Ion Voinescu

Ion Voinescu

Personal information
Full name	Ion Voinescu
Date of birth	18 April 1929
Place of birth	Valea Dragului, Giurgiu, Romania
Playing position	Goalkeeper
Youth career
1939–1943	Olympia București
1943–1945	ASPIM Bucureşti
1945–1946	Carmen Bucureşti
1946–1947	Solvay Uioara
1947–1948	RATA Târgu Mureş
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps^†	(Gls)^†
1948–1950	Metalul Bucureşti^1	23	(0)
1950–1963	Steaua Bucureşti	162	(0)
Total		185	(0)
National team
	Romania B	2	(0)
1949–1962	Romania	22	(0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (goals)

Ion Voinescu (born 18 April 1929 in Valea Dragului, Giurgiu County) is a former Romanian footballer, one of the finest goalkeepers Romania ever produced.

As a young player, Voinescu made his debut for Olimpia Bucharest in 1939, just before the World War II. In 1943 he is transferred to another team from Bucharest - ASPIM, and in 1945, after the war, signs his first professional contract with Carmen Bucharest, one of the best Romanian football team of the interbelic period, but leaves the squad after one year and signs for Solvay Uioara.

1947 finds him at RATA Târgu Mureş and then in 1948 returns to Bucharest and signs for Metalul. In 1950 is requested by Steaua Bucureşti, from where he retires from professional football in 1963.

Voinescu was Romanian football champion in 1951, 1952, 1953, 1956, 1959–60 and 1960–61, playing a total of 185 games in Divizia A. He also won the Romanian Cup in 1950, 1951 and 1962.

Voinescu won 22 caps for Romania. He also played for Romania at the 1952 Summer Olympics.^[1]

It is said that Arsenal and Vasco da Gama were interested in securing his services but during that time it was impossible to leave the country due to the restrictions of the communist regime.^[2]

As a coach he used to work for his old club, Steaua Bucureşti, as goalkeepers' coach in many occasions.

He retired from football at the end of '80s.

Notes

^1 The 1950 appearances and goals made for Metalul Bucureşti are unavailable.

References

1. "Ion Voinescu Biography and Statistics". Sports Reference. Retrieved 27 October 2009.
2. "Saving grace: Europe's favourite goalkeepers". UEFA. Retrieved 31 January 2015.