junior level football in 1975 at local club, Dunărea. During his childhood years, his father would take him to Universitatea Craiova's matches during their "Craiova Maxima" era, at one point Popescu telling him:"Father, the day will come when I will be in Ștefănescu's place. And the people will love me more than him!" He started to play in the Romanian lower leagues for Dunărea's senior squad in 1982. His first coach, Valentin Ghiță praised Popescu's ambition and passion from those years giving an example of a moment from the hard winter from 1983 when Popescu came to his house to ask him to go to the pitch and train him. Ghiță accepted and trained Popescu even do the snow was up to his waist and the weather was frosty.

Universitatea Craiova and Steaua București

In 1985, his talent was noticed by Nicolae Zamfir who brought him to play for Universitatea Craiova. He made his Divizia A debut on 9 June 1985 when he came on in the second half, replacing Marian Bâcu in a 1–0 home victory over FCM Brașov. He scored his first goal in the competition almost one year later in a 7–0 win over Rapid București.

In the middle of the 1987–88 season, Popescu went to play for Steaua București, winning the title under the guidance of coach Anghel Iordănescu, also reaching the semi-finals of the European Cup where he played in both legs of the 2–0 aggregate loss to Benfica.

He returned in 1988 at "U" Craiova where in the following two seasons he showed an appetite for goal, scoring 15 goals, managing a personal record of eight goals in the 1988–89 season.

PSV Eindhoven

In the summer of 1990, Popescu was transferred from Craiova to PSV Eindhoven, playing under Bobby Robson for two of his four seasons at the club. He made his Eredivisie debut on 28 August 1990 in a 5–0 home win over FC Utrecht. He scored his first goal on 8 September 1990, sealing the win in a 3–0 victory over MVV Maastricht. In his first two seasons, Popescu won two league titles under the guidance of Robson, afterwards winning the 1992 Dutch Supercup, being used all the minutes by coach Hans Westerhof in the 1–0 win against Feyenoord. In his years at PSV, Popescu was a regular starter for the club, also developing a close friendship with Brazilians Romário and Ronaldo.

Tottenham Hotspur

He was transferred to Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League on 9 September 1994 for a fee of £2.9million, being teammate with fellow Romanian Ilie Dumitrescu. He made 23 Premier League appearances and scored three goals, including one in a home win against Arsenal, when he beat goalkeeper David Seaman after a counter-attack, helping Spurs (who changed managers from Ossie Ardiles to Gerry Francis a few weeks after Popescu arrived) finish seventh in the league – their highest finish in five years. He also helped them reach the FA Cup semi-finals, where they lost 4–1 to eventual cup winners Everton.

Barcelona

However, after less than a year in England, he left Tottenham to sign for Spanish club Barcelona for £3million, succeeding Ronald Koeman in the team. Popescu made his La Liga debut on 2 September 1995, opening the scoring in a 2–0 away win against Real Valladolid. In his first season, he played alongside compatriot Gheorghe Hagi and was coached by Johan Cruyff. He scored a total of five goals in his first season with the Catalans, including a brace in a 4–1 victory over UD Salamanca. Popescu also scored once in a 3–1 win over Sevilla in the round of 16 of the 1995–96 UEFA Cup, as ''Barça'' reached the semi-finals, where they were eliminated by eventual winners Bayern Munich.

In his second season, his former coach from PSV, Bobby Robson became Barcelona's manager, and made Popescu the club's captain ahead of veterans Pep Guardiola and Albert Ferrer, and superstars Ronaldo, Luis Figo, and Luis Enrique. In that season, Popescu helped Barcelona win a cup treble consisting of the 1996 Supercopa de España after a 6–5 aggregate win over Atlético Madrid, the 1996–97 Copa del Rey after a 3–2 win over Real Betis, and the 1996–97 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, in which he scored one goal against AIK in the quarter-finals and played the first half of the 1–0 win in the final against Paris Saint-Germain.

Galatasaray

After leaving Barcelona in the summer of 1997, he was transferred to Galatasaray in Turkey, where he reunited with Hagi, and Romanians Adrian Ilie and Iulian Filipescu were also at the club. He made his Turkish league debut on 31 July 1997 under coach Fatih Terim in a 0–0 draw against Ankaragücü, scoring his first goal in the competition on 26 September 1997 in a 4–1 home win over Şekerspor. In his first three seasons, he won three league titles, two Turkish Cups and the 1999–2000 UEFA Cup in May 2000 – where Galatasaray defeated Arsenal in the final on penalties after a goalless draw in open play. He scored the final penalty, defeating David Seaman in the shoot-out, and securing the victory.

