The Most Famous
COACHES from Romania
This page contains a list of the greatest Romanian Coaches. The pantheon dataset contains 471 Coaches, 7 of which were born in Romania. This makes Romania the birth place of the 18th most number of Coaches behind Belgium, and Switzerland.
Top 9
The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the most legendary Romanian Coaches of all time. This list of famous Romanian Coaches is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity.
1. Dan Petrescu (b. 1967)
With an HPI of 51.39, Dan Petrescu is the most famous Romanian Coach. His biography has been translated into 33 different languages on wikipedia.
Daniel "Dan" Vasile Petrescu (Romanian pronunciation: [daniˈel vaˈsile peˈtresku]; born 22 December 1967) is a Romanian football manager and former player who is currently in charge of Liga I club CFR Cluj. As a player, Petrescu was deployed as a full-back or a winger and began his career at Steaua București, with which he played in the 1989 European Cup final. Abroad, he represented Serie A clubs Foggia and Genoa, before moving to the Premier League where he played for Sheffield Wednesday, Chelsea, Bradford City, and Southampton, respectively. With Chelsea, Petrescu won the 1998 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup. He earned 95 caps for the Romania national team, being selected in two World Cup squads, in 1994 and 1998, and in two European Championships, in 1996 and 2000. Petrescu became player-assistant manager to Walter Zenga at Național București towards the end of his playing career, and has since had an extensive career as a head coach in Poland, Russia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, China, Turkey, and South Korea, in addition to his native country. His first job was at Sportul Studențesc, which he led to Liga I promotion. Petrescu has won domestic honours with Unirea Urziceni, Kuban Krasnodar, ASA Târgu Mureș, Jiangsu Suning, and CFR Cluj. He is the second-most successful manager in Romania, tied with Emerich Jenei, winning the league on six occasions (five times with CFR Cluj and once with Urziceni), and was also named Romania Coach of the Year a record five times, tied with Mircea Lucescu.
2. Cosmin Olăroiu (b. 1969)
With an HPI of 49.15, Cosmin Olăroiu is the 2nd most famous Romanian Coach. His biography has been translated into 30 different languages.
Cosmin Aurelian Olăroiu (born 10 June 1969) is a Romanian football manager and former player, who is in charge of UAE Pro League club Sharjah. As a manager, he guided Steaua București to the Divizia A title and Romanian Supercup both in 2006, and led his side to the semi-finals of the UEFA Cup in the same year. He is considered one of the greatest managers in the Arabian Peninsula, having led the most decorated clubs of Saudi Arabia, Qatar and United Arab Emirates – Al Hilal, Al Sadd, Al Ain and Al Ahli – to new trophies. In 2020, he guided Jiangsu Suning to their first-ever title in China.
3. Viorel Moldovan (b. 1972)
With an HPI of 48.57, Viorel Moldovan is the 3rd most famous Romanian Coach. His biography has been translated into 31 different languages.
Viorel Dinu Moldovan (born 8 July 1972) is a Romanian football manager and former player, currently the president of Liga I club Rapid București. A former striker, Moldovan most successful years of his career were playing for Neuchâtel Xamax and Grasshoppers between 1996 and 1998 in Switzerland (he was the Nationalliga A top scorer in 1996 and 1997), for Fenerbahçe between 1998 and 2000 and for Nantes between 2000 and 2004. He was a key player when Nantes won the French French Division 1 in 2001. He represented Romania in two editions of the World Cup, those held in the United States in 1994 and France in 1998, as well as two European Championships, in 1996 and 2000.
4. Gabi Balint (b. 1963)
With an HPI of 46.81, Gabi Balint is the 4th most famous Romanian Coach. His biography has been translated into 26 different languages.
Gavril Pele "Gabi" Balint (born 3 January 1963) is a Romanian football manager and former player, who was part of the hugely successful Steaua team of the 1980s.
5. Mircea Rednic (b. 1962)
With an HPI of 45.08, Mircea Rednic is the 5th most famous Romanian Coach. His biography has been translated into 21 different languages.
Mircea Rednic (born 9 April 1962) is a Romanian football coach and former player who played as a defender, currently in charge of Liga I side UTA Arad.
6. Mihai Stoichiță (b. 1954)
With an HPI of 43.67, Mihai Stoichiță is the 6th most famous Romanian Coach. His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.
Mihai Cristian Stoichiță (born 10 May 1954) is a Romanian football manager who last coached Liga I side Petrolul Ploiești.
7. Ionel Ganea (b. 1973)
With an HPI of 38.13, Ionel Ganea is the 7th most famous Romanian Coach. His biography has been translated into 20 different languages.
Ioan Viorel "Ionel" Ganea (born 10 August 1973) is a Romanian professional football coach and former player who played as a striker.
8. Dorin Goian (b. 1980)
With an HPI of 34.90, Dorin Goian is the 8th most famous Romanian Coach. His biography has been translated into 25 different languages.
Dorin Nicolae Goian (born 12 December 1980) is a Romanian professional football manager and former football player, currently technical director at Liga IV club Cetatea 1932 Suceava.
9. Corneliu Papură (b. 1973)
With an HPI of 33.34, Corneliu Papură is the 9th most famous Romanian Coach. His biography has been translated into 16 different languages.
Corneliu Papură (born 5 September 1973) is a Romanian professional football manager and former football player, who played as a centre-back or a defensive midfielder.
People
Pantheon has 9 people classified as Romanian coaches born between 1954 and 1980. Of these 9, 9 (100.00%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living Romanian coaches include Dan Petrescu, Cosmin Olăroiu, and Viorel Moldovan. As of April 2024, 2 new Romanian coaches have been added to Pantheon including Mihai Stoichiță, and Corneliu Papură.
Living Romanian Coaches
Go to all Rankings
Dan Petrescu
1967 - Present
HPI: 51.39
Cosmin Olăroiu
1969 - Present
HPI: 49.15
Viorel Moldovan
1972 - Present
HPI: 48.57
Gabi Balint
1963 - Present
HPI: 46.81
Mircea Rednic
1962 - Present
HPI: 45.08
Mihai Stoichiță
1954 - Present
HPI: 43.67
Ionel Ganea
1973 - Present
HPI: 38.13
Dorin Goian
1980 - Present
HPI: 34.90
Corneliu Papură
1973 - Present
HPI: 33.34
