Constantin Radu (footballer)

Romanian footballer (1945–2020)

Constantin Radu
Personal information
Date of birth (1945-01-05)5 January 1945[1][2]
Place of birth Pitești, Romania[3]
Date of death 16 May 2020(2020-05-16) (aged 75)[4]
Position(s) Forward[3]
Youth career
Argeș Pitești
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1964–1975 Argeș Pitești 246 (63)
1976–1978 Muscelul Câmpulung
International career
1966–1972 Romania 3 (1)
Managerial career
Unirea Drăgășani
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Constantin Radu (5 January 1945 – 16 May 2020) was a Romanian football forward.[2][5][6]

Club career

Constantin Radu also known as "Tache" or "Burtilă" was born on 5 January 1945 in Pitești, Romania and he started to play junior level football at local club, Argeș, after his talent was noticed by coach Leonte Ianovschi.[3][2][7][8] He started playing senior level football for Argeș in 1964, aged 18 when he made his Divizia A debut on 15 November in a 1–1 with Petrolul Ploiești.[3][2][7][8][9] At the end of his first season, the team reached the 1965 Cupa României final, however coach Virgil Mărdărescu did not use him in the eventual 2–1 loss in front of Știința Cluj.[3][10] He started playing in European competitions during the 1966–67 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, appearing in six matches as they eliminated Sevilla and Toulouse, Radu scoring once against the first and twice against the second, the campaign ending in the third round as they were defeated with 1–0 on aggregate by Dinamo Zagreb who eventually won the competition.[3][2][7][8][11][12][13] In the 1971–72 season he formed a successful offensive trio with Nicolae Dobrin and Radu Jercan which helped Argeș win the first title in its history, Radu scoring nine goals in the 27 appearances given to him by coaches Titus Ozon and Florin Halagian.[3][9][8][14] He would say about this performance:"I will never forget the championship in which I won the first championship title with FC Argeș. Out of 30 matches, I played 27 and scored nine goals."[2][7][8] Afterwards he played four games in the 1972–73 European Cup, eliminating Aris Bonnevoie in the first round against whom he scored two goals, then in the following one they won a home game with 2–1 against Real Madrid but lost the second leg with 3–1 in which he scored his side's goal.[3][7][11][15] Radu's last Divizia A appearance took place on 9 April 1975 in a 1–0 away loss in front of Jiul Petroșani, having a total of 246 matches with 63 goals scored in the competition, also playing a total of 16 games with six goals scored in European competitions, including 10 games with three goals in the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup.[3] He was forced to retire at age 32 because he suffered a hard injury in a friendly with Steagul Roșu Brașov.[2][7][8][9]

Radu tried a comeback, playing for Muscelul Câmpulung where coach was his former Argeș teammate, Ion Barbu and he was colleague with other former Argeș teammates like Radu Jercan, Vasile Stan and Marian Popescu, managing to promote the team from the third league to the second where he ended his career in 1978.[3][2][7][8][16]

International career

Constantin Radu played three friendly games at international level for Romania, making his debut on 7 December 1966 when coach Ilie Oană sent him on the field in the 62nd minute in order to replace Mircea Lucescu in a 2–1 away victory against Israel.[17][18] His following game was a 2–1 away victory against Greece and his last game played for the national team was a 4–2 away win against Morocco in which he scored one goal.[17][19][20]

International goals

Scores and results list Romania's goal tally first. "Score" column indicates the score after each Constantin Radu goal.[19]
# Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1. 30 January 1972 Stade Mohamed V, Casablanca, Morocco  Morocco 2–0 4–2 Friendly

Coaching career

After he ended his playing career, Radu coached teams in the Romanian lower leagues such as Unirea Drăgășani and also worked at the youth center of Argeș Pitești.[2][7][9][21]

Death

Radu died on 16 May 2020 at age 75.[7][8][9]

