Ion "Țop" Voinescu (18 April 1929 – 9 March 2018) was a Romanianfootballer,[4] who is often considered one of the finest goalkeepers Romania has ever produced.
Voinescu joined his first club, Olympia București, in 1939 just before the start of World War II, aged 10. After four years with Olympia, Voinescu left to join another club from Bucharest, ASPIM, but left again after the war's conclusion in 1945, in order to sign his first professional contract with Carmen București, which was one of the best Romanian football teams during the interbelic period. However, he ended up leaving the club a year later, where he joined Solvay Uioara.
Voinescu left Solvay Uioara a year later to join RATA Târgu Mureș in 1947, where he remained at for a year before leaving in order to return to Bucharest, where he signed for Metalul București. Following a three-year spell with Metalul, Voinescu moved to Steaua București, which was where he remained at before his retirement from professional football in 1963, following an eighteen-year professional career.
It was said that Arsenal and Vasco da Gama were both interested in securing his services during his playing career, but was unable to as it was impossible for Voinescu to leave the country due to the strict restrictions of the communist regime.[5]
Voinescu worked as a goalkeeper coach for his former club, Steaua București, on multiple occasions after his retirement, before permanently retiring from coaching in the late 1980s.
On 9 March 2018, Voinescu died at the age of 88.[6][7][8]
A street in central Bucharest was named after him.
