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Dănuț Lupu

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Dănuț Lupu
Lupu in 1994
Personal information
Full name Dănuț Lupu
Date of birth (1967-02-27) 27 February 1967 (age 57)
Place of birth Galați, Romania
Height 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Position(s) Central midfielder
Youth career
Dunărea Galați
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1985–1987 Dunărea Galați
1987–1990 Dinamo București 90 (17)
1990–1991 Panathinaikos 10 (1)
1991–1993 Korinthos 47 (3)
1993–1994 OFI Crete 9 (1)
1994 Rapid București 2 (0)
1994–1995 Brescia 15 (1)
1995 Rapid București 13 (6)
1995–1997 Dinamo București 42 (7)
1997–2000 Rapid București 77 (13)
2000–2001 Dinamo București 4 (1)
2001 Laminorul Roman 1 (0)
2001 Tzafririm Holon 1 (0)
Total 311 (50)
International career
1989–1998 Romania 14 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Dănuț Lupu (born 27 February 1967) is a Romanian former football midfielder known for his dribbling ability.[1]

Club career

[edit]

Dănuț Lupu was born on 27 February 1967 in Galați, Romania, starting as a child to play football and ice hockey simultaneously until the age of 14, when he decided to concentrate exclusively on his football career.[2][3][4] He started to play professional football in 1985 at Dunărea Galați in the Romanian second league.[2][5] In 1987 he was transferred at Dinamo București where he was wanted by coach Mircea Lucescu, playing his first Divizia A match on 8 March 1987 which ended with a 2–0 win against FC Brașov.[2][5] In his first two seasons at Dinamo, the club finished runner-up in the championship but succeeded to win in the 1989–90 season the Divizia A title, with Lupu contributing with six goals scored in the 22 league matches that Lucescu used him, also winning the cup in which he scored one goal in the 6–4 victory from the final against Steaua București.[1][5][6] He also made some performances in European competitions, helping The Red Dogs reach the quarter-finals in the 1988–89 European Cup Winners' Cup where they were eliminated on the away goals rule after 1–1 on aggregate by Sampdoria and in the following edition of the same competition Dinamo reached the semi-finals where they were eliminated after 2–0 on aggregate by Anderlecht with Lupu playing seven games in the campaign.[1][5][7][8]

After the fall of communism in December 1989, Lupu moved to Greece and signed with Panathinaikos who paid Dinamo a transfer fee estimated between 1.2 to 2 million $, winning with The Greens the championship, although he played there only 10 league games in which he scored one goal.[5][9][10] During his time in Greece, he also had spells at Korinthos and OFI Crete, gaining a total of 66 appearances with 5 goals scored in the Alpha Ethniki competition.[5] With OFI he also reached the eight-finals of the 1993–94 UEFA Cup edition, eliminating Atlético Madrid in the process.[5][11]

In 1994, he came back in Romania at Rapid București, but after only two Divizia A games played he went to play for Lucescu's "Brescia Romena" as during around that period his fellow Romanians Gheorghe Hagi, Florin Răducioiu, Ioan Sabău and Dorin Mateuț also played for the club, making 15 Serie A appearances in which he scored one goal in a 1–0 home victory in front of Reggiana.[5][12][13][14] Then Lupu returned to play for a short while at Rapid, afterwards spending the next two seasons with Dinamo.[5] In 1997, when his former coach from Dinamo and Brescia, Mircea Lucescu became Rapid's coach, Lupu returned for a third spell and after finishing runner-up in the first season, he won the championship in the following one, contributing with five goals scored in 28 matches.[5][15][16] In 2000 he returned for a third spell at Dinamo just for a short time in which he made his last Divizia A appearance on 27 August in a 2–1 loss in front of Oțelul Galați, having a total of 228 matches with 44 goals scored in the competition.[5] Afterwards he played for Laminorul Roman in the Romanian second league and ended his career in Israel at Hapoel Tzafririm.[5]

