Gheorghe Popescu
Gheorghe Popescu, April 2011
Gheorghe " Gică " " Baciul " Popescu ( born October 9, 1967 in Calafat ) is a former Romanian football player and current businessman.
Career as a player
The defender started his career in his hometown at Dunărea Calafat. From there took him Nicolae Zamfir, the youth coach of Universitatea Craiova, in the county capital of Dolj and Popescu debuted on June 9, 1985 at the home victory of Universitatea against the FCM Braşov in Divizia A. the end of 1987 he was invited to his military service in Bucharest complete and therefore played in the second half of the 1987/88 season for Steaua Bucharest. In the summer of 1988 he returned against the will of the club's management, which also includes Ilie Ceauşescu, the brother of Nicolae Ceauşescu belonged to Universitatea Craiova and looked at times on charges of desertion exposed. In 1990, Popescu PSV Eindhoven, where he remained until 1994. He came in 1994 then to Tottenham Hotspur and stayed there for only one season, before he moved to FC Barcelona in Spain in 1995. In 1997 he moved to Galatasaray in Turkey. With Galatasaray, he won the UEFA Cup in 2000. In 2001 he moved despite the success for U.S. Lecce in Italy, where he played one season. In 2002 he came to the Romanian giants Dinamo Bucharest, but moved in the current season to Hannover 96 in Germany. There he graduated from in the season 2002/ 03 a total of 14 games, where he scored a goal. His last game as a player he made on 17 May 2003, as that was used on matchday 33 of the Bundesliga in a 2-2 draw against Borussia Mönchengladbach. On 20 May 2003, four days before the final day of the Bundesliga, he announced that he would want to finish the season end his career.
National
For the Romanian national football team Popescu played from 1988 to 2003 a total of 115 games, scoring 16 goals. He made his debut in a 3-0 home win over Albania September 20, 1988 for his country. Popescu participated with the squad at the 1990 World Cup in Italy, at the 1994 World Cup in the USA, the 1998 World Cup in France and the 1996 European Championship in the UK and the Euro 2000 in Belgium and the Netherlands. His last international game he played on 29 March 2003, in the 2:5 defeat to Denmark. Just two days later, he announced that the end of his career in the national team known.
After the career
Popescu established already during his active career in Craiova under the name scoala de fotbal Gică Popescu own football academy for young talents. Because of the non-payment of transfer revenue for the player Bogdan Gavrilă to Dunărea Galaţi all teams in the school were excluded in March 2010 from the championship mode. In March 2013 Popescu announced plans to close the heavily indebted football school for financial reasons.
In November 2005 he was a candidate for president of the Romanian Football Federation, but just going down to the incumbent Mircea Sandu. In addition to his role as a TV football expert Popescu also occurs as a businessman and investor in appearance. He owns a holding company belonging to the ten companies over which projects for the construction of hotel, office, retail and residential real estate are settled.
Popescu was sentenced on March 4, 2014 to a prison term of three years and one month since he was embroiled in a corruption scandal involving player transfers. Between 1999 and 2005 the Romanian state were thus deprived of around 1.5 million euros.
Achievements
Association
- European Cup Winners' Cup: 1996/97
- UEFA Cup: 1999/2000
- European Super Cup: 2000
- Spanish Cup: 1996/97
- Spanish Super Cup: 1995/96
- Dutch Cup: 1990/91, 1991/92
- Dutch Super Cup: 1992
- Turkish Cup: 1997/ 98 1998/99 1999/2000
- Turkish Cup: 1998 /99 1999/2000
- Romanian Cup: 1987/88
- Romanian Cup: 1987/88
National
- Participation in a World Cup: 1990 (4 inserts ), 1994 (5 missions ), 1998 (4 inserts)
- Participation in a European Championship: 1996 (3 inserts), 2000 (3 inserts)
Awards
Popescu succeeded six times ( 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1995, 1996 ) of Romania to be player of the year, despite the competition of his brother Gheorghe Hagi, who could win this award seven times. On 25 March 2008 Popescu was " sporty Meritul " III by Romanian President Traian Basescu for the achievements in the national team with the Order of Merit. Class excellent. He is Honored Master of Sports.
Others
Popescu is married and has a daughter and a son.