Vasile Iordache

Vasile Iordache

Iordache in 1973
Personal information
Date of birth	(1950-10-09) 9 October 1950 (age 73)
Place of birth	Iași, Romania
Height	1.81 m (5 ft 11 in)
Position(s)	Goalkeeper
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1969–1971	Politehnica Iași	28	(0)
1971–1984	Steaua București	231	(0)
1984–1986	FCM Brașov	12	(0)
Total		271	(0)
International career
1976–1984	Romania[a]	25	(0)
Managerial career
1990	Universitatea Cluj
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Vasile Iordache (born 9 October 1950) is a Romanian former football goalkeeper and coach.

Club career

Vasile Iordache was born on 5 November 1946 in Iași, Romania and started playing football at the junior center of local club Politehnica under coach Mihai Bârsan, making his senior debut in Divizia A on 24 August 1969 in a 2–0 away loss to Farul Constanța.^[3][4][5][6] He was transferred at Steaua București in 1972 where he learned a lot about goalkeeping from the team's goalkeeper coach Ion Voinescu. He won two Divizia A titles under coach Emerich Jenei who used him in 13 matches in the campaign for the first title and in 14 for the second. He also won two Cupa României, being used by Jenei the whole 90 minutes of the 1976 final in which he kept a clean sheet in the 1–0 victory against CSU Galați. He was sent on the field by coach Gheorghe Constantin to replace Rică Răducanu in the 84th minute of the 3–0 victory against Sportul Studențesc București in the 1979 final.^{[3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11]} During his period spent with The Military Men, Iordache made a total of 231 Divizia A appearances, played 9 games in European competitions, competing to play for the team over the course of 12 seasons with other international goalkeepers like Narcis Coman, Carol Haidu, Dumitru Moraru and Rică Răducanu, also having a controversial moment when he got upset and left the field during a game with Argeș Pitești after conceding a goal because his defenders did not intervene, coach Jenei being forced to send Moraru to substitute him.^{[3][4][5][6][7]} Afterwards he went to play for FCM Brașov where he made his last Divizia A appearance on 20 November 1985 in a 2–0 away loss in front of Politehnica Timișoara, having a total of 271 appearances in the competition.^[3][4][5][6]

International career

Vasile Iordache played 23 matches in which he conceded 27 goals at international level for Romania, making his debut on 12 May 1976 under coach Ștefan Kovács in a 1–0 loss in front of Bulgaria at the 1973–76 Balkan Cup final.^[1][6][12] He then went on to play three games at the successful 1977–80 Balkan Cup including appearing in all the minutes of the both legs from the 4–3 victory from the final against Yugoslavia.^[1][13] He also played four games at the 1982 World Cup qualifiers including all the minutes in the 2–1 home victory and the 0–0 from the Wembley Stadium against England, after the latter one being named "The hero of the Wembley" and receiving a 10 in the Sportul newspaper for the saves he made defending his goal post.^{[1][4][5][6][7][14][15]} He claims that after the game from England he had an offer from Nottingham Forest who recently just won two consecutive European Cup titles but could not accept the offer as transfers outside the country were not allowed by Romania's communist regime.^[6][7] Iordache was chosen by Mircea Lucescu to be part of Romania's squad for the Euro 1984 final tournament but did not play as Silviu Lung and Dumitru Moraru were the first-choice goalkeepers before him.^[4][6][7] His last appearance for the national team took place on 31 July 1984 in a friendly which ended with a 1–0 victory against China.^[1][6]

For representing his country at the Euro 1984 final tournament, Iordache was decorated by President of Romania Traian Băsescu on 25 March 2008 with the Ordinul "Meritul Sportiv" – (The Medal "The Sportive Merit") class III.^[16]

Managerial career

In 1986 Iordache joined the squad of Steaua București as a goalkeeper coach, helping it win the 1985–86 European Cup and the 1986 European Super Cup.^{[4][5][6][7][15][13]} In 1990 he was named head coach of Universitatea Cluj, leading the team from the 5th round until the 17th of the 1990–91 Divizia A season.^[5][13][17] After leaving "U" Cluj, he returned to Steaua as an assistant coach one year later.^[5][13] In 1994 Iordache left Romania and for eight years coaches various teams in the United Arab Emirates, returning to Steaua in 2002 and joined the technical team of the club's under-21 side.^[5][13] From 2003 he was part of Cosmin Olăroiu's technical staff at Național București, Politehnica Timișoara and again Steaua or Al-Sadd.^[4][5][13]

Personal life

Vasile Iordache's son, Andrei was also a footballer who played as a goalkeeper in the Romanian lower leagues.^[18][19][20]

Honours

Player

Steaua București

• Divizia A: 1975–76, 1977–78^[3]
• Cupa României: 1975–76, 1978–79^[3]

Romania

• Balkan Cup: 1977–80, runner-up 1973–76^[1]