In the European Cups, Lupu played for Dinamo București, Panathinaikos, OFI and Rapid a total of 39 matches in which he scored three goals (including seven appearances in the Intertoto Cup).[5][17]

International career

[edit]

Dănuț Lupu played 14 matches without scoring for Romania, making his debut on 11 October 1989 when coach Emerich Jenei sent him on the field in the 64th minute in order to replace Ioan Sabău in a 1990 World Cup qualifiers match which ended with a 3–0 loss against Denmark, also appearing in the second leg which ended with a 3–1 victory.[18][19] He appeared in two games at the 1990 World Cup final tournament, a 1–1 in the group stage against Argentina and a 0–0 (5–4, after penalty kicks) loss against Ireland in the eight-finals.[18] Lupu played four games at the successful Euro 1996 qualifiers, but was not part of the team's squad at the final tournament, making his last appearance for the national team on 18 March 1998 in a friendly which ended with a 1–0 loss against Israel.[18]

Style of play

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Dănuț Lupu was a player known for his dribbling and passing abilities.[1] When his former coach, Mircea Lucescu was asked "What did Lupu lack to be at Hagi's level?", Lucescu answered:"He didn't lack talent, especially since he also played hockey and had very strong legs, which enabled him to balance well on the field. I did not see him fall on the field. I remember a match at Brescia against Desailly (n.a. Marcel Desailly, ex-Milan defender and world champion with France), he crushed him in a one-on-one contest. He was lacking Gică Hagi's ambition. Perhaps, if he had been more ambitious, he would have taken football more seriously. He didn't take it very seriously. He loved football, but he did not respect it. I would tell him what to do and he would understand immediately, very intelligently. I remember that cube appeared (the Rubik's Cube)... no one could do it. He did it immediately. He had an extraordinary memory. He lacked that basic education."[20]

Controversies

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During Dinamo's stay in Dundee for a game against Dundee United in the 1988–89 European Cup Winners' Cup, Dănuț Lupu was arrested for shoplifting, but was released after coach Mircea Lucescu went to the police station and convinced the prosecutor to not make him a criminal record.[2][21]

While playing for Panathinaikos, Lupu was arrested in Athens and spent two months and a half in jail, being accused of being the leader of a gang of Romanian thieves who had stolen cars in Greece.[22][23][24] Lupu claims he was arrested because Panathinaikos's president Yiorgos Vardinogiannis wanted him to sign the termination of the contract and to give up insisting to receive his unpaid salaries.[22][23][24]

In 2005 he was caught at an airport from București with 79,000 undeclared euros stashed in shoe boxes; also, in the same year he was caught driving an unregistered car.[24][25][26]

In early October 2023, the Bucharest Court of Appeal sentenced Lupu to seven months and 10 days in jail for driving repeatedly without a driver's license, being released after six months in early April 2024.[27][28][29][30][31]

Personal life

[edit]

His nephew, Valentin Balint is also a footballer who started his career at Dinamo București.[32][33]

Honours

[edit]