Honours

Argeș Pitești

Muscelul Câmpulung

References

  1. ^ Constantin Radu at WorldFootball.net
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Constantin Radu I, internat la Spitalul Elias. A făcut al treilea atac cerebral" [Constantin Radu I, admitted to Elias Hospital. He had a third stroke] (in Romanian). Jurnaluldearges.ro. 21 March 2019. Archived from the original on 28 November 2020. Retrieved 17 February 2020.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Constantin Radu at RomanianSoccer.ro (in Romanian)
  4. ^ Ionella, Marius (16 May 2020). "A murit Constantin Radu I. Avea tumoare pe creier" [Constantin Radu I died. He had a brain tumor]. Jurnal de Argeș (in Romanian). Archived from the original on 20 September 2020. Retrieved 17 May 2020.
  5. ^ "Constantin Radu, fostă glorie a lui FC Argeș, a decedat la 75 de ani" [Constantin Radu, former glory of FC Argeș, died at 75] (in Romanian). Gsp.ro. 16 May 2020. Retrieved 17 May 2020.
  6. ^ Constantin Radu at National-Football-Teams.com
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Constantin Radu, marcatorul nostru la Madrid" [Constantin Radu, our scorer in Madrid] (in Romanian). Argesfc.ro. 5 January 2023. Retrieved 23 August 2024.
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h "Doliu la FC Argeș! A murit Constantin Radu (Radu I), campion cu echipa piteșteană în 1972" [Mourning at FC Argeș! Constantin Radu (Radu I), champion with the Pitesti team in 1972, died] (in Romanian). Liga2.prosport.ro. 17 May 2020. Retrieved 23 August 2024.
  9. ^ a b c d e "Povestea lui Constantin Radu, campion cu FC Argeș. Cel supranumit Radu I sau Tache s-a stins" [The story of Constantin Radu, champion with FC Argeș. The one nicknamed Radu I or Tache died] (in Romanian). Ziaruldesport.ro. 16 May 2020. Retrieved 23 August 2024.
  10. ^ a b "Romanian Cup – Season 1964–1965". RomanianSoccer. Retrieved 23 August 2024.
  11. ^ a b "Singura echipă românească de fotbal care a învins trei mari cluburi din Spania. Marele Dobrin a fost cheia succeselor" [The only Romanian football team that has defeated three major clubs in Spain. The great Dobrin was the key to success] (in Romanian). Adevarul.ro. 1 March 2018. Retrieved 18 February 2020.
  12. ^ "Singura echipă românească ce a eliminat Sevilla în cupele europene. Povestea unei duble istorice jucate în urmă cu 50 de ani" [The only Romanian team that eliminated Sevilla in European cups. The story of a historic double played 50 years ago] (in Romanian). Adevarul.ro. 24 May 2016. Retrieved 23 August 2024.
  13. ^ "Constantin Radu. Inter-Cities Fairs Cup 1966/1967". WorldFootball. Retrieved 23 August 2024.
  14. ^ "Romania National Champions". RomanianSoccer. Retrieved 23 August 2024.
  15. ^ "Constantin Radu. Champions League 1972/1973". WorldFootball. Retrieved 23 August 2024.
  16. ^ a b "Cutia cu amintiri: VASILE STAN: "Cea mai mare satisfacție era să-i vezi pe acei oameni că te felicită și sunt fericiți de jocul tău"" [Box of memories: VASILE STAN: "The greatest satisfaction was to see those people congratulating you and being happy with your game"] (in Romanian). Argespress.ro. 3 September 2022. Retrieved 25 August 2024.
  17. ^ a b "Constantin Radu". European Football. Retrieved 17 February 2020.
  18. ^ "Israel – Romania 1:2". European Football. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
  19. ^ a b "Morocco – Romania 2:4". European Football. Retrieved 17 February 2020.
  20. ^ "Greece – Romania 1:2". European Football. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
  21. ^ "Interviu la agățat cu Radu III" [Interview at fishing with Radu III] (in Romanian). Arenavalceana.ro. 8 August 2006. Retrieved 17 May 2021.
  • Constantin Radu at Labtof.ro