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The Most Successful Romanian Bosses in the European Elite Leagues

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A few Romanian managers have had remarkable spells in the European top five leagues.

Romanian managers are not exactly considered among the elite bosses in Europe. Only a few can be considered so. A number of former stars have attempted to thrive as a gaffer, such as Dan Petrescu and Gheorge Hagi, but neither has managed to gain success in the major leagues yet.

Recently, another former player began his managerial career, Christian Chivu. The ex-Inter Milan left back has been named Parma’s new boss to replace FabioPecchia. It is his first job on the senior side after six years in charge of the Inter Milan youth team. 

It has been a while since the last Romanian boss was in charge of the Italian Serie A side. The last one was Mircea Lucescu, who led Inter Milan in the 1998/99 campaign. 

Only time will tell if Chivu could thrive in the dugout at the top level. Yet, his 2-0 win over Bologna in his debut could signify his potential. He could certainly be inspired by his seniors. Here are the four Romanian managers who have been fairly successful in the European top five. 

Cosmin Contra 

He was Chivu’s teammate in his playing years. Contra had begun his managerial career earlier and was named Getafe manager in the middle of the 2013/14 season. The former wingback was able to lead his former club to safety by sitting 13th in the standings. During his tenure, Getafe managed to pick up crucial results in the campaign by thumping Sevilla 1-0 and holding Barcelona twice in both fixtures in two different seasons. 

Unfortunately, he did not continue his spell in Spain but opted to move to the Chinese Super League instead in the middle of the 2014/15 season. However, his stint in East Asia was short-lived, and Contra eventually returned to Spain. He joined Alcorcon, the team in the second tier of La Liga, before moving back to his home soil for Dinamo Bucharest.

The former Atletico Madrid and AC Milan man won notable silverware for Petrolul PloieČ™ti and Dinamo Bucharest. Contra’s last club was Saudi Pro League side, Damar CF. 

Clubs in European major leagues

Notable games

Silverware

Getafe (2014 -2015)

vs Valencia 3-1 (A) 2013/14

vs Barcelona 2-2 (A) 2013/14

vs Sevilla 1-0 (H) 2013/14

vs Barcelona 0-0 (H) 2014/15

Romanian Cup 2013 (Petrolul Ploiesti)

Romanian League Cup 2017 (Dinamo Bucharest)

Laszlo Boloni

He is one of the most well-known yet underrated managers in Europe. Boloni has various spells in France, Portugal, Belgium, and Greece and played a small but important part in Cristiano Ronaldo’s early career before moving abroad. 

The Romanian international in the 1980s has been in charge of four French sides, Nancy, Rennes, Monaco, Lens, and Metz, plus Sporting Lisbon. His most successful stint in Ligue 1 was with Rennes as he led them to finish fifth in the 2004/05 season. Previously, Boloni won the double domestic title with Sporting Lisbon in the 2001/2002 campaign and gave the young CR7 his senior debut in the following season.

The former midfielder also thrived with Standard Liege as he delivered another double domestic title in 2009, plus the Belgian Cup in 2008. Nevertheless, he failed to live up to the expectations of his last team, Metz. After guiding them back to the top flight in 2023, they went straight back to relegation in 2024 after suffering a loss to Saint Etienne in the relegation playoff. Such led to his departure from the French side. 

Clubs in European major leagues

Notable games

Silverware

Nancy (1994-2000)

vs PSG 2-1 (A) 1998/99

vs Marseille 2-2 (A) 1999/2000

Portuguese League and Portuguese Cup 2002 (Sporting Lisbon)

Belgian League 2009, Belgian Cup 2008 and 2009 (Standard Liege)

 

Rennes (2003-2006)

vs Lyon 3-1 (H) 2003/04

vs Marseille 4-3 (H) 2003/04

vs Monaco 4-1 (A) 2003/04

vs PSG 2-1 (H) 2004/05

vs Marseille 1-0 (H) 2004/05

vs Lyon 4-1 (A) 2005/06

 

 

AS Monaco (2006)

Lens (2011)

Metz (2022-2024)

 

 

Mircea Lucescu 

The current Romanian manager is undoubtedly the best one in Romanian football history, but his spells in European elite sides remain mediocre. Lucescu mostly spent his career in Italy before wandering to Turkey, Ukraine, and Russia.