In June 2000, Mircea Lucescu replaced Fatih Terim as coach, and the club clinched the 2000 UEFA Super Cup after a 2–1 victory against Real Madrid. They club also reached the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League during the 2000–01 season, where after a 3–2 victory in the first leg, they lost 3–0 in the second leg against Real Madrid.

Lecce

In 2001, he moved to Serie A club Lecce, stating in an interview with ''la Repubblica'': "I think of Lecce as something romantic. It is the only team in Italy that comes from the south of the country. I am fascinated by the battle with the troops of the North. I would like to complete my two-year contract". He made his league debut on 26 August 2001 in the 1–1 draw against Parma. He wore the number 10 shirt, scoring a brace in a 4–3 loss against Bologna and one in his last appearance for ''I Lupi'', a 1–1 draw against Torino.

Dinamo București

After 12 years, Popescu returned to his native Romania in 2002, signing with Dinamo București, and wearing the captain's armband from his first game, a 5–0 win over Ceahlăul Piatra Neamț on 17 August 2002. The following matches were less successful, as Popescu's performances and the club's results were disappointing in the eyes of the fans. In a derby match against rivals Rapid București, he committed a handball, leading to a penalty, which resulted in losing the match. In his last game for the club, a 2–0 loss against Oțelul Galați, he struggled to contain Mihai Guriță, who scored both goals. After the match, fans chanted for Popescu to leave and told Giani Kiriță, the club's captain before Popescu's arrival, to tell him to leave. Kiriță applauded the supporters, a gesture that did not sit well with Popescu, who remarked: "In his place, I would have done it differently". The next day, Popescu terminated his contract with the club, stating: "I had to come to see for myself what is in Romanian football". He would later describe his transfer to Dinamo as "The mistake of my life".

Hannover 96

His last club was the German side Hannover 96, where he made his Bundesliga debut on 8 February 2003, when coach Ralf Rangnick sent him onto the pitch at half-time to replace Kostas Konstantinidis in a 4–2 victory against FC Nürnberg. He scored his only league goal when he opened the scoring in a 2–1 loss to Bayer Leverkusen. The final game of his career took place on 17 May 2003, ending in a 2–2 draw against Borussia Mönchengladbach, a result that earned Hannover the point that mathematically saved them from relegation. He announced his retirement afterward, stating: "I feel tired, there is no point in taking money without working for it until 2004".

International career

Popescu played 115 matches and scored 16 goals at international level for Romania, making his debut on 20 September 1988 at age 20 under coach Emerich Jenei in a friendly which ended with a 3–0 win over Albania.

1990 World Cup

He played six matches and scored once with a header in a 1–0 victory over Bulgaria during the 1990 World Cup qualifiers. At the final tournament, where coach Jenei used him in all four matches, Romania was eliminated by Ireland on penalties in the round of 16. In the first game of the group stage, he delivered a highly praised performance in the 2–0 win over the Soviet Union. The following day, his agent, Mircea Petescu, presented him with a contract offer from Real Madrid, which he ultimately declined in favor of PSV Eindhoven. AC Milan captain Franco Baresi stated that he considered Popescu the best sweeper of the tournament.

1994 World Cup

He made seven appearances and scored one goal in a 4–1 victory over Cyprus during the 1994 World Cup qualifiers. In the final tournament group stage, Romania earned victories over Colombia and the United States, then defeated Argentina 3–2 in the round of 16, and was eliminated by Sweden after the penalty shoot-out in the quarter-finals. Popescu played the full 90 minutes in all five games under coach Anghel Iordănescu.

Euro 1996

Popescu played seven games, scoring the opening goal in the 3–2 win over Slovakia during the Euro 1996 qualifiers. He was used by Iordănescu in all three matches from the final tournament, which was unsuccessful as they lost to France, Bulgaria and Spain.

1998 World Cup

During the 1998 World Cup qualifiers, he made eight appearances, scoring one goal against Iceland, a hat-trick against Macedonia and four goals against Liechtenstein. Popescu was used as a starter by Iordănescu in all four games at the final tournament. In the group stage, Romania earned victories in the first two rounds against Colombia and England, thus securing mathematical qualification before the last group match against Tunisia. To celebrate, the team dyed their hair blonde and showed up on the pitch with their new look. However, they were defeated 1–0 by Croatia in the round of 16 after Davor Šuker scored a penalty, which was awarded following a duel between Aljoša Asanović and Gabriel Popescu.

