Marcel Pușcaș

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Marcel Pușcaș
Personal information
Date of birth (1960-10-12) 12 October 1960 (age 65)[1]
Place of birth Oradea, Romania[1]
Position Midfielder[2]
Youth career
Bihor Oradea
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1978–1983 Bihor Oradea 98 (25)
1983–1985 Steaua București 42 (7)
1985–1987 Rapid București 10 (3)
1988 CS Târgoviște
1989 Steaua Mizil
Total 150 (35)
International career
1983 Romania 1 (0)
Managerial career
1988 CS Târgoviște (player/coach)
1993 Rapid București (caretaker)
1996–1998 Steaua București (president)
2018–2024 FC U Craiova (general director)
2024–2025 Ceahlăul Piatra Neamț (president)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals

Marcel Pușcaș (born 12 October 1960) is a Romanian former professional footballer who played as a midfielder.[3][4][5][6]

Club career

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Pușcaș was born on 12 October 1960 in Oradea, Romania.[1][3][4][6] He began playing football at local club Bihor, making his Divizia A debut on 3 December 1978 when coach Emerich Jenei sent him at halftime to replace Ioan Naom in a 1–0 home loss to Sportul Studențesc București.[1][3][7] At the end of his first season, the team was relegated to Divizia B, but he stayed with the club, helping it get promoted back to the first league after two seasons.[1]

In 1983 he joined Steaua București, where he won The Double in the 1984–85 season for which he contributed with two goals scored in the 21 league appearances given to him by coaches Florin Halagian and Jenei.[1][3][4][5][8] In the same season he played in both legs of the 1–0 aggregate loss to A.S. Roma in the first round of the European Cup Winners' Cup.[1][9] In 1985, Pușcaș left Steaua to play for Rapid București, where in a match against Politehnica Timișoara, he had his leg broken by Marcel Sabou, an injury that kept him off the field for about two years.[10] After he recovered from the injury, Pușcaș played only a few matches for Rapid, including his last Divizia A appearance which took place on 18 October 1987 in a 3–2 win over ASA Târgu Mureș, totaling 85 matches with 13 goals in the competition.[1][4][5][6][10]

Afterwards he went to second division club CS Târgoviște, where he was a player-coach.[1][4][5][6][10] Pușcaș ended his playing career after the 1988–89 season at Divizia B club Steaua Mizil.[3][4][5][6][10]

International career

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Pușcaș played one friendly game for Romania, being sent by coach Mircea Lucescu to replace Aurel Țicleanu in the 72nd minute of a 1–0 victory against East Germany.[11][12]

Managerial career

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Pușcaș started coaching in 1988 at Divizia B club CS Târgoviște, where he was also an active player.[4][5][6][10] In 1993 Pușcaș was coach at Rapid București, and managed to qualify the team in European competitions for the first time after 18 years.[4][5][6] Subsequently, he led the team in the 5–1 aggregate defeat to Inter Milan in the 1993–94 UEFA Cup.[4][5][6][13][14]

After retirement

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After abandoning his coaching career, Pușcaș worked as a football official at AJF Bihor, after which he became president at Viitorul Oradea.[4][5][6] From 1996 until 1998 he was president at Steaua București, a period in which the club won two league titles, one Cupa României and one Supercupa României.[4][5][6][13] Between 2002 and 2004 he worked as a sports agent.[4][5][6] In March 2014 Pușcaș ran for president of the Romanian Football Federation, but gave up his candidacy during the General Assembly of the elections in order to support Răzvan Burleanu who eventually won the elections.[4][5][6][13] Afterwards, Pușcaș was co-opted into Burleanu's administrative team at the federation.[4][5][6][13] In April 2018, Pușcaș ran again for president of the Romanian Football Federation, this time losing to Răzvan Burleanu.[5][6][13] From November 2018 until July 2020, he was president at FC U Craiova 1948, a period in which the club won a promotion to the second league.[10][13]

Personal life

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Pușcaș graduated from the National University of Physical Education and Sport (ANEFS) and the University of Mechanics.[4][5][6][10]

On 27 October 2020, he released an autobiographical book called Fotbalul în cârje (Football on crutches).[3][14][15] On 26 March 2021, Pușcaș released his second book called Cum devii fotbalist (How do you become a footballer).[16][17]