The former Romanian skipper in the 1970 FIFA World Cup was in charge of Pisa, Brescia, Reggiana, and Inter Milan, but none of his tenures ended in a satisfying finish while competing in Serie A. Lucescu’s side was even suffering three or four relegations and could not finish his campaign at the end of the season with Nerazzurri.

On the contrary, he enjoyed trophy laden years outside the top leagues. Lucescu lifted the Turkish league trophy twice, once each with Galatasaray and Besiktas. He also snatched UEFA Super Cup 2002 by beating Real Madrid 2-1. The former Rapid and Dinamo Bucharest gaffer clinched nine Ukrainian league titles (8x with Shakhtar Donetsk and once with Dynamo Kiev), seven domestic cups for both sides, plus the UEFA Cup in 2009 with Shakhtar Donetsk.

Lucescu is in his second stint with the Romania national team. His first one was from 1981 to 1986, when he was able to qualify for Euro 1984, eliminating the World Cup winner Italy in the qualifiers. Now, he aims to lead Dennis Man and Co. to the World Cup final round in North America in 2026 after their long absence since 1998. 

Clubs in European major leagues

Notable games

Silverware

Pisa (1990-1991)

vs AS Roma 2-0 (A)

Romanian league 1990, Romanian Cup 1986, 1990 (Dinamo Bucharest)

Romanian league 1999, Romanian Cup 1998 (Rapid Bucharest)

Turkish league, UEFA Super Cup 2002 (Galatasaray)

Turkish league 2003 (Besiktas)

Ukrainian league 8x, Ukrainian Cup 6x, UEFA Cup 2009 (Shakhtar Donetsk)

Ukrainian league and Cup 2021 (Dynamo Kiev)

Brescia (1991-1996)

vs AS Roma 3-2 (A) 1992/93

vs Juventus 0-0 (A) 1992/93

vs Juventus 2-0 (H) 1992/93

vs Sampdoria 3-1 (H) 1992/93

vs Juventus 1-1 (H) 1994/95

vs Inter Milan 0-0 (H) 1994/95

 

Reggiana 1996

Inter Milan (1998-1999)

 

 

Stefan Kovacs 

Last but not least, there is a distinguished figure who could not be left out, Stefan Kovacs. He is the best Romanian boss in history, as he remains the only one who won the Champions Cup/UCL, not just once but twice in a row. 

Kovacs had such success with Ajax Amsterdam as Rinus Michels’ successor in 1971. Despite being looked down on initially, including by the team's star, Johan Cruyff, he managed to prove his quality by winning all titles for Der Amsterdammers, including two Eredivisie, UEFA Super Cup, and Continental Cup 1972. 

The former Steaua Bucharest boss also won the Greek Cup in 1982 with Panathinaikos and was named the manager of the France national team and his own nation consecutively after his spell in the Netherlands. Unfortunately, he failed to lead Les Blues to qualify for EURO 1976 and did the same for Romania for EURO 1980. 

Kovacs’ last team was Monaco in the 1986/87 campaign. He was only able to bring them to finish fifth in the final standings. 

Clubs in European major leagues

Notable games

Silverware

Ajax (1971-1973)

vs Bayern Munich 4-0 (H) 1972/1973

Eredivisie 1972, 1973; European Cup 1972, 1973; KNVB Cup 1972

UEFA Super Cup and Intercontinental Cup 1972

(Ajax Amsterdam)

Monaco (1986-1987)

vs Olympique Marseille 2-0

 

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