Euro 2000

Popescu played nine games and scored one goal in the 7–0 win over Liechtenstein at the Euro 2000 qualifiers. Jenei used him as a starter in all three group-stage matches at the final tournament. In the last one, against England, he was made captain as Hagi was suspended, but he got injured after the first 30 minutes and replaced by Miodrag Belodedici. ''The Tricolours'' defeated England 3–2 and qualified for the quarter-finals, where they lost 2–0 to Italy, with Popescu not playing.

Final years

In his final years with the national team, Popescu played four games and netted once in a 1–1 draw against Georgia during the 2002 World Cup qualifiers, playing in both legs of the play-off against Slovenia, which was lost 3–2 on aggregate. He played four matches in the Euro 2004 qualifiers, with the last one, a 5–2 home loss against Denmark on 29 March 2003, being his final appearance for Romania.

For representing his country at five final tournaments, Popescu was decorated by then President of Romania, Traian Băsescu on 25 March 2008, with the Ordinul "Meritul Sportiv" – (The Medal of "Sportive Merit") Class III.

After retirement

In 2000, he opened the "Gheorghe Popescu Football School" in his hometown of Craiova, which developed players such as Ionuț Rada, Adrian Stoian, Sabrin Sburlea, Constantin Grecu or Ovidiu Burcă. For a while, he also worked as a sports agent.

In 2003, journalist, Daniel Nanu released a book about him called ''Gheorghe Popescu - viața mea'' ''(Gheorghe Popescu - my life)''.

In 2010, Popescu was one of the founding members of Chindia Târgoviște through one of his companies, leaving the club in 2013.


In 2019, he was appointed by Gheorghe Hagi as president at Viitorul Constanța, then when the club merged with Farul Constanța, he continued to work as president for the new club.

Personal life

He is the brother-in-law of fellow Romanian international Gheorghe Hagi, as he married Hagi's wife's sister. His son Nicolas is also a footballer, as is his nephew Ianis Hagi – both of the younger men were born in Istanbul while their fathers were playing for Galatasaray.

Tax evasion and imprisonment

On 4 March 2014, Popescu and seven others, among them Mihai Stoica, were convicted by a Romanian appeals court of money laundering and tax evasion in connection with the transfer of football players from Romania to other countries. Popescu was sentenced to a jail term of three years and one month. He was released for good conduct on 4 November 2015, after serving half of his sentence. The books he wrote and published during his imprisonment also contributed to the reduction of his sentence, as is customary under Romanian law.

Career statistics

Club

International

:''Scores and results list Romania's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Popescu goal''.

Honours

Steaua București
*Divizia A: 1987–88
* Cupa României: 1987–88
PSV Eindhoven
*Eredivisie: 1990–91, 1991–92
* Johan Cruijff Shield: 1992
Barcelona
*Copa del Rey: 1996–97
*Supercopa de España: 1996
* UEFA Cup Winners' Cup: 1996–97
Galatasaray
* 1.Lig: 1997–98, 1998–99, 1999–00
* Turkish Cup: 1998–99, 1999–00
*UEFA Cup: 1999–00
*UEFA Super Cup: 2000
Individual
* Romanian Footballer of the Year: 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1995, 1996

See also

*List of men's footballers with 100 or more international caps

References

Further reading

*

External links

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Gheorghe Popescu's International caps
at RSSSF

{{DEFAULTSORT:Popescu, Gheorghe
1967 births
Living people
Romanian men's footballers
Romania men's international footballers
1990 FIFA World Cup players
1994 FIFA World Cup players
1998 FIFA World Cup players
Expatriate men's footballers in the Netherlands
Expatriate men's footballers in England
Expatriate men's footballers in Spain
Expatriate men's footballers in Turkey
Expatriate men's footballers in Italy
Expatriate men's footballers in Germany
Romanian expatriate men's footballers
Romanian expatriate sportspeople in Spain
Romanian expatriate sportspeople in England
Romanian expatriate sportspeople in Germany
Bundesliga players
Galatasaray S.K. footballers
Süper Lig players
Eredivisie players
La Liga players
Premier League players
Serie A players
Liga I players
People from Calafat
Men's association football sweepers
Romanian expatriate sportspeople in the Netherlands
CS Universitatea Craiova players
FCSB players
FC Dinamo București players
PSV Eindhoven players
Tottenham Hotspur F.C. players
FC Barcelona players
US Lecce players
Hannover 96 players
UEFA Euro 1996 players
UEFA Euro 2000 players
FIFA Men's Century Club
Romanian expatriate sportspeople in Turkey
Association football agents
Romanian white-collar criminals
UEFA Europa League–winning players
Romanian sports executives and administrators
Romanian expatriate sportspeople in Italy
Footballers from Dolj County
20th-century Romanian sportsmen