| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | (1957-08-04)4 August 1957[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Babadag,Romania[1] | ||
| Date of death | 11 March 2004(2004-03-11) (aged 46)[1] | ||
| Place of death | Babadag,Romania[2] | ||
| Position | Left defender[1] | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1973–1975 | Granitul Babadag | ||
| 1975–1979 | Delta Tulcea | ||
| 1979–1987 | Dinamo București | 163 | (4) |
| 1987–1988 | Flacăra Moreni | 26 | (0) |
| 1989 | Delta Tulcea | ||
| 1989–1990 | Olimpia Râmnicu Sărat | ||
| Total | 189 | (4) | |
| International career | |||
| 1981–1988 | Romania | 6 | (0) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Nelu Stănescu (4 August 1957 – 11 March 2004) was aRomanian footballleft defender.[3]
Stănescu was born on 1 January 1956 inBabadag,Romania.[1] He was aleft defender and began playing football in the lower leagues for Granitul Babadag andDelta Tulcea.[1][2][4] In 1979 he was transferred toDinamo București where on 2 September he made hisDivizia A debut under coachAngelo Niculescu in a 2–0 victory againstOlimpia Satu Mare.[1][5] Stănescu won three consecutive Divizia A titles from 1982 until 1984.[1][2][4][6] In the first one, coachValentin Stănescu used him in 28 matches.[1][6] In the following two he worked withNicolae Dumitru who gave him 14 appearances in the first and 26 in which he scored two goals in the second.[1][6] Stănescu also won threeCupa României withThe Red Dogs, but he did not play in the1982 final againstFC Baia Mare.[1][2][4][7] In the1984 final, coach Dumitru used him as a starter, then replaced him after 24 minutes withIoan Mărginean in the 2–1 win overrivalsSteaua București.[8] In the1986 final, under coachMircea Lucescu he played the entire match in the 1–0 victory against Steaua which had recently won theEuropean Cup.[9] Stănescu appeared in 18 matches for Dinamo in European competitions, making some notable performances as helping it eliminateInter Milan in the1981–82 UEFA Cup.[1][2][4][10] Subsequently, he played six matches in the1983–84 European Cup edition, as the club eliminated title holdersHamburg in the campaign, reaching the semi-finals where they were defeated byLiverpool.[1][2][4][11] After eight seasons spent at Dinamo, he was transferred toFlacăra Moreni where he made his last Divizia A appearance on 3 December 1988 in a 2–0 victory againstASA Târgu Mureș, totaling 189 matches with four goals in the competition.[1][2][4] Stănescu ended his career in 1990 after playing for Delta Tulcea andOlimpia Râmnicu Sărat inDivizia B.[1][2][4]
Stănescu played six games forRomania, making his debut on 11 November 1981 under coachMircea Lucescu in a 0–0 draw againstSwitzerland in the1982 World Cup qualifiers.[12][13] His following games played for the national team were friendlies, his last appearance taking place on 30 March 1988 in a 3–3 draw againstEast Germany.[12]
His former Dinamo teammateMarin Dragnea talked about Stănescu's style of play in a 2022Gazeta Sporturilor interview:"I think the word tenacity would best characterize him. He had positive malice in the game, total dedication to the colors of the club, never abandoning the fight. Excellent defender, who often went up offensively. His partnership withOrac on the left wing resulted in plenty of ideal crosses for the forwards. Even I scored quite a few goals due to their actions."[4]
On 11 March 2004, Stănescu died at age 46 in his nativeBabadag.[1][2][4] Shortly after his death,Marius Lăcătuș said:"Too bad for him, he was one of the best opponents I had in my career!"[4]
Dinamo București