Edward "Edi" Iordănescu (; born 16 June 1978), sometimes known as Iordănescu Jr., is a Romanian professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of organizations, whether businesses, nonprofit organizations, or a government bodies through business administration, nonprofit management, or the political science sub-field of public administra ...

and former player, currently in charge of

Ekstraklasa (; meaning "Extra Class" in Polish), officially known as PKO Bank Polski Ekstraklasa due to its Sponsor (commercial), sponsorship by PKO Bank Polski, is a professional association football league in Poland and the highest level of the Polish foo ...

club

Legia Warsaw Legia Warszawa (), commonly referred to as Legia Warsaw or simply Legia, is a professional football club based in Warsaw, Poland. Legia is the most successful Polish football club in history, winning a record 15 champions titles, a record 2 ...

. A

midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...

, Iordănescu represented nine teams during a rather uneventful playing career, including stints abroad with

Panionios Panionios G.S.S. Football Club (Greek: ΠΑΕ Πανιώνιος Γ.Σ.Σ.), the ''Pan-Ionian Gymnastics Club of Smyrna'' (Πανιώνιος Γυμναστικός Σύλλογος Σμύρνης, ''Panionios Gymnastikos Syllogos Smyrnis''), ...

and

Alki Larnaca Alki Larnaca (, ''ALKI Larnakas'') was a Cypriot football club based in the town of Larnaca. The club was founded in 1948 and it was dissolved on the 6th of May 2014 due to financial issues. The club's colours were blue and red. They reached th ...

. He started both his playing and coaching career at Steaua București, emulating his father Anghel. Following his retirement as a player, Iordănescu emerged as a notable figure in the Romanian managerial sphere, earning praise for his meticulous approach to match preparation. He guided

CFR Cluj Fotbal Club CFR 1907 Cluj, commonly known as CFR Cluj ( or ) or simply CFR, is a Romanian professional association football, football club based in the city of Cluj-Napoca, Cluj County, that competes in the Liga I. Founded as ''Kolozsvári Vasut ...

to three domestic trophies during his two stints, and in 2022 was appointed at the helm of the Romania national team, subsequently leading them to qualification for the

UEFA Euro 2024 The 2024 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2024 (stylised as UEFA EURO 2024) or simply Euro 2024, was the 17th UEFA European Championship, the quadrennial international Association football, football champ ...

. In 2025, Iordănescu joined Polish club

Playing career

Iordănescu's link with Steaua București began in early 1984, aged six, when his father Anghel, who was an assistant coach at the time, would take him along to attend games at the Ghencea Stadium. He frequently sat alongside Alin Stoica, also the son of a club legend, and began playing together during warm-ups and halftime breaks. After progressing through Steaua's youth ranks, Iordănescu made his debut for the first team in 1996, alongside Stoica. In 1997, after failing to impose himself at the ''Roș-albaștrii'', Iordănescu left for Sportul Studențesc. Throughout his career, he played for various clubs in Romania—

Unirea Focșani Unirea may refer to: Places in Romania * Unirea, Alba, a commune * Unirea, Brăila, a commune * Unirea, Călărași, a commune * Unirea, Dolj, a commune and village * General Berthelot, a commune in Hunedoara, called ''Unirea'' from 1965 to 20 ...

Rapid București Rapid(s) or RAPID may refer to: Hydrological features * Rapids, sections of a river with turbulent water flow * Rapid Creek (Iowa River tributary), Iowa, United States * Rapid Creek (South Dakota), United States, namesake of Rapid City Sport ...

, Rocar București, Petrolul Ploiești, and

Vaslui Vaslui (), a city in eastern Romania, is the seat of Vaslui County, in the historical region of Western Moldavia. The city administers five villages: Bahnari, Brodoc, Moara Grecilor, Rediu, and Viișoara. History Archaeological surveys indicate t ...

. He also had spells abroad in Greece and Cyprus with

and

, respectively.

Managerial career

Iordănescu ended his playing career in 2004 to pursue managerial studies, undertaking courses in Italy, Spain, and England. In 2010, following

Ilie Dumitrescu Ilie Dumitrescu (; born 6 January 1969) is a former Romanian professional football manager and former player, who is currently a television sport pundit for Digi Sport. As a player, he was a winger who notably played in the Premier League with ...

