Gheorghe Constantin (14 December 1932 â 9 March 2010) was a Romanian footballer and coach, nicknamed 'The Professor' and a symbol of Steaua BucureÃÂti.
Constantin began his career with Unirea Tricolor's youth team, and shortly after their dissolution, he signed with Venus BucureÃÂti. He played for only one year at his new club before moving to Avântul Reghin, then CFR Iaà Âi, before finally signing a contract with Steaua BucureÃÂti. He played for Steaua for 15 years and helped the club win 8 domestic titles. In 1969, the Romanian Communist authorities allowed him to play abroad for Kayserispor in Turkey at age 37.
Constantin made his debut for the Romania national team on 22 April 1956 in a 1âÂÂ0 win against Yugoslavia in Belgrade, a game notable for the fact that the entire Romanian team consisted of players from Steaua BucureÃÂti. He was also a member of Romania's team at the 1964 Summer Olympics in Japan.
After his return from Turkey, he was appointed by Steaua BucureÃÂti as assistant manager. Constantin was the manager of the club in 1972, but after only a short period, he moved to BacÃÂu. After BacÃÂu, he managed FCM Galaà £i, but returned to Steaua in 1978. He won the Romanian Cup in his second spell there, then left the club to manage Politehnica Iaà Âi. In 1983, he was appointed the manager of Steaua BucureÃÂti's second team, Steaua MecanicàFinàBucureÃÂti. He managed a number of clubs in his native country and also coached in Turkey.
He died in Bucharest on 9 March 2010, at the age of 77.
Steaua Bucharest
Individual
Steaua Bucharest
Politehnica Iaà Âi