Dănuț Lupu

Lupu was born on 27 February 1967 in Galați, Romania and began simultaneously practicing football and ice hockey as a child, when he decided to concentrate exclusively on his football career. In 1985 he started to play professional football for Dunărea Galați in Divizia B. Two years later he was transferred to Dinamo București where he was wanted by coach Mircea Lucescu, playing his first Divizia A match on 8 March 1987 in a 2–0 win against FC Brașov. The club managed to win The Double in the 1989–90 season, Lupu contributing with six goals scored in the 22 league matches that Lucescu used him, and he also netted one goal in the 6–4 victory in the Cupa României final against Steaua București. He also made some performances in European competitions, helping The Red Dogs reach the quarter-finals in the 1988–89 European Cup Winners' Cup where they were eliminated on the away goals rule after 1–1 on aggregate by Sampdoria. In the following edition of the same competition, Dinamo reached the semi-finals where they were eliminated after a 2–0 aggregate loss to Anderlecht with Lupu playing seven games in the campaign. After the fall of communism in December 1989, Lupu moved to Greece and signed with Panathinaikos which paid Dinamo a transfer fee estimated between $1.2 – 2 million. He won the championship with The Greens, although he played there only 10 league games in which he scored one goal. During his time in Greece, he also had spells at Korinthos and OFI, totaling 66…

Lupu played 14 matches without scoring for Romania, making his debut on 11 October 1989 when coach Emerich Jenei sent him in the 64th minute to replace Ioan Sabău in a 1990 World Cup qualification match that ended with a 3–0 loss to Denmark. He also appeared in the 3–1 victory in the second leg against the Danes. Coach Jenei used him in two games during the 1990 World Cup final tournament, a 1–1 draw in the group stage against Argentina and a 0–0 (5–4, after penalty kicks) loss to Ireland in the round of 16. Lupu played four games in the successful Euro 1996 qualifiers, but was not part of the squad that went to the final tournament. He made his last appearance for the national team on 18 March 1998 in a 1–0 friendly loss to Israel.

Lupu was a player known for his dribbling and passing abilities. When his former coach, Mircea Lucescu was asked "What did Lupu lack to be at Hagi's level?", Lucescu answered:"He didn't lack talent, especially since he also played hockey and had very strong legs, which enabled him to balance well on the field. I did not see him fall on the field. I remember a match at Brescia against Desailly (n.b. Marcel Desailly, ex-Milan defender and world champion with France), he crushed him in a one-on-one contest. He was lacking Gică Hagi's ambition. Perhaps, if he had been more ambitious, he would have taken football more seriously. He didn't take it very seriously. He loved football, but he did not respect it. I would tell him what to do and he would understand immediately, very intelligently. I remember that cube appeared (the Rubik's Cube)... no one could do it. He did it immediately. He had an extraordinary memory. He lacked that basic education."

His nephew, Valentin Balint, was also a footballer who started his career at Dinamo București.