Viorel Mateianu

Viorel Mateianu
Personal information
Date of birth1 June 1938
Place of birthLipănești, Romania
Date of death25 November 1997 (aged 59)
Place of deathBucharest, Romania
Height1.74 m (5 ft 8 12 in)
Playing positionStriker
Youth career
1952Flacăra Boldeşti
1955–1956Progresul CPCS Bucureşti
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
1957–1958Progresul Bucureşti20(13)
1958–1961Ştiinţa Cluj72(21)
1961–1962Steaua Bucureşti15(3)
1963–1970Progresul Bucureşti140(271)
1970–1973TUS Wannsee Berlin
1973Alemannia Aachen
Total247(64)
National team
Romania U-234(0)
Romania B2(0)
1960–1966Romania6(2)
Teams managed
1976–1977Progresul Bucureşti
1979–1980Baia Mare
1980–1981Baia Mare
1981Progresul Bucureşti
1981Progresul Bucureşti
1982–1983Petrolul Ploieşti
1983Petrolul Ploieşti
1985Jiul Petroşani
1986Danubiana Bucureşti
1986Bihor
1987Drobeta-Turnu Severin
1988Bihor
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.
† Appearances (Goals).

Viorel Mateianu (1 June 1938 25 November 1997) was a Romanian football player and coach.

Mateianu was born in Lipănești, Prahova and died in Bucharest.

He is renowned as a coach for his interesting football experiment, Morişca ("The Hand-Mill"), in which the strikers and midfielders swap places during the game. Mateianu was experimental throughout his coaching career, in the process revolutionizing Romanian football. To him a football team was before anything else a family.

Playing career

Mateianu was one of the finest playmakers of Romanian football during the 1960s, and was also noted for fair play during matches.

After playing for Flacăra Boldeşti and then Progresul Bucureşti as a youth, Mateianu made his debut at the senior level in 1957, aged 19, when he was enrolled in Progresul's first squad. After just one year he signed to Ştiinţa Cluj, returning to Progresul in 1963.

In 1970 Mateianu was allowed by the communist authorities to play in Western Europe. He was signed by the German team TUS Wannsee Berlin in the same year, and later transferred to Alemannia Aachen. He retired from professional football in 1973.

Mateianu won six caps for Romania, scoring twice.

1 The 1965–1966 goals and 1969–1970 matches made for Progresul Bucureşti are unavailable.

Coaching career

Just a few months after returning from Germany, Mateianu was given the role of head coach at his former club, Progresul Bucureşti, now playing in Liga II.

His first triumph as a coach came in 1976, when Progresul were promoted back to Liga I, but having failed to keep the team in the top league he was sacked in 1977.

After leaving Progresul, Mateianu returned to Liga II, taking over at FC Baia Mare. After just one season, his team was promoted to the top league and then enjoyed its golden era, finishing fourth in Liga I in 1978-79 and 1979-80. However, Mateianu was sacked during the 1980-81 season after a series of poor results.

After another short spell with Progresul in 1981, he was hired by Petrolul Ploieşti for the 1982-83 season and then by Progresul Brăila in the following season.

In 1985 he returned to Liga I after being requested by Jiul Petroşani, but was soon sacked for poor results. Returning to Bucharest, he took over Danubiana Bucureşti for a season, before being signed by FC Bihor in 1986. In 1987 he coached Drobeta-Turnu Severin for one season, before spending his last season as a coach, 1988–89, at FC Bihor.

Trivia

External links