Lucescu, 79, returns for second spell as Romania coach

Romania have brought back Mircea Lucescu for a second spell in charge of the national team, replacing fellow Romanian Edward Iordanescu, the national football federation (FRF) said on Tuesday.

The 79-year-old Lucescu coached Romania from 1981-1986 and has since managed Serie A's Inter Milan, Turkish Super Lig side Galatasaray and Ukrainian Premier League side Shakhtar Donetsk, among several other clubs, as well as the Turkey national team.

Lucescu, who last managed Ukraine's Dynamo Kyiv, has signed a two-year contract, with the FRF saying the main objective during that period will be qualifying the team for the 2026 World Cup.

"I am a 100 per cent product of Romanian football," Lucescu said in a statement. "I have great confidence in this generation of players. It is a group of players who can grow a lot."

Under Iordanescu, Romania reached the knockout rounds of the 2024 European Championship for the first time in 24 years but lost to the Netherlands in the round of 16.

"The performance they did at Euro 2024 in Germany gives them the right to believe in their potential, that they can reach the World Championship," Lucescu added.

"Only one thing made me decide to come to the national team: my love for football, my obligation to Romanian football."