Laurențiu Reghecampf


Laurențiu Aurelian Reghecampf is a Romanian former professional footballer. He is the current manager of Al-Wasl F.C.

Club career

Reghecampf was born in Târgoviște and began his career in his native city with Chindia. In the 1993–94 season, at the age of 18, Reghecampf was loaned to Austrian Bundesliga side SKN St. Pölten.
He later joined Steaua București where he won the league title twice. One year later, Reghecampf was loaned to Bulgarian side Litex Lovech, with whom he won the 1999 A PFG title.
In 2000, he was bought by German Bundesliga team Energie Cottbus. In 2004, he joined Alemannia Aachen, with whom he would become a fan favorite his side won promotion to the Bundesliga in his first season with the club. A few seasons later he was named captain of Alemannia. In the 2006–07 season of the German Cup, Reghecampf scored twice in a 4–2 victory over Bayern Munich, thus eliminating them from the competition.
On 4 July 2008, he joined second-tier side 1. FC Kaiserslautern on a free transfer for the 2008–09 2. Bundesliga season, only being able to play two matches because of a gastric virus infection, announcing his retirement in 2009 after his contract had not been extended.

International career

Reghecampf was capped once for the Romanian national team against Denmark in 2003.

Managerial career

Reghecampf started his managerial career with Liga II side Snagov in 2009. At the end of 2009–10 season, he was brought at Universitatea Craiova to save the team from relegation. He ended his quest successfully, but he was not kept at Craiova for the new season. Instead, Reghecampf joined Gloria Bistrița. He was sacked after only 12 games because of poor results. Reghecampf returned to Snagov, but after only five games he was called back to Craiova, to help the team avoid relegation. He was sacked after only six games, following a conflict with several players.
He started the 2011–12 season at FC Snagov, for a second spell. In December 2011, he signed a contract with Romanian Liga I club Concordia Chiajna, with the main objective to avoid relegation, after a half-season the club was above the relegation zone 17th overall when he took over. He changed almost the entire squad, bringing 17 new players, most of them from Snagov, and after a series of wins, his side finished the season in ninth place.
This evolution brought the attention of his former team, Steaua București, and at the end of the season, they offered him a contract for a season. His objective was to bringt the first championship title for Steaua after a seven-year absence. In March 2013, he guided Steaua to the last 16 of the Europa League after eliminating Ajax from the competition. The first leg away finished with a 2–0 win to Ajax in Amsterdam. In the second leg home, Steaua took a 2–0 lead and the 2–2 aggregate pushed the game into extra-time. Steaua beat the Dutch side 4–2 on penalties. Steaua were eliminated by eventual winners Chelsea after winning 1–0 in the first leg at home and losing 1–3 away at Stamford Bridge.
In May 2013 he mathematically won the Romanian League and later the Romanian Supercup. On 9 May 2014, Steaua and Reghecampf won their second consecutive league title. He helped Steaua to qualify for the UEFA Champions League group stages. Reghecampf also lead his side to the Romanian Cup final which Steaua lost 4–2 on penalties to league runners-up Astra Giurgiu.
On 27 May 2014, he signed a two-year contract with Saudi Arabian side Al-Hilal. He led Al-Hilal to the AFC Champions League final five months after his appointment, by defeating Al-Ain 4–2 on aggregate in semi-finals. However, his side lost the final to Western Sydney Wanderers on a two-leg match. He was sacked on 15 February 2015 after another final loss, in the Saudi Crown Prince Cup.
In August 2015, he was appointed manager of Bulgarian side Litex Lovech. In December 2015, Reghecampf announced his decision to leave the club to join Steaua București for the second time. In May 2017, he stepped down as manager.
On 3 July 2017, Reghecampf was announced as the new head coach of the Emirati club Al Wahda on a 2-year deal replacing Javier Aguirre. According to sources, his salary will be $2.6 million per season plus potential bonuses up to another $1.6 million. On 16 September 2017, in his Arabian Gulf League debut, Al-Wahda defeated Dibba Al-Fujairah 5–0.

Managerial statistics

Football academy

In July 2015, he opened the Reghecampf Soccer Academy, which is a school for kids that want to learn how to play soccer. The academy is based in the United States and located in Henderson, Nevada.

Honours

Player

Chindia Târgoviște
Steaua Bucharest
Litex Lovech
Steaua Bucharest
Al Hilal
;Al Wahda