Remus Câmpeanu


Remus Câmpeanu was a Romanian footballer who played as a left-back for Universitatea Cluj.

Club career

Câmpeanu was born on 8 September 1938 in Cluj-Napoca, Romania and began playing junior-level football when he was aged 11 at local club, Flamura Roșie. Later he played for Flamura's senior squad, helping the team get promoted to Divizia C and after only one season, to Divizia B, working with coaches Nicolae Szoboszlay and Ștefan Kovács.
In 1960, he was advised by Kovács to go play for Universitatea Cluj, where on 4 September he made his Divizia A debut under coach Andrei Sepci in a 2–0 away loss to Corvinul Hunedoara. He helped the club win the 1964–65 Cupa României, being used by Sepci in the entire game of the 2–1 victory in the final against Argeș Pitești in which he opened the score with a spectacular goal from about 30 meters. In the following season, Câmpeanu played four games in the 1965–66 European Cup Winners' Cup, helping "U" Cluj eliminate Austrian team, Wiener Neustadt in the first round, being eliminated in the following round by Atlético Madrid. In 1966, after Traian Georgescu left the club, Câmpeanu became the team's captain. In the 1971–72 season he helped The Red Caps finish in third position. Two years later, on 19 June 1974 he made his last Divizia A appearance in a 2–0 away loss to FC Constanța, totaling 328 matches with three goals in the competition. After his retirement from playing football, Câmpeanu was Universitatea Cluj's president from 1975 until 1989 and for a short while in 2008.

International career

In 1963, Câmpeanu played for Romania B in a 1–1 draw against Yugoslavia. On 13 May 2020, Gazeta Sporturilor included him on a list of best Romanian players who never played for Romania's senior team.

Personal life

A book about him was written by Ion Cupen titled Confesiunile unui veteran al gazonului ''''. When Câmpeanu was diagnosed with appendicitis, he requested his team colleague and captain, Traian Georgescu who was also a surgeon, to operate him. His older brother, Ovidiu was a footballer who played for Victoria Cluj, Aurul Brad and Jiul Petroșani including at Divizia A level, while his nephew Septimiu Câmpeanu was a footballer who played for Universitatea Cluj. On 13 May 2013, at Cluj Arena during the halftime of the match between Universitatea Cluj and CSMS Iași, he received the title of Honorary Citizen of Cluj County - "Clujean of Honor". Câmpeanu died on 3 April 2021 at age 82.

Honours

Flamura Roșie Cluj
Universitatea Cluj