Edward "Edi" Marius Iordănescu (Romanian pronunciation: [ˈedu.ard jordəˈnesku]; born 16 June 1978), sometimes known as Iordănescu Jr., is a Romanian professional football manager and former player, who recently coached the Romania national team.
.jpg) Iordănescu in 2024 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Edward Marius Iordănescu | ||
| Date of birth | 16 June 1978 | ||
| Place of birth | Bucharest, Romania | ||
| Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1984–1996 | Steaua București | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1996 | Steaua București | 1 | (0) |
| 1997–1998 | Sportul Studențesc | 0 | (0) |
| 1998–1999 | Panionios | 2 | (0) |
| 1999–2000 | Diplomatic Focșani | 18 | (1) |
| 2000–2001 | Rapid București | 0 | (0) |
| 2001 | → Rocar București (loan) | 1 | (0) |
| 2001–2002 | Alki Larnaca | 5 | (0) |
| 2002–2003 | Petrolul Ploiești | 8 | (0) |
| 2003–2004 | Vaslui | 8 | (0) |
| 2004–2005 | Rapid II București | 6 | (0) |
| Total | 49 | (1) | |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2010 | Steaua București (assistant) | ||
| 2010 | Steaua București (caretaker) | ||
| 2011–2012 | Steaua București (assistant) | ||
| 2012 | Vaslui (assistant) | ||
| 2012 | Vaslui (caretaker) | ||
| 2013 | Fortuna Brazi | ||
| 2013 | ASA Târgu Mureș | ||
| 2014–2016 | Pandurii Târgu Jiu | ||
| 2016 | CSKA Sofia | ||
| 2017–2018 | Astra Giurgiu | ||
| 2018 | CFR Cluj | ||
| 2019–2020 | Gaz Metan Mediaș | ||
| 2020–2021 | CFR Cluj | ||
| 2021 | FCSB | ||
| 2022–2024 | Romania | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
A midfielder, Iordănescu represented nine teams during a rather uneventful playing career, including stints abroad with Panionios and Alki Larnaca. He started both his playing and coaching career at Steaua București, emulating his father Anghel.[1][2]
Following his retirement as a player, Iordănescu emerged as a notable figure in the Romanian managerial sphere, earning praise for his meticulous approach to match preparation.[3] He guided CFR Cluj to three domestic trophies during his two stints, and in 2022 was appointed at the helm of the Romania national team, subsequently leading them to qualification for the UEFA Euro 2024.
Playing career
editIordănescu's link with Steaua București began in early 1984, aged six, when his father Anghel, who was an assistant coach at the time, would take him along to attend games at the Ghencea Stadium. He frequently sat alongside Alin Stoica, also the son of a club legend, and began playing together during warm-ups and halftime breaks. After progressing through Steaua's youth ranks, Iordănescu made his debut for the first team in 1996, alongside Stoica.
In 1997, after failing to impose himself at the Roș-albaștrii, Iordănescu left for Sportul Studențesc. Throughout his career, he played for various clubs in Romania—Unirea Focșani, Rapid București, Rocar București, Petrolul Ploiești, and Vaslui. He also had spells abroad in Greece and Cyprus with Panionios and Alki Larnaca, respectively.
Managerial career
edit
Iordănescu ended his playing career in 2004 to pursue managerial studies, undertaking courses in Italy, Spain, and England. In 2010, following Ilie Dumitrescu's resignation as manager of Steaua București, he assumed the role of interim coach. Iordănescu served in minor assistant or caretaker roles at Steaua and Vaslui, before securing his first contract as a head coach at Fortuna Brazi in 2013.
On 20 June 2013, Iordănescu signed a contract with second division team ASA Târgu Mureș, with the explicit objective of promoting to the Liga I; he resigned from the position in October 2013. In December 2014, he was named the head coach of top flight club Pandurii Târgu Jiu. Under his guidance, the team reached the final of the 2014–15 Cupa Ligii. On 24 August 2016, Iordănescu was announced as the new head coach of Bulgarian side CSKA Sofia,[4] after also attracting the interest of Lech Poznań.[5] On 27 November 2016, after a 1–1 home draw against Vereya, he resigned from his position.[6]
On 8 June 2017, Iordănescu signed a deal with Liga I club Astra Giurgiu.[7] On 2 April 2018, his contract with the club was terminated through a mutual agreement.[8] On 13 June 2018, Iordănescu signed a three-year contract with CFR Cluj, taking over from Dan Petrescu, who left for Guizhou Hengfeng.[9] He won his first managerial trophy on July 15 that year, as his new side defeated Universitatea Craiova 1–0 in the 2018 Supercupa României.[10] He departed CFR Cluj in less than two months, following disagreements with owner Ioan Varga, who attempted to interfere in managerial decisions during matches.
