Ilie Greavu

  1. Home
  2. Wiki

Ilie Greavu
Greavu in 1963
Personal information
Date of birth 19 July 1937
Place of birth Sibiu, Romania[1]
Date of death 1 April 2007 (aged 69)
Height 1.65 m (5 ft 5 in)[1]
Position(s) Left back
Youth career
1952–1954 Progresul Sibiu
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1955–1956 Progresul CPCS București
1957–1971 Rapid București 294 (1)
International career
1961–1966 Romania[a] 22 (0)
Managerial career
1988 Rapid București
* Club domestic league appearances and goals

Ilie Greavu (19 July 1937 – 1 April 2007) was a Romanian football defender and manager.

Club career

[edit]

Greavu, nicknamed Cauciuc (Rubber) because he could jump one meter and 20 centimeters high, was born on 19 July 1937 in Sibiu, Romania.[4][5][6][7] He began playing football in 1952 at local club Progresul, then in 1955 moving to Progresul CPCS București in Divizia B.[4][5] He was transferred to Rapid București where on 28 August 1957 he made his Divizia A debut in a 1–0 away loss to Energia Petroșani.[4][5][7]

Greavu (front row, first from right) with Rapid București in 1965
Greavu training with Rapid București in 1963
Greavu during a training session in 1965

He helped Rapid win the 1966–67 Divizia A which was the first title in the club's history, being used by coach Valentin Stănescu in 25 matches.[4][5][7][8] After the last game of the season against Petrolul Ploiești which ended in a 0–0 draw, and the team earned the point that mathematically made them champions, Greavu said:"I played the last thirty minutes with a lump in my throat. Every minute we got closer to the title seemed endless. That half hour was the hardest exam of my life".[9] During his 14-season spell with The Railwaymen, he also won the 1957 Cupa Primăverii and two Balkans Cups in 1964 and 1966.[4][5][7] Greavu reached three Cupa României finals, playing in all, the first two in 1961 and 1962 under the guidance of coach Ion Mihăilescu were lost to Arieșul Turda and Steaua București respectively, while at the one in 1968 he was coached by Stănescu in the loss to Dinamo București.[10][11][12] He played seven games in European competitions (including four games in the Inter-cities Fairs Cup), taking part in the 1967–68 European Cup campaign in which he helped Rapid eliminate Trakia Plovdiv, being eliminated by Juventus in the following round.[4][13][14] Greavu made his last Divizia A appearance on 5 June 1971 in a 3–1 home loss to Steagul Roșu Brașov, having a total of 294 appearances with one goal scored in the competition.[4][7]

International career

[edit]

Greavu played 10 matches for Romania, making his debut on 14 May 1961 under coach Gheorghe Popescu in a friendly that ended with a 1–0 victory against Turkey.[15][16] He played in six games in the 1966 World Cup qualifiers.[15] His last appearance for the national team was on 21 September 1966 in a friendly against East Germany which ended with a 2–0 loss.[15] Greavu also played 12 games for Romania's Olympic team, being chosen by coach Silviu Ploeșteanu to be part of the 1964 Summer Olympics squad in Tokyo where he played in all six games, helping the team finish in fifth place.[1][17]

Later life

[edit]

After retirement, Greavu worked at Rapid București as vice-president from 1972 until 1974, head and assistant coach of the senior team and coach of the children's and junior center where he taught and formed generations of players, which include Stelian Marin, Ion Ion, Iosif Damaschin, Marian Rada and Daniel Niculae.[5][7]

In 2004, Greavu had his legs amputated because he suffered from arthritis, and he was also ill with diabetes, ultimately dying on 1 April 2007 at age 69 from a heart attack.[4][5][7]

Honours

[edit]

Rapid București

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ Including 12 appearances for Romania's Olympic team.[2][3]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c Ilie Greavu. sports-reference.com
  2. ^ "Ilie Greavu". European Football. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
  3. ^ a b c Ilie Greavu at National-Football-Teams.com
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h Ilie Greavu at RomanianSoccer.ro (in Romanian)
  5. ^ a b c d e f g "A murit Ilie Greavu" [Ilie Greavu died] (in Romanian). Adevarul.ro. 2 April 2007. Retrieved 1 July 2021.
    "In memoriam - Ilie Greavu" [In memory of - Ilie Greavu] (in Romanian). Tribuna.ro. 21 May 2010. Retrieved 13 October 2022.
    "Greavu, legenda de "Cauciuc" a Rapidului" [Greavu, the "Rubber" legend of Rapid] (in Romanian). 1923.ro. 29 January 2016. Retrieved 13 October 2022.
  6. ^ "Oare cati stiu ca Ilie Greavu a jucat impotriva marelui Beckenbauer?" [How many know that Ilie Greavu played against the great Beckenbauer?] (in Romanian). Hotnews.ro. 3 April 2009. Retrieved 13 October 2022.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h "Muzeul Rapidului prinde viață! Familia lui Ilie Greavu, prima care a contribuit la proiectul ambițios al giuleștenilor" [The Rapid Museum comes to life! The family of Ilie Greavu, the first to contribute to the ambitious project of the people of Giulești] (in Romanian). Digisport.ro. 3 June 2020. Retrieved 13 October 2022.
  8. ^ "Romania National Champions". RomanianSoccer. Retrieved 13 October 2022.
  9. ^ "Istoria secretă a Rapidului: blaturi pentru câștigarea primelor două titluri. Mărturii incredibile: "Hai, mă, copii să facem egal!" + regia tovarășilor Pădureanu și Lucescu" [The secret history of Rapid: Match fixing for winning the first two titles. Incredible testimonials: "Come on, kids, let's make it even!" + directed by comrades Pădureanu and Lucescu] (in Romanian). Gsp.ro. 22 August 2023. Retrieved 23 August 2023.
  10. ^ a b "Romanian Cup – Season 1960–1961". RomanianSoccer. Retrieved 13 October 2022.
  11. ^ a b "Romanian Cup – Season 1961–1962". RomanianSoccer. Retrieved 13 October 2022.
  12. ^ a b "Romanian Cup – Season 1967–1968". RomanianSoccer. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
  13. ^ Ilie Greavu at WorldFootball.net
  14. ^ "Ilie Greavu - Europa League 1967/1968". WorldFootball. Retrieved 13 October 2022.
  15. ^ a b c "Ilie Greavu profile". European Football. Retrieved 1 July 2021.
  16. ^ "Turkey - Romania 0:1". European Football. Retrieved 1 July 2021.
  17. ^ "Ilie Greavu". Olympedia. Retrieved 1 July 2021.
    "Ilie Greavu profile". 11v11. Retrieved 1 July 2021.
    "Cum a fost ultima participare a României la Olimpiadă, în 1964, când "tricolorii" au pierdut dramatic sfertul cu Ungaria" [How was Romania's last participation in the Olympics, in 1964, when "The Tricolors" dramatically lost the quarter to Hungary] (in Romanian). Theplaymaker.ro. 27 June 2019. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
    "Ilie Greavu - Olympic Games 1964". WorldFootball. Retrieved 17 October 2024.