| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Marius Mihai Lăcătuş | ||
| Date of birth | 5 April 1964 | ||
| Place of birth | Braşov, Romania | ||
| Height | 1.81 m (5 ft 11 1⁄2 in) | ||
| Playing position | Inside-forward | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1977–1981 | FC Braşov | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1981–1983 | FC Braşov | 45 | (5) |
| 1983–1990 | Steaua Bucureşti | 200 | (59) |
| 1990–1991 | Fiorentina | 21 | (3) |
| 1991–1993 | Real Oviedo | 51 | (7) |
| 1993–2000 | Steaua Bucureşti | 157 | (39) |
| 2000 | Naţional Bucureşti | 12 | (0) |
| Total | 486 | (113) | |
| National team‡ | |||
| Romania U-21 | |||
| 1984–1998 | Romania | 84 | (13) |
| Teams managed | |||
| 1997–1998 | Steaua Bucureşti (assistant) | ||
| 2000–2001 | Naţional Bucureşti | ||
| 2001 | Panama (assistant) | ||
| 2001–2002 | Oţelul Galaţi | ||
| 2002–2003 | FC Braşov | ||
| 2003 | Romania (assistant) | ||
| 2004 | Ceahlăul Piatra Neamţ | ||
| 2005 | Inter Gaz Bucureşti | ||
| 2006–2007 | UTA Arad | ||
| 2007–2008 | Steaua Bucureşti | ||
| 2009 | Steaua Bucureşti | ||
| 2009–2010 | SC Vaslui | ||
| 2010–2011 | Steaua Bucureşti | ||
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 29 March 2009. † Appearances (Goals). |
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Marius Mihai Lăcătuş (Romanian pronunciation: [ˈmari.us ləkəˈtuʃ]; born 5 April 1964 in Braşov) is a Romanian retired football player and football coach. He is so far the most successful football player ever to play for Steaua Bucureşti. He is all time top scorer for Steaua with 17 goals in European Competitions.
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He played as a deep lying striker or inside forward for Steaua Bucureşti 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 Bucureşti, 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.
Lăcătuş was an iconic player for Steaua Bucureşti'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 Bucureşti. After 1990 World Cup in Italy, where he scored two goals against USSR, Lăcătuş was signed by the Italian team ACF Fiorentina and then moved to Real Oviedo in Spain. In 1994 he returned to Steaua Bucureşti and played for the team until 1999, when he finally signed for FC Naţional Bucureşti, 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 were he was also coach until 2007 before he joined Steaua Bucureşti.
His sister is a renowned piano cafe concert player in Romania.
On 25 March 2008 he was decorated by the president of Romania, Traian Băsescu with Ordinul "Meritul Sportiv" — (The Order "The Sportive Merit") class II for his part in winning the of 1986 European Cup Final.
Lăcătuş played a total of 414 games in the Romanian Divizia A (now Liga I), scoring 103 goals; 21 games in the Italian Serie A where he scored three times and also 51 games in the Spanish La Liga, scoring 7 goals. He also made appearances 72 games in the European Cup, Cup Winners' Cup and UEFA Cup, scoring 17 goals.
As a player he won the Romanian football championship ten times and the Romanian Cup seven times, as well as the European Cup in 1986 and the European Supercup in 1987, all with Steaua Bucureşti.
Lăcătuş was capped 84 times, scoring 13 goals for the Romanian national team, and played for his country in the 1990 World Cup, Euro 1996 and 1998 World Cup. He scored the 700th goal for the national team of Romania.
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 21 November 1984 | Bloomfield Stadium, Jaffa, Israel | Israel | 1–1 | 1–1 | Friendly |
| 2 | 30 January 1985 | Estádio José Alvalade, Lisbon, Portugal | Portugal | 1–2 | 3–2 | Friendly |
| 3 | 30 January 1985 | Estádio José Alvalade, Lisbon, Portugal | Portugal | 2–2 | 3–2 | Friendly |
| 4 | 10 September 1986 | Stadionul Ghencea, Bucharest, Romania | Austria | 2–0 | 4–0 | UEFA Euro 1988 Qualifying |
| 5 | 26 May 1990 | Heysel Stadium, Brussels, Belgium | Belgium | 2–2 | 2–2 | Friendly |
| 6 | 9 June 1990 | Stadio San Nicola, Bari, Italy | Soviet Union | 1–0 | 2–0 | World Cup 1990 Group B |
| 7 | 9 June 1990 | Stadio San Nicola, Bari, Italy | Soviet Union | 2–0 | 2–0 | World Cup 1990 Group B |
| 8 | 29 August 1990 | Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow, USSR | Soviet Union | 1–0 | 2–1 | Friendly |
| 9 | 6 May 1992 | Stadionul Ghencea, Bucharest, Romania | Faroe Islands | 3–0 | 7–0 | FIFA World Cup 1994 Qualifying |
| 10 | 14 December 1994 | Ramat Gan Stadium, Ramat Gan, Israel | Israel | 1–0 | 1–1 | UEFA Euro 1996 Qualifying |
| 11 | 7 June 1995 | Stadionul Ghencea, Bucharest, Romania | Israel | 1–0 | 2–1 | UEFA Euro 1996 Qualifying |
| 12 | 11 October 1995 | Stadionul Ghencea, Bucharest, Romania | France | 1–2 | 1–3 | UEFA Euro 1996 Qualifying |
| 13 | 24 April 1996 | Stadionul Ghencea, Bucharest, Romania | Georgia | 4–0 | 5–0 | Friendly |
| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Ilie Dumitrescu |
Steaua captain 1994–1999 |
Succeeded by Miodrag Belodedici |
| Preceded by Septimiu Câmpeanu |
Steaua Top Scorer 1983–1984 |
Succeeded by Victor Piţurcă |
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