Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | Marius Mihai Lăcătuș | ||
Date of birth | 5 April 1964 | ||
Place of birth | Brașov, Romania | ||
Height | 1.81 m (5 ft 11 1⁄2 in) | ||
Playing position | Inside-forward | ||
Youth career | |||
1977–1981 | Brașov | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
1981–1983 | Brașov | 45 | (5) |
1983–1990 | Steaua București | 200 | (59) |
1990–1991 | Fiorentina | 21 | (3) |
1991–1993 | Real Oviedo | 51 | (7) |
1993–2000 | Steaua București | 157 | (39) |
2000 | Național București | 12 | (0) |
Total | 486 | (113) | |
National team | |||
Romania U-21 | |||
1984–1998 | Romania | 84 | (13) |
Teams managed | |||
2000–2001 | Naţional București | ||
2001–2002 | Oțelul Galați | ||
2002–2003 | Brașov | ||
2004 | Ceahlăul Piatra Neamț | ||
2005 | Inter Gaz București | ||
2006–2007 | UTA Arad | ||
2007–2008 | Steaua București | ||
2009 | Steaua București | ||
2009–2010 | Vaslui | ||
2010–2011 | Steaua București | ||
2012 | Târgu Mureș | ||
2013–2014 | Politehnica Iași | ||
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. |
Marius Mihai Lăcătuș (Romanian pronunciation: [ˈmari.us miˈhaj ləkəˈtuʃ]; born 5 April, 1964 in Brașov) is a retired Romanian football player and football coach. He is so far the most successful football player ever to play for Steaua București. He is all-time top scorer for Steaua with 16 goals in European competitions.
He played as a deep lying striker or inside forward for Steaua București most of his career, being the team's captain between 1994 and 1999. He also played for AC Fiorentina of Italy and Real Oviedo of Spain. Since 21 October 2008, he was the team coach of Steaua București, the team that made him who he is. However, after a home game against Lyon for the 2008-2009 UEFA Champions League group stage, which his team lost with a disappointing 5–3, he resigned from the position of Steaua's manager, as he stated that that defeat was his fault.
Lăcătuș was an iconic player for Steaua București's supporters. Even now, many years after leaving the club as a player, the supporters shout his name at home games. The supporters loved him for his spectacular way of playing football, as well as for his commitment during the games. He was nicknamed Fiara (The Beast).
He was the first player to score in the penalty shoot-out of the 1986 European Cup final against FC Barcelona, won by Steaua. After 1990 World Cup in Italy, where he scored two goals against the USSR, Lăcătuș was signed by the Italian team ACF Fiorentina and then moved to Real Oviedo in Spain. In 1994 he returned to Steaua and played for the team until 1999, when he finally signed for FC Național București, where he played only for half a season before retiring. However, in October 2006 he decided to enroll himself as part of UT Arad team where he was also coach until 2007 before he joined Steaua.