Dinamo București

Panathinaikos

Rapid București

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "La 54 de ani, Dănuț Lupu, maestrul driblingurilor, mărturisește: "Doar de doi jucători treceam cu greu"" [At the age of 54, Dănuț Lupu, the master of dribbling, confesses: "Only with two players I had problems while trying to dribble them"] (in Romanian). Digisport.ro. 27 February 2021. Retrieved 25 August 2023.
  2. ^ a b c d "Cum au fost create marile echipe ale anilor '80?. Episodul 3: Dinamo - Show cu doar 14 "câini". Dar de rasă" [How were the great teams of the '80s created? Episode 3: Dinamo - Show with only 14 "dogs". But dogs of race] (in Romanian). Gsp.ro. 25 March 2021. Retrieved 15 February 2023.
  3. ^ "Dănuț Lupu: "Mi-a plăcut mai mult hocheiul!". Cine este omul care l-a făcut să se ducă la fotbal" [Dănuț Lupu: "I liked hockey more!". Who is the man who made him go to football?]. www.digisport.ro (in Romanian). 3 June 2021. Retrieved 6 November 2021.
  4. ^ "Adevărul despre... Dănuț Lupu: "Aș fi fost un bun hocheist!"" [The truth about ... Dănuț Lupu: "I would have been a good hockey player!"]. Adevărul (in Romanian). 9 December 2011. Retrieved 6 November 2021.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t Dănuț Lupu at RomanianSoccer.ro (in Romanian)
  6. ^ "Romanian Cup – Season 1989–1990". www.romaniansoccer.ro. Retrieved 3 August 2022.
  7. ^ "Dinamo, reunire cu gandul la Sampdoria" [Dinamo, reunited with the fought at Sampdoria] (in Romanian). Jurnalul.ro. 9 January 2009. Retrieved 14 September 2024.
  8. ^ "Dănuț Lupu. Cup Winners Cup 1989/1990". WorldFootball. Retrieved 14 September 2024.
  9. ^ "Dănuț Lupu, episod tulburător în penitenciar:"Nu e legendă. Am vrut să mă otrăvesc, am stat o săptămână intubat în spital!"" [Dănuț Lupu, disturbing episode in the penitentiary: "It's not a legend. I wanted to poison myself, I spent a week intubated in the hospital!"]. Gsp.ro (in Romanian). 17 December 2020. Retrieved 2 July 2024.
  10. ^ "Dezvaluirile incredibile ale lui Danut Lupu de cand era in inchisoare: "Nu e legenda. Am vrut sa ma otravesc si am stat o saptamana intubat in spital!"" [Danut Lupu's incredible revelations from when he was in prison: "It's not a legend. I wanted to poison myself and I was intubated in the hospital for a week!"]. Sport.ro (in Romanian). 17 December 2020. Retrieved 2 July 2024.
  11. ^ "Dănuț Lupu. UEFA Cup 1993/1994". WorldFootball. Retrieved 14 September 2024.
  12. ^ "Mircea Lucescu and The Tale of The "Brescia Romena"" (in Romanian). Cultofcalcio.com. 31 March 2020. Retrieved 10 October 2024.
  13. ^ "Brescia Romena" (in Romanian). Onromanianfootball.medium.com. 4 September 2021. Retrieved 10 October 2024.
  14. ^ "Dănuț Lupu. Serie A 1994/1995". WorldFootball. Retrieved 15 February 2023.
  15. ^ "Dănuț Lupu, mesaj tulburător despre Mircea Lucescu: "E al doilea tată al meu! În momentele cele mai grele m-a ajutat și a fost alături de mine!"" [Dănuț Lupu, disturbing message about Mircea Lucescu: "He is my second father! In the most difficult moments he helped me and stood by me!"] (in Romanian). Prosport.ro. 29 July 2020. Retrieved 6 November 2021.
  16. ^ "Dănuț Lupu, dezvăluiri incredibile la ProSport Live! Așa a ajuns la Rapid: "M-a dat afară din curte de la Dinamo! Și-a luat doar 800.000 de dolari bani negri"" [Dănuț Lupu, incredible revelations at ProSport Live! This is how he got to Rapid: "He kicked me out of the yard at Dinamo! He only took $ 800,000 in black money."] (in Romanian). Prosport.ro. 26 June 2021. Retrieved 6 November 2021.
  17. ^ Dănuț Lupu at WorldFootball.net
  18. ^ a b c "Dănuț Lupu". European Football. Retrieved 6 November 2021.