Honours

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Bihor Oradea

Steaua București

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Marcel Pușcaș at RomanianSoccer.ro (in Romanian)
  2. ^ Marcel Pușcaș at WorldFootball.net
  3. ^ a b c d e f g "Marcel Pușcaș, 60 de ani! "Când mi-am rupt piciorul n-a fost o dramă. A început o nouă viață" + Când apare volumul autobiografic" [Marcel Pușcaș, 60 years old! "When I broke my leg, it was not a drama. A new life had begun"+ When will the autobiographical volume appear] (in Romanian). Prosport.ro. 12 October 2020. Retrieved 19 November 2020.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o "BIOGRAFIE: Marcel Puscas, fost fotbalist, antrenor, impresar si conducator, candideaza la presedintia FRF" [BIOGRAPHY: Marcel Puscas, former football player, coach, player agent and club official is running for FRF presidency] (in Romanian). Mediafax.ro. 3 March 2014. Retrieved 19 November 2020.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o "Marcel Puşcaş: "În 2003 s-a făcut o altă structură la Steaua. Primii 5 ani au fost în regulă"" [Marcel Puşcaş: "In 2003 another structure was built at Steaua. The first 5 years were fine"] (in Romanian). Digisport.ro. 25 February 2016. Retrieved 19 November 2020.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o "Cine este Marcel Pușcaș, candidat la președinția FRF" [Who is Marcel Pușcaș, FRF presidential candidate] (in Romanian). Antena3.ro. 17 April 2018. Retrieved 19 November 2020.
  7. ^ "FC Bihor vs Sportul Studențesc 0-1". Labtof. Retrieved 30 September 2025.
  8. ^ "Romania National Champions". RomanianSoccer. Retrieved 8 July 2025.
  9. ^ "36 de ani de la Steaua – AS Roma 0-0 în Ghencea. Marcel Pușcaș: "A durut! Eugen Barbu a scris în revista Săptămâna că sunt străin de fotbal"" [36 years from Steaua - AS Roma 0-0 in Ghencea. Marcel Pușcaș: "It hurt! Eugen Barbu wrote in Sătiuâna magazine that I am a foreigner of football"] (in Romanian). Prosport.ro. 3 October 2020. Retrieved 19 November 2020.
  10. ^ a b c d e f g "EXCLUSIV Drama trăită de un fost jucător din Liga 1: "Am avut dublă fractură deschisă de tibie și peroneu! Am stat 9 luni în cârje și 4 în spital"" [EXCLUSIVE The drama lived by a former player from Liga 1: "I had a double open fracture of the tibia and fibula! I spent 9 months on crutches and 4 in the hospital"] (in Romanian). Gsp.ro. 9 September 2020. Retrieved 19 November 2020.
  11. ^ "Marcel Pușcaș". European Football. Retrieved 19 November 2020.
  12. ^ "Romania - East Germany 1:0". European Football. Retrieved 19 November 2020.
  13. ^ a b c d e f "Marcel Pușcaș a plecat de la FC U Craiova 1948! Anunțul fostului președinte al oltenilor" [Marcel Pușcaș left FC U Craiova 1948! The announcement of the former president of the Oltenia team] (in Romanian). Gsp.ro. 29 July 2020. Retrieved 19 November 2020.
  14. ^ a b ""Dacă aveam un pistol îi împușcam fără regret pe Copos și Mincea!". Marcel Pușcaș, dezvăluiri în noua sa carte: "Se șpăguiau reciproc"" ["If I had a gun, I would have shot Copos and Mincea without regret!" Marcel Pușcaș, revelations in his new book: "They bribed each other"] (in Romanian). Prosport.ro. 26 October 2020. Retrieved 19 November 2020.
  15. ^ "Cartea "Fotbalul în cârje", de Marcel Pușcaș, la chioșcurile de ziare de începând de marți, 27 octombrie!" [The book "Football on crutches", by Marcel Pușcaș, at the newsstands from Tuesday, October 27!] (in Romanian). Gsp.ro. 25 October 2020. Retrieved 19 November 2020.
  16. ^ "Cartea "Cum devii fotbalist", de Marcel Pușcaș, va fi de vineri, 26 martie, la chioșcurile de ziare!" [The book "How to become a football player", by Marcel Pușcaș, will be on Friday, March 26, at the newsstands!] (in Romanian). Gsp.ro. 23 March 2021. Retrieved 4 April 2021.
  17. ^ "De Mărțișor, Marcel Pușcaș face un cadou bărbaților! Apare o nouă carte semnată de fostul stelist" [From Mărțișor, Marcel Pușcaș makes a gift for men! A new book signed by the former Steaua player appears] (in Romanian). Gsp.ro. 8 January 2021. Retrieved 4 April 2021.
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