Between January 2019 and June 2020, Iordănescu had a stint at Gaz Metan Mediaș, before making a return to CFR Cluj in December 2020. He guided the latter to another Supercupa României and the 2020–21 Liga I title, but refused to stay beyond the expiration of his contract at the end of the campaign. In August 2021, he made a comeback to Steaua București—now known as FCSB—but this time as a head coach for the first time. On 12 September, his team thrashed Dinamo București 6–0 in the league, representing the largest goal difference in the eternal derby. Iordănescu departed in November 2021 after falling out with owner Gigi Becali.
On 25 January 2022, Iordănescu was appointed as the manager of the Romania national team,[11] which his father Anghel had also coached during three stints. On 18 November 2023, after a 2–1 win against Israel, his country secured qualification for the UEFA Euro 2024.[12] For this achievement, the Gazeta Sporturilor sports website named him the 2023 Romania Coach of the Year.
Personal life
editIordănescu dated Romanian singer-songwriter Delia Matache from 2005 to 2006.[13] He is now married to a woman with whom he has three children.[14]
His father, Anghel, also managed the Romania national team over three spells.
Career statistics
editManagerial
edit- As of match played 22 July 2024
| Team | From | To | Record | Ref. | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Win % | ||||
 Steaua București (caretaker)
|
20 September 2010 | 27 September 2010 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | +0 | 50.00 | |
| Vaslui (caretaker)
|
24 September 2012 | 27 September 2012 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | −1 | 0.00 | |
| Fortuna Brazi
|
11 January 2013 | 13 May 2013 | 10 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 25 | 6 | +19 | 80.00 | |
| ASA Târgu Mureș
|
20 June 2013 | 9 October 2013 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 8 | 8 | +0 | 33.33 | |
| Pandurii Târgu Jiu
|
16 December 2014 | 20 June 2016 | 59 | 27 | 17 | 15 | 83 | 62 | +21 | 45.76 | |
 CSKA Sofia
|
25 August 2016 | 29 November 2016 | 12 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 14 | 9 | +5 | 41.67 | [15] |
| Astra Giurgiu
|
8 June 2017 | 2 April 2018 | 35 | 15 | 10 | 10 | 46 | 33 | +13 | 42.86 | [15] |
| CFR Cluj
|
13 June 2018 | 26 July 2018 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | +0 | 33.33 | [15] |
| Gaz Metan Mediaș
|
7 January 2019 | 1 June 2020 | 42 | 18 | 12 | 12 | 54 | 43 | +11 | 42.86 | [16] |
| CFR Cluj
|
4 December 2020 | 2 June 2021 | 30 | 21 | 5 | 4 | 49 | 15 | +34 | 70.00 | [15] |
| FCSB
|
18 August 2021 | 15 November 2021 | 11 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 24 | 11 | +13 | 72.73 | [15] |
| Romania
|
25 January 2022 | 22 July 2024 | 28 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 37 | 28 | +9 | 35.71 | [15] |
| Total | 239 | 116 | 64 | 59 | 343 | 219 | +124 | 48.54 | — | ||
Honours
editPlayer
editSteaua București
Petrolul Ploiești
Manager
editPandurii Târgu Jiu
- Cupa Ligii runner-up: 2014–15
CFR Cluj
Individual
- Gazeta Sporturilor Romania Coach of the Year: 2023
- Gala Fotbalului Românesc Romanian Coach of the Year: 2021[19]
- Gazeta Sporturilor Romania Coach of the Month: November 2023
References
edit- ^ "Anghel Iordănescu a decis! Anunțul făcut azi de fiul său" [Anghel Iordănescu has decided! The announcement made today by his son] (in Romanian). gsp.ro. Retrieved 8 October 2017.
