Gheorghe Băcuț


Gheorghe Băcuț was a Romanian footballer who played as a right back.

Club career

Băcuț was born on 12 July 1927 in Oradea, Kingdom of Romania and began playing junior-level football at local clubs, Stăruința and Libertatea. In 1946 he started his senior career at ITA Arad where he made his Divizia A debut under coach Zoltán Opata on 25 August in a 5–1 away win against his former club, Libertatea. Until the end of the season he played a total of 24 games with one goal scored, helping the club win its first title. In the following season he helped The Old Lady win The Double, being used by coach Petre Steinbach in 26 matches in which he scored four goals, and also played the entire match in the 3–2 victory in the 1948 Cupa României final against CFR Timișoara.
In 1950, Băcuț joined Dinamo București, and his first performance was reaching the 1954 Cupa României final where coach Angelo Niculescu used him the full 90 minutes in the 2–0 loss to Metalul Reșița. Then in the following season he helped the club win their first Divizia A title, being used by Niculescu in 24 matches. He then played in the first European match for a Romanian team during the 1956–57 European Cup, a 3–1 victory against Galatasaray. The Red Dogs advanced to the next phase of the competition where they were eliminated by CDNA Sofia against whom he scored a goal, Băcuț playing three games in the campaign.
In 1957, Băcuț returned to his hometown to play for CS Oradea where on 15 June 1958 he made his last Divizia A appearance in a 3–0 away loss against his former team, Dinamo, totaling 237 matches with eight goals in the competition. In 1958, he and other players were banned from playing football by the Communist regime because "their lack of responsibility resulted in liberalist tendencies", but after one year he was allowed to play again. He retired in 1961 after playing two seasons in Divizia B for CS Oradea.

International career

Băcuț played 28 matches for Romania, making his debut under coach Coloman Braun-Bogdan on 30 September 1945 in a 7–2 friendly loss to Hungary. He played in a 2–1 victory in the 1946 Balkan Cup against Yugoslavia and made three appearances in the 1947 edition, scoring one goal in a 3–2 win over Bulgaria. Subsequently, he played another four games in the 1948 Balkan Cup. Băcuț also played three matches in the 1954 World Cup qualifiers, making his last appearance for the national team on 10 September 1956 in a 2–0 away loss to Bulgaria in which he was for the first time the team's captain.

International goals

#DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
1.6 July 1947Yunak Stadium, Sofia, Bulgaria1–03–21947 Balkan Cup

Personal life

His brother, Ladislau Băcuț, was also a footballer, and they played together at ITA Arad and Dinamo București.

Death

Băcuț died on 24 July 1974 at age 47 in his native town, Oradea.

Honours

ITA Arad
Dinamo București