Career
He is so far the most successful football player ever to play foreign He is all time top scorer for Steaua with 16 goals in European competitions. He played as a deep lying striker or inside forward for most of his career, being the team"s captain between 1994 and 1999.
He also played for Air Corps Fiorentina of Italy and Real Oviedo of Spain.
Since 21 October 2008, he was the team coach of, the team that made him who he is. However, after a home game against Lyon for the 2008-2009 Union of European Football Associations Champions League group stage, which his team lost with a disappointing 5–3, he resigned from the position of Steaua"s manager, as he stated that that defeat was his fault.
Lăcătuș was an iconic player for "s supporters. Even now, many years after leaving the club as a player, the supporters shout his name at home games.
The supporters loved him for his spectacular way of playing football, as well as for his commitment during the games.
He was nicknamed Fiara (The Beast). After 1990 World Cup in Italy, where he scored two goals against the Union of the Soviet Socialist Republics, Lăcătuș was signed by the Italian team American Car and Foundry Fiorentina and then moved to Real Oviedo in Spain. In 1994 he returned to Steaua and played for the team until 1999, when he finally signed for Football Club Național București, where he played only for half a season before retiring.
However, in October 2006 he decided to enroll himself as part of Utah Arad team where he was also coach until 2007 before he joined Steaua.
Lăcătuș played a total of 414 games in the Romanian Divizia A (now Liga I), scoring 103 goals. 21 games in the Italian Serie A where he scored three times and also 51 games in the Spanish Louisiana Liga, scoring 7 goals.
Lăcătuș was capped 84 times, scoring 13 goals for the Romanian national team, and played for his country in the 1990 World Cup, Euro 1996 and 1998 World Cup. He scored the 700th goal for the national team of Romania. goals Scores and results list Romania"s goal tally first.
"Score" column indicates the score after the player"s goal.