Comments on Lucescu from former Galatasaray executive: 'He laid the foundation for the current national team'

Former Galatasaray executive Abdurrahim Albayrak spoke about Mircea Lucescu, the former head coach of the Turkish National Football Team, Galatasaray, and Beşiktaş, who passed away in the hospital where he was receiving treatment.

Stating that Lucescu was a coach who left his mark not only on Turkish football but also on world football, Albayrak said, "I loved him incredibly. I learned a lot from him. I even learned a lot as an executive. I feel very lucky to have worked with him. I loved him incredibly, I am very sad. I also spoke with his family. He contributed a great deal to us, to Galatasaray."

“GREAT SUCCESS UNDER DIFFICULT CONDITIONS”

Emphasizing that the Romanian coach achieved significant results despite limited budgets, Albayrak said, "In very difficult times, we were playing a left-back for 5,000 dollars and a center-forward for 5,000 dollars per match. We scored the goal in Samsun and became champions. We had brought in Perez and Sergen Yalçın on loan. That year, he made Galatasaray champions with that team. He himself was also earning an incredibly small amount of money. He was not money-hungry; he was someone who knew football very well."

“HE HAS A SIGNATURE ON THE INFRASTRUCTURE OF THE NATIONAL TEAM”

Drawing attention to Lucescu's influence on the A National Football Team, Albayrak said, "Lucescu laid the foundation for the current national team. He found many of these young players and integrated them into the team. He played his last match in Turkey. He played against Turkey at Inönü Stadium."

News Source: İHA