Ilie Balaci

Ilie Balaci

Personal information
Date of birth	(1956-09-13)13 September 1956
Place of birth	Bistreț, Romania
Date of death	21 October 2018(2018-10-21) (aged 62)
Place of death	Craiova, Romania
Height	1.71 m (5 ft 7 in)
Position(s)	Midfielder
Youth career
1965–1973	Universitatea Craiova
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1973–1984	Universitatea Craiova	285	(76)
1985–1986	Olt Scornicești	30	(7)
1986–1988	Dinamo București	32	(1)
1988–1989	Pandurii Târgu Jiu	7	(0)
1989–1990	Drobeta Turnu-Severin	10	(5)
Total		364	(89)
International career
1974–1986	Romania	65	(8)
Managerial career
1988–1989	Pandurii Târgu Jiu
1989–1991	Drobeta Turnu-Severin
1991–1992	Club Africain
1992–1994	Olympique Casablanca
1994–1996	Al Shabab
1996–1997	Al-Nassr
1997–1998	Al Hilal
1998	Universitatea Craiova
1998–2000	Al Ain
2000–2001	Al Hilal
2001	Universitatea Craiova
2001–2002	Al Sadd
2002–2003	Al Hilal
2003–2005	Al-Ahli
2005–2006	Al-Arabi
2006	Al Shabab
2007–2009	Universitatea Craiova (general manager)
2009–2010	Kazma
2011	Raja Casablanca
2013	Al-Nahda
2016	Al-Hilal Omdurman
2017–2018	Al-Suwaiq
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Ilie Balaci (Romanian pronunciation: [iˈli.e ˈbalatʃʲ]; 13 September 1956 – 21 October 2018) was a Romanian football midfielder and manager.

He spent 12 of his 15 years as a professional with Universitatea Craiova, appearing in more than 300 official games with the club and winning seven major titles. Nicknamed Minunea blondă ("the Blonde Wonder"), Balaci is considered one of the greatest Romanian footballers of all time.^[1][2]