Individual

• Romanian Footballer of the Year (fourth place): 1980, 1981,

Notes

1. Including two appearances for Romania's Olympic team.^[1][2]

References

1. "Vasile Iordache". European Football. Retrieved 28 January 2021.
2. Vasile Iordache at National-Football-Teams.com
3. Vasile Iordache at RomanianSoccer.ro (in Romanian)
4. "Povestea lui Vasile Iordache, eroul de pe Wembley" [The story of Vasile Iordache, the hero from Wembley] (in Romanian). Welovesport.ro. 29 April 2023. Retrieved 14 August 2023.
5. "Vasile Iordache, parte din Steaua!" [Vasile Iordache, part of Steaua!] (in Romanian). Fcsteaua.ro. 9 October 2010. Retrieved 14 August 2023.
6. "Vasile Iordache la 70 de ani. Supliment special al Gazetei, dedicat eroului de pe Wembley: 4 decenii de când a răpus Anglia!" [Vasile Iordache at 70 years old. Special supplement of the Gazette, dedicated to the hero of Wembley: 4 decades since he robbed England!] (in Romanian). Gsp.ro. 9 October 2020. Retrieved 14 August 2023.
7. "Interviu-eveniment cu Vasile Iordache. Legenda Stelei îl critică pe Gigi Becali și se pronunță în războiul FCSB vs. CSA: "Să ajungi să te judeci pentru CCE e rușinea maximă"" [Interview-event with Vasile Iordache. The Stella legend criticizes Gigi Becali and speaks out in the FCSB vs. CSA: "Getting to judge yourself for CCE is the ultimate shame"] (in Romanian). Gsp.ro. 9 October 2020. Retrieved 14 August 2023.
8. "Portarul Stelei format de "Țop" Voinescu: "E un șoc să aud că a murit". CSA Steaua se ocupă de înmormântare" [Steaua's goalkeeper formed by "Țop" Voinescu: "It's a shock to hear that he died". CSA Steaua takes care of the funeral] (in Romanian). Gsp.ro. 9 March 2018. Retrieved 14 August 2023.
9. "Romania National Champions". RomanianSoccer. Retrieved 14 August 2023.
10. "Romanian Cup – Season 1975–1976". RomanianSoccer. Retrieved 14 August 2023.
11. "Romanian Cup – Season 1978–1979". RomanianSoccer. Retrieved 14 August 2023.
12. "Bulgaria 1-0 Romania". European Football. Retrieved 14 August 2023.
13. "Vasile Iordache, noul antrenor al portarilor din Regie" [Vasile Iordache, the new coach of the goalkeepers in Regie] (in Romanian). Prosport.ro. 25 November 2008. Retrieved 14 August 2023.
14. "39 de ani de când Vasile Iordache devenea "Eroul de pe Wembley". Și de când primea nota maximă: "Da, eu și Nadia ce am mai luat 10!" :)" [39 years since Vasile Iordache became the "Hero from Wembley". And since he was getting the maximum grade: "Yes, Nadia and I got 10!" :)] (in Romanian). Gsp.ro. 29 April 2020. Retrieved 14 August 2023.
15. "Vasile Iordache, în tricoul Stelei, pe noua arenă din Ghencea, chiar de ziua sa: "Mă bucur că trăiesc până la 70 de ani și calc pe un stadion modern"" [Vasile Iordache, in the Steaua jersey, on the new arena from Ghencea, on his birthday: "I'm glad to live to be 70 years old and step on a modern stadium"] (in Romanian). Prosport.ro. 9 October 2020. Retrieved 14 August 2023.
16. "DECRET privind conferirea Ordinului și Medaliei Meritul Sportiv" (PDF). Monitorul Oficial al României Nr. 241. 28 March 2008. p. 3. Retrieved 14 August 2023.
17. "Universitatea Cluj 1990–91 season" (in Romanian). 4everucluj.ro.
18. "Băiatul care seamănă leit cu Botezatu e fiul lui Vasile Iordache" [The boy who looks a lot like Botezatu is the son of Vasile Iordache] (in Romanian). Gsp.ro. 27 February 2010. Retrieved 14 August 2023.
19. "Andrei Iordache: "Din fiul lui Vasile Iordache, am devenit peste noapte fiul lui Bote!"" [Andrei Iordache: "From Vasile Iordache's son, I became Bote's son overnight!"] (in Romanian). Click.ro. 11 April 2012. Retrieved 14 August 2023.
20. "Andrei Iordache, vacanta de neuitat, in Emirate, cu tatal sau oficial! Oare ce va spune Catalin Botezatu?" [Andrei Iordache, unforgettable vacation, in the Emirates, with his father or official! What will Catalin Botezatu say?] (in Romanian). Wowbiz.ro. Retrieved 14 August 2023.

External links

• Vasile Iordache – FIFA competition record (archived)
• Vasile Iordache at National-Football-Teams.com
• Vasile Iordache at WorldFootball.net
• Vasile Iordache at RomanianSoccer.ro (in Romanian)
• Profile at steauafc.com (in Romanian)