Gheorghe Constantin


Gheorghe Constantin was a Romanian former footballer and coach. Known as The Professor, he was a symbol of Steaua Bucureşti.

Club career

Constantin made his debut for Unirea Tricolor's youth team, and shortly after their abolition he signed with Venus UCB. He played only a year for his new club, before moving to Avântul Reghin and then CFR Iaşi before he signed a contract with Steaua Bucureşti. He played for Steaua 15-years, scoring 149 goals in Divizia A. Romanian Communist authorities allow him to play abroad for Kayserispor in Turkey.
He made his debut in the Romanian national team against Yugoslavia; that was a game made notable by the fact that the whole Romanian team was made up of players from Steaua Bucureşti. Constantin was also a member of the Romanian soccer team at the 1964 Summer Olympics.

Managerial career

After his return from Turkey, he was appointed by Steaua Bucureşti as an assistant manager. Constantin was the manager of the team in 1973, but after only a short period he moved to Bacău. After Bacău, he managed FCM Galaţi, but returned to Steaua in 1978. He won the Romanian Cup in his second spell there, then left the club to manage Politehnica Iaşi. In 1983, he was appointed the manager of Steaua Bucureşti's second team, Steaua Mecanică Fină Bucureşti. He managed a number of clubs in his native country and also coached in Turkey.

Career statistics

International goals

GoalDateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
1.14 September 1958Zentral Stadium, Leipzig, East Germany1–13–2Friendly
2.2 November 195823 August Stadium, Bucharest, Romania2–03–01960 European Nations' Cup Qual.
3.8 November 195923 August Stadium, Bucharest, Romania1–01–01960 European Nations' Cup Qual.
4.8 October 196123 August Stadium, Bucharest, Romania3–04–0Friendly
5.8 October 196123 August Stadium, Bucharest, Romania4–04–0Friendly
6.25 November 196223 August Stadium, Bucharest, Romania3–13–11964 European Nations' Cup Qual.
7.23 December 1962Stade D'honneur, Casablanca, Morocco0–13–1Friendly
8.23 June 1963Idrætsparken Stadium, Copenhagen, Denmark0–12–31964 Summer Olympics Qual.
9.27 April 196423 August Stadium, Bucharest, Romania1–04–1Friendly
10.3 May 196423 August Stadium, Bucharest, Romania1–02–1Friendly
11.3 May 196423 August Stadium, Bucharest, Romania2–02–1Friendly
12.22 October 1964Nagai Stadium, Osaka, Japan3–03–01964 Summer Olympics

Honours

Player

Club

Steaua Bucharest
Steaua Bucharest
Politehnica Iaşi