  19. ^ "Denmark 3-0 Romania". European Football. Retrieved 6 November 2021.
  20. ^ "Mircea Lucescu a dat verdictul. De ce Dănuț Lupu n-a ajuns la nivelul lui Gică Hagi: "L-a făcut praf pe Desailly"" [Mircea Lucescu gave the verdict. Why Dănuț Lupu did not reach the level of Gică Hagi: "He crushed Desailly"] (in Romanian). Iamsport.ro. 13 September 2024. Retrieved 28 November 2024.
  21. ^ "Dezvăluire teribilă: Lupu după gratii la Dundee! Cum l-a scos "Il Luce" din celulă" [Terrible revelation: Lupu behind bars in Dundee! How "Il Luce" got him out of the cell]. www.fanatik.ro (in Romanian). 18 February 2019. Retrieved 6 November 2021.
  22. ^ a b "Atena, cosmarul lui Danut Lupu" [Athens, Danut Lupu's nightmare] (in Romanian). Libertatea.ro. 29 November 2006. Retrieved 6 November 2021.
  23. ^ a b "Dănuţ Lupu despre momentul în care a fost arestat în Grecia: "Eu cu hoţii, Maradona cu drogurile! Noi eram şefii Mafiei!"" [Danut Lupu about the moment he was arrested in Greece: "Me with the thieves, Maradona with the drugs! We were the Mafia bosses!"] (in Romanian). Romaniatv.net. 1 March 2018. Retrieved 6 November 2021.
  24. ^ a b c "Top 5 fotbaliști români arestați în străinătate" [Top 5 Romanian footballers arrested abroad] (in Romanian). Theplaymaker.ro. 22 December 2017. Retrieved 7 November 2021.
  25. ^ "Lupu are din nou probleme cu Poliția" [Lupu has problems with the police again]. Libertatea (in Romanian). 23 April 2005. Retrieved 6 November 2021.
  26. ^ "Dănuț Lupu: "Cine să facă șmecherii cu mine?"" [Dănuț Lupu: "Who can do tricks with me?"]. Evenimentul Zilei (in Romanian). 6 October 2010. Retrieved 6 November 2021.
  27. ^ "De ce a fost condamnat definitiv Dănuț Lupu la închisoare cu executare" [Why was Dănuț Lupu definitively sentenced to prison with execution. The court's explanations] (in Romanian). Libertatea.ro. 3 October 2023. Retrieved 4 April 2024.
  28. ^ "Șoc! Dănuț Lupu, condamnat la închisoare cu executare: cât de mare e sentința primită de fostul fotbalist de la Dinamo și Rapid!" [Shock! Dănuț Lupu, sentenced to prison with execution: how big is the sentence received by the former football player from Dinamo and Rapid!] (in Romanian). Prosport.ro. 2 October 2023. Retrieved 4 April 2024.
  29. ^ "Dănuț Lupu, condamnat definitiv la închisoare. Cât va sta închis" [Dănuț Lupu, definitively sentenced to prison. How long will it be closed?] (in Romanian). Playsport.ro. 2 October 2023. Retrieved 4 April 2024.
  30. ^ "Dănuț Lupu a fost eliberat din închisoare! Incident cu o reporteră: "Mă hărtuiești!"" [Dănuț Lupu was released from prison! Incident with a reporter: "You're harassing me!"] (in Romanian). Gsp.ro. 3 April 2024. Retrieved 4 April 2024.
  31. ^ "Primele imagini cu Dănuț Lupu, după ce a fost eliberat din Penitenciarul Rahova: "Am făcut o greșeală, am plătit-o. Când voi lua permisul voi conduce iar"" [The first images of Dănuț Lupu, after he was released from the Rahova Penitentiary: "I made a mistake, I paid for it. When I get my license I will drive again"] (in Romanian). Antena3.ro. 3 April 2024. Retrieved 4 April 2024.
  32. ^ "Puştiul cu numele greu! Valentin Balint a învăţat fotbal de la unchiul său, Dănuţ Lupu" [The kid with a heavy name! Valentin Balint learned to play football from his uncle Danuţ Lupu] (in Romanian). prosport.ro. 30 July 2013. Retrieved 7 October 2017.
  33. ^ "El e pustiul MAGIC pe care Dinamo il creste s-o DISTRUGA pe Steaua! Ce mesaj are pentru fane" [He is the MAGICAL kid that Dinamo grows to DESTROY Steaua! What message does he has for his female fans] (in Romanian). sport.ro. Retrieved 7 October 2017.
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