Valentin StÃÂnescu (20 November 1922 â 4 April 1994) was a Romanian football goalkeeper and manager. StÃÂnescu and Constantin CernÃÂianu are the only two coaches who have managed the big three Bucharest city rivals, Steaua, Dinamo, and Rapid.
StÃÂnescu, also known as "Tinel" or "Zimbrul" (The bison), was born on 20 November 1922 in Bucharest, Romania and began playing junior-level football at age 11 in 1933 at local club Olimpia. In 1942, he joined Malaxa Tohan for a short while, before moving to Sportul StudenÃÂesc BucureÃÂti for three years, during which he played a Cupa României final that was lost with 4âÂÂ0 to CFR Turnu Severin.
He made his Divizia A debut playing for Carmen BucureÃÂti under coach Petre Steinbach on 16 March 1947 in a 3âÂÂ2 away victory against Dermagarand Târgu MureÃÂ. At the end of the season, the Carmen team was dissolved by the Communist regime that just took over the country. StÃÂnescu and teammate Bazil Marian attempted to flee to Italy by boarding a ship in the Port of ConstanÃÂa. However, the authorities apprehended them, offering a choice between imprisonment or playing for a working-class team like Locomotiva BucureÃÂti, and they both chose the latter option.
He played for Locomotiva until he retired, making his last Divizia A appearance on 27 May 1951 in a 2âÂÂ1 home loss to Steaua BucureÃÂti, totaling 51 matches in the competition. However, he spent his last season in Divizia B as the club was relegated, but StÃÂnescu stayed with the team, helping it gain promotion back to the first division after one year.
StÃÂnescu played five matches for Romania, making his debut on 22 June 1947 when coach Colea Vâlcov introduced him in the 71st minute to replace Stanislau Konrad in a 3âÂÂ1 loss to Yugoslavia in the 1947 Balkan Cup. He made two more appearances in that competition, a 3âÂÂ2 victory against Bulgaria and a 3âÂÂ0 loss to Hungary. The latter was his last game played for the national team.
StÃÂnescu started his managerial career in 1953 at Locomotiva MCF BucureÃÂti in the Romanian regional championship. In 1955, he went to coach at DunÃÂrea Giurgiu, after three years moving to Unirea FocÃÂani in Divizia B, helping it avoid relegation. In 1959, he started to coach Metalul TârgoviÃÂte, managing to gain promotion from Divizia C to Divizia B and later to Divizia A. There, in his first season as coach in the first division, the team was relegated as it finished in 13th place. In 1963, StÃÂnescu went to coach GiuleÃÂti based club Rapid BucureÃÂti, where he created a team formed on the clubs juniors with some transfers including his former player from DunÃÂrea Giurgiu Constantin NÃÂsturescu and goalkeeper RÃÂducanu Necula.
He was the first coach that implemented the 4âÂÂ4âÂÂ2 formation in Romanian football, thus creating a team that won the club's first title in the 1966âÂÂ67 season. StÃÂnescu also won two Balkans Cups, becoming the first manager to achieve this performance. In the following season he led Rapid in the 1967âÂÂ68 European Cup, making his first European performance by eliminating Trakia Plovdiv with 3âÂÂ2 on aggregate, being eliminated in the following round by Juventus Torino with 1âÂÂ0 on aggregate. In the same season he reached the 1968 Cupa României final which was lost with 3âÂÂ1 in extra time to Dinamo BucureÃÂti that was coached by his former Carmen BucureÃÂti teammate, Bazil Marian.
StÃÂnescu also coached Romania's Olympic team for a short while, achieving a 2âÂÂ1 away victory in a friendly against Yugoslavia on 17 June 1964. In 1968, StÃÂnescu went to work for Divizia B side Steagul RoÃÂu BraÃÂov, helping it win promotion to the first league after one year. In 1971 he led for a second time Romania's Olympic team in the 1972 Summer Olympics qualifiers. The team got past Albania with 4âÂÂ2 on aggregate in the first round, qualifying for the next round. There, they lost 2âÂÂ1 in the away first leg against Denmark and he was replaced before the second leg. In 1971, he took over Steaua BucureÃÂti, leading them in the 1971âÂÂ72 European Cup Winners' Cup campaign. He made history by becoming the first Romanian coach to eliminate Barcelona with a 3âÂÂ1 aggregate, though his team was defeated by Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals on the away goal rule after a 1âÂÂ1 aggregate.
StÃÂnescu became the coach of Romania's national team in 1973, making his debut in a friendly which ended with a 2âÂÂ0 away loss to the Soviet Union. During his two-year spell, Romania managed its biggest ever victory, a 9âÂÂ0 win against Finland in the 1974 World Cup qualifiers. StÃÂnescu took charge of Divizia B club Petrolul PloieÃÂti in 1976, helping it gain promotion to the first league after one year. In 1979, he went to coach Universitatea Craiova, a team he helped win the 1979âÂÂ80 title. While with "U" Craiova, he also became the first Romanian coach who eliminated a team from England, Leeds United, with 4âÂÂ0 on aggregate in the second round of the 1979âÂÂ80 UEFA Cup, also earning a 1âÂÂ0 victory against Borussia Mönchengladbach in the following round.
In 1980, StÃÂnescu went for a second spell at Romania's national team, earning a 2âÂÂ1 home victory and a 0âÂÂ0 away draw against England in the 1982 World Cup qualifiers, totaling 35 games across both of his spells, consisting of 11 victories, 14 draws and 10 losses. From 1980 until 1982, he coached Dinamo BucureÃÂti, simultaneously coaching Romania for the first year and a half of that period. He helped The Red Dogs win The Double in his second season and managed to become the first Romanian coach who eliminated Inter Milan with a 4âÂÂ3 victory on aggregate in the second round of the 1981âÂÂ82 UEFA Cup. In 1982, he returned to Rapid, helping them get promoted back to Divizia A after the club spent six years in Divizia B. StÃÂnescu was the first coach who won the Romanian top-division, Divizia A, with three different clubs, having a total of 455 matches as a manager in the competition, consisting of 206 victories, 101 draws and 148 losses.
StÃÂnescu admitted that he was most attached to Rapid BucureÃÂti among all the clubs he worked for, delivering the following speech in front of the players during his tenure in the 1980s, which remained popular at the club over the years: "Hey guys, are you listening? Let me tell you how things are. Rapid is not yours, it is not mine or the ministry's. Rapid belongs to over 100,000 railway workers from all over the country. It belongs to them, to their wives and children, to those who came before usâÂÂhundreds of thousands more who are no longer hereâÂÂand to those who will come after us. They are people who have worked and who are working so that you can kick a ball, study a book, and become someone in life. Do not disgrace Rapid! Whoever doesn't love the team has no choiceâÂÂhe will have to love it like his mother and father. Here are your mother and father, your home and table, your sister and brother, your lover, and everythingâÂÂeverything you hold sacred in the world! From now on I am your grandfather, but don't think that just because I'm 60 years old I have a softer hand. Whoever wants can leave now, because those who stay will only leave the ship feet first!".
StÃÂnescu died on 4 April 1994 at the age of 71.
The GiuleÃÂti-Valentin StÃÂnescu Stadium was a football stadium in the GiuleÃÂti neighborhood of Bucharest. The venue, named after him, was the home stadium of Rapid BucureÃÂti for almost 80 years.
Sportul StudenÃÂesc BucureÃÂti
CFR BucureÃÂti
Metalul TârgoviÃÂte
Rapid BucureÃÂti
Steagul RoÃÂu BraÃÂov
Petrolul PloieÃÂti
Universitatea Craiova
Dinamo BucureÃÂti