- ^ "SPECIAL Situaţie de gradul I în Liga 1. Ce a realizat Silviu Lung jr. prin câştigarea titlului cu Astra. De la fraţii Vâlcov, la fraţii Costea şi familia Piţurcă" [SPECIAL First grade situation in Liga 1. What Silviu Lung jr. accomplished by winning the title with Astra. From the brothers Vâlcov to the brothers Costea and the Piţurcă family] (in Romanian). prosport.ro. 9 May 2016. Retrieved 8 October 2017.
- ^ "Șumudică, "secundul" lui Iordănescu la Vaslui? Adrian Porumboiu face dezvăluiri incredibile!" [Șumudică, Iordănescu's "assistant" at Vaslui? Adrian Porumboiu makes incredible statements!] (in Romanian). Playsport. 20 August 2021. Retrieved 22 August 2021.
- ^ "Официално: Йорданеску пое ЦСКА" (in Bulgarian). Blitz.bg. 24 August 2016.
- ^ "Edi Iordanescu nie będzie nowym trenerem Lecha Poznań! Wybrał inny kierunek" (in Polish). Sport.pl. 24 August 2016. Retrieved 25 August 2016.
- ^ "Позиция на футболен клуб ЦСКА" (in Bulgarian). CSKA.bg. 27 November 2016.
- ^ "Edi Iordănescu, noul antrenor de la Astra Giurgiu. Tehnicianul a semnat un contract pe doi ani". Libertatea (in Romanian). 8 June 2017. Retrieved 10 June 2017.
- ^ "Comunicat de presă" [Press release] (in Romanian). AFC Astra Giurgiu. 2 April 2018. Retrieved 12 June 2018.
- ^ "Bun venit, Edward Iordanescu!" [Welcome, Edward Iordănescu] (in Romanian). CFR Cluj. 13 June 2018. Retrieved 14 June 2018.
- ^ a b "Iordănescu, la primul trofeu al carierei: "Nu e cazul să își facă alții griji pentru noi". Ce spune despre Omrani și Țucudean" [Iordănescu, after the first trophy of his career: "It is not the case of others to worry about us". What he says about Omrani and Țucudean] (in Romanian). Digi Sport. 14 July 2018. Retrieved 15 July 2018.
- ^ "Edi Iordănescu, noul selecționer al României" (in Romanian). gsp.ro. 25 January 2022. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
- ^ "România, din nou la EURO, după 8 ani! "Tricolorii", la al 6-lea Campionat European din istorie! Cel mai bun rezultat" (in Romanian). digisport.ro. 18 November 2023. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
- ^ "Delia Matache si Edi Iordanescu s-au despartit" [Delia Matache and Edi Iordănescu broke up] (in Romanian). Revista VIP. 16 October 2006. Retrieved 21 March 2019.
- ^ "Când soția intervine, Edi Iordănescu face mulți pași în spate! Cât de descurcăreață este partenera însărcinată a antrenorului. Imagini de senzație / PAPARAZZI" [When the wife intervenes, Edi Iordănescu makes many steps back! How handy is the manager's pregnant partner / PAPARAZZI] (in Romanian). SpyNews.ro. 16 October 2006. Retrieved 19 August 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f "Edward Iordănescu managerial statistics at FootballDatabase.eu". FootballDatabase.eu. Retrieved 9 December 2019.
- ^ "CS Gaz Metan Mediaș fixtures and results". Soccerway. Retrieved 9 June 2020.
- ^ "FOTO&VIDEO | Imagini memorabile! CFR Cluj a ridicat al șaptelea trofeu de campioană din istoria clubuluipublisher=digisport.ro" (in Romanian). 25 May 2021. Retrieved 25 May 2021.
- ^ "FOTO&VIDEO | CFR Cluj a câștigat Supercupa României!" [PHOTO&VIDEO | CFR Cluj won the Romanian Supercup!] (in Romanian). Romanian Football Federation. 15 April 2021. Retrieved 16 April 2021.
- ^ "Gala Fotbalului Românesc 2021 | Edi Iordănescu, cel mai bun antrenor! Florin Niță, cel mai bun fotbalist român. Toate premiile" [2021 Romanian Football Gala | Edi Iordănescu, the best coach! Florin Niță, the best Romanian footballer. All the prizes] (in Romanian). Digi Sport. 13 December 2021. Retrieved 13 December 2021.
External links
edit- Edward Iordănescu at RomanianSoccer.ro (in Romanian)
- Edward Iordănescu coach profile at National-Football-Teams.com
- Edward Iordănescu coach profile at Soccerway