's resignation as manager of Steaua București, he assumed the role of interim coach. Iordănescu served in minor assistant or caretaker roles at Steaua and Vaslui, before securing his first contract as a head coach at Fortuna Brazi in 2013. On 20 June 2013, Iordănescu signed a contract with

second division In sport, the Second Division, also called Division 2 or Division II is usually the second highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below. Following the rise of Premier League style compet ...

team ASA Târgu Mureș, with the explicit objective of promoting to the

Liga I Liga I (; ''First League''), also spelled as Liga 1 and officially known as SuperLiga for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Romania and the highest level of the Romanian football league system. Contested by 1 ...

; he resigned from the position in October 2013. In December 2014, he was named the head coach of top flight club

Pandurii Târgu Jiu The uprising of 1821 was a social and political rebellion in Wallachia, which was at the time a tributary state of the Ottoman Empire. It originated as a movement against the Phanariote administration, with backing from the more conservative b ...

. Under his guidance, the team reached the final of the

2014–15 Cupa Ligii The 2014–15 Cupa Ligii was the first official season of the Cupa Ligii. The winner, Steaua București, was not granted a place in the UEFA Europa League, but received €265,000. ''All times are CEST (UTC+2).'' Schedule * Play-off round: ...

. On 24 August 2016, Iordănescu was announced as the new head coach of Bulgarian side

CSKA Sofia CSKA Sofia () is a Bulgarian professional association football club based in Sofia and currently competing in the country's premier football competition, the First League. ''CSKA'' is an abbreviation for ''Central Sports Club of the Army'' ...

, after also attracting the interest of

Lech Poznań Kolejowy Klub Sportowy Lech Poznań S.A., commonly referred to as KKS Lech Poznań or simply Lech Poznań (), is a Polish professional football club based in Poznań and currently competing in the Ekstraklasa, the nation's highest division. ...

. On 27 November 2016, after a 1–1 home draw against

Vereya Vereya () is the name of several inhabited localities in Russia. ;Urban localities *Vereya, Naro-Fominsky District, Moscow Oblast, a town in Naro-Fominsky District of Moscow Oblast ;Rural localities * Vereya, Orekhovo-Zuyevsky District, Moscow O ...

, he resigned from his position. On 8 June 2017, Iordănescu signed a deal with Liga I club

Astra Giurgiu Asociația Fotbal Club Astra Giurgiu (), commonly known as Astra Giurgiu or simply Astra, was a Romanian football club last based in the city of Giurgiu, Giurgiu County. Founded in 1921 in Ploiești as ''Clubul Sportiv Astra-Română'', it spe ...

. On 2 April 2018, his contract with the club was terminated through a mutual agreement. On 13 June 2018, Iordănescu signed a three-year contract with

, taking over from

Dan Petrescu Daniel "Dan" Vasile Petrescu (; born 22 December 1967) is a Romanian football manager and former player who is currently in charge of Liga I club CFR Cluj. As a player, Petrescu was deployed as a full-back or a winger and began his career a ...

, who left for

Guizhou Hengfeng Guizhou Football Club (; ) was a professional Chinese football club. The team was based in Guiyang, Guizhou and their home stadium was the 51,636 seater Guiyang Olympic Sports Center. Their majority shareholders were Hengfeng Real Estate, Guizho ...

. He won his first managerial trophy on July 15 that year, as his new side defeated Universitatea Craiova 1–0 in the

2018 Supercupa României The 2018 Supercupa României was the 20th edition of the Supercupa României, the annual super cup in Romania. The game was contested by the winners of the previous season's 2017–18 Liga I, Liga I and 2017–18 Cupa României, Cupa României co ...

. He departed CFR Cluj in less than two months, following disagreements with owner Ioan Varga, who attempted to interfere in managerial decisions during matches. Between January 2019 and June 2020, Iordănescu had a stint at

Gaz Metan Mediaș Gaz may refer to: Geography *Gaz, Kyrgyzstan Iran * Gaz, Darmian, village in South Khorasan province * Gaz, Golestan, a village in Bandar-e Gaz County * Gaz, Hormozgan, a village in Minab County * Gaz, Kerman, a village * Gaz, North Khorasan, a ...

, before making a return to CFR Cluj in December 2020. He guided the latter to another Supercupa României and the

2020–21 Liga I The 2020–21 Liga I (also known as Casa Liga 1 for sponsorship reasons) was the 103rd season of the Liga I, the top professional league for Romanian association football clubs. The season started on 21 August 2020 and ended on 19 May 2021. CFR ...

title, but refused to stay beyond the expiration of his contract at the end of the campaign. In August 2021, he made a comeback to Steaua București—now known as FCSB—but this time as a head coach for the first time. On 12 September, his team thrashed

Dinamo București A dynamo is a magnetic device originally used as an electric generator. Dynamo or Dinamo may also refer to: Places * Dinamo (Moscow Metro), a station of the Moscow Metro, Moscow, Russia * Dinamo (Yekaterinburg Metro), a station of the Yekaterin ...

