Anghel Iordanescu, one of the most successful Romanian football managers of all times, returns to coaching to take over as manager of Romania’s national football team.

Iordanescu will replace Victor Piturca, who left the national team to manage Ittihad FC in Saudi Arabia.

His contract at the helm of the Romanian national team is for one year and his objective is to qualify Romania to the EURO 2016 tournament, the Romanian Footbal Federation announced on Monday, October 27.

Anghel Iordanescu, 64, has managed Romania’s national squad from 1993 until 1998, during which time the team had some of its best international results. In 1994, he took the Romanian team, led in the field by legendary captain Gheorghe Hagi, to the World Cup in the U.S., reaching the quarter-finals of the competition. He also led Romania to the EURO 1996, in England, and the World Cup 1998, in France.

Iordanescu had a second mandate as manager of the Romanian national team between 2002 and 2004. During his career he also managed Steaua Bucharest, the most successful Romanian football club of all times. He led Steaua to win the Romanian Cups and three Romanian Championship titles, between 1986 and 1990, and to play an UEFA Champions League Final in 1990.

Iordanescu was also one of the best footballers in Romania. He scored 155 goals for Steaua Bucharest and 26 goals for the Romanian national team, from 1968 until 1982.

During his career as a coach, Iordanescu also managed some teams in Middle East. He gave up coaching in 2006 to take on a career in politics. He was a senator for Romania’s Progressive Union (UNPR), from 2008 until 2012, and he run for mayor of Romania’s capital Bucharest, in 2012, but lost.

editor@romania-insider.com