6–0 in the league, representing the largest goal difference in the eternal derby. Iordănescu departed in November 2021 after falling out with owner

Gigi Becali George "Gigi" Becali (; born 25 June 1958) is a Romanian businessman, writer, politician and former convict, mostly known for his ownership of the FCSB football club. Becali was a Member of the European Parliament between June 2009 and Decembe ...

. On 25 January 2022, Iordănescu was appointed as the manager of the Romania national team, which his father Anghel had also coached during three stints. On 18 November 2023, after a 2–1 win against

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

, his country secured qualification for the

. For this achievement, the ''

Gazeta Sporturilor Gazeta Sporturilor () is a Romanian sports website, originally founded in 1924 as a daily newspaper. It was the third-oldest daily newspaper in Europe, with 99 years of uninterrupted publication, before issuing its last edition on 31 October 2023. ...

'' sports website named him the 2023

Romania Coach of the Year The Romania Coach of the Year () is an annual association football award given by the ''Gazeta Sporturilor'' newspaper to the head coach in Romania adjudged to have been the best during a calendar year. Mircea Lucescu and Dan Petrescu hold the rec ...

. On June 12, 2025, Iordănescu took over the Polish

club

Personal life

Iordănescu dated Romanian singer-songwriter

Delia Matache Delia Matache (born 7 February 1982), commonly referred to as simply Delia, is a Romanian singer and television personality. She was part of the pop group N&D (1999–2003). As a solo artist, she has established herself as one of the most success ...

from 2005 to 2006. He is now married to a woman with whom he has three children. His father, Anghel, also managed the Romania national team over three spells.

Career statistics

Managerial

Honours

Player

Steaua București *

Divizia A Liga I (; ''First League''), also spelled as Liga 1 and officially known as SuperLiga for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Romania and the highest level of the Romanian football league system. Contested by 1 ...

: 1995–96 *

Cupa României The Cupa României () is a Association football, football cup competition for List of football clubs in Romania, Romanian teams which has been held annually since 1933–34 Cupa României, 1933–34, except during World War II. It is the Romania ...

: 1995–96 Petrolul Ploiești *

Divizia B The Liga 2, most commonly spelled as Liga II, is the second level of the Romanian football league system. The league changed its name from Divizia B just before the start of the 2006–07 football season. It is currently sponsored by Casa Pariu ...

: 2002–03

Coach

Pandurii Târgu Jiu *

Cupa Ligii The Cupa Ligii () was Romania's secondary club football tournament. Like the Cupa României, it was played on a knockout (single elimination) basis. History It is unclear when the competition was first created, as there are no official recordi ...

runner-up: 2014–15 CFR Cluj *

2020–21 The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen ...

Supercupa României The Supercupa României () is a Romanian football (soccer), football championship contested by the winners of the Liga I and the Cupa României. It is usually played at the Arena Națională in Bucharest. The competition started off in 1994 Supe ...

2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...

2020 The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...

Individual *''

: 2023, 2024 *''Gala Fotbalului Românesc'' Romanian Coach of the Year: 2021 *''Gazeta Sporturilor'' Romania Coach of the Month: November 2023

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Iordanescu, Edward 1978 births Living people Footballers from Bucharest Romanian men's footballers FCSB players FC Sportul Studențesc București players FC Rapid București players CSM Focșani (football) players FC Petrolul Ploiești players AFC Rocar București players FC Vaslui players Panionios F.C. players Alki Larnaca FC players Liga I players Super League Greece players Cypriot First Division players Romanian expatriate men's footballers Romanian expatriate sportspeople in Greece Romanian expatriate sportspeople in Cyprus Expatriate men's footballers in Greece Expatriate men's footballers in Cyprus Romanian football managers Liga I managers First Professional Football League (Bulgaria) managers Ekstraklasa managers FC Vaslui managers FC Astra Giurgiu managers CFR Cluj managers FCSB non-playing staff CS Pandurii Târgu Jiu managers ASA 2013 Târgu Mureș managers PFC CSKA Sofia managers CS Gaz Metan Mediaș managers FCSB managers Legia Warsaw managers Romania national football team managers Romanian expatriate football managers Expatriate football managers in Bulgaria Romanian expatriate sportspeople in Bulgaria Expatriate football managers in Poland Romanian expatriate sportspeople in Poland Men's association football midfielders UEFA Euro 2024 managers