Laurențiu Reghecampf
Romanian association football manager and former player
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Laurențiu Aurelian Reghecampf (born 19 September 1975) is a Romanian professional football manager and former player, who is currently in charge of Al Hilal Omdurman.
|
Reghecampf coaching Steaua București în 2013 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Laurențiu Aurelian Reghecampf[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 19 September 1975 | ||
| Place of birth | Târgoviște, Romania | ||
| Height | 1.74 m (5 ft 9 in) | ||
| Position | Midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Al Hilal Omdurman (head coach) | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1987–1993 | CS Târgoviște | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1993–1996 | Oțelul Târgoviște | 49 | (4) |
| 1993–1994 | → St. Pölten (loan) | 1 | (0) |
| 1997–2000 | Steaua București | 73 | (5) |
| 1998–1999 | → Litex Lovech (loan) | 14 | (4) |
| 2000–2004 | Energie Cottbus | 135 | (17) |
| 2005–2008 | Alemannia Aachen | 90 | (18) |
| 2008–2009 | 1. FC Kaiserslautern | 2 | (1) |
| Total | 365 | (49) | |
| International career | |||
| 2003 | Romania | 1 | (0) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2009–2010 | FC Snagov | ||
| 2010 | FC Universitatea Craiova | ||
| 2010 | Gloria Bistrița | ||
| 2010–2011 | FC Snagov | ||
| 2011 | FC Universitatea Craiova | ||
| 2011 | FC Snagov | ||
| 2011–2012 | Concordia Chiajna | ||
| 2012–2014 | FCSB | ||
| 2014–2015 | Al-Hilal | ||
| 2015 | Litex Lovech | ||
| 2015–2017 | FCSB | ||
| 2017–2018 | Al Wahda | ||
| 2019–2020 | Al-Wasl | ||
| 2021 | Al Ahli | ||
| 2021–2022 | Universitatea Craiova | ||
| 2022–2023 | Neftchi Baku | ||
| 2023 | Universitatea Craiova | ||
| 2023–2024 | Al-Tai | ||
| 2024–2025 | Espérance de Tunis | ||
| 2025– | Al Hilal Omdurman | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Playing career
Club
Of German ancestry,[2] Reghecampf was born in Târgoviște and began his career with local club Chindia. In the 1993–94 season, at the age of 18, he was loaned to Austrian Bundesliga side SKN St. Pölten.[3]
He later joined Steaua București, where he won two league titles. In 1998, he was loaned to Bulgarian side Litex Lovech, with whom he won the 1999 A PFG title.
In 2000, he moved to German Bundesliga club Energie Cottbus. Four years later, he joined Alemannia Aachen, where he quickly became a fan favorite and helped the club win promotion to the Bundesliga in his first season. A few seasons later, he was named captain of Alemannia. In the round of 16 of the 2006–07 German Cup, he scored twice in a 4–2 victory over Bayern Munich, knocking them out of the competition.[4]
On 4 July 2008, he joined second-tier side 1. FC Kaiserslautern on a free transfer for the 2008–09 2. Bundesliga season before announcing his retirement in 2009, at the age of 34.
International
Reghecampf made one appearance for Romania on 29 March 2003 when coach Anghel Iordănescu sent him on the field in the 62nd minute in order to replace Paul Codrea in a match which ended with a 5–2 home loss against Denmark at the Euro 2004 qualifiers.[5][6][7]
Managerial career
Reghecampf began his managerial career with Liga II side Snagov in 2009. At the end of 2009–10 season, he was brought to Universitatea Craiova to save the team from relegation. He succeeded in this task, but he was not retained for the following season. Instead, Reghecampf was named coach at Gloria Bistrița, where he was sacked after 12 matches due to poor results. He returned to Snagov, but after just five matches, he was called back to Craiova to help the team avoid relegation. He was sacked after only six matches following a conflict with several players.
He started the 2011–12 season at FC Snagov for a second spell. In December 2011, he signed a contract with Romanian Liga I club Concordia Chiajna, with the primary objective of avoiding relegation. When he took over, the club was 17th overall and just above the relegation zone.[8] He overhauled almost the entire squad, bringing in 17 new players, most of them from Snagov. After a series of wins, his side finished the season in ninth place.
Steaua Bucuresti
His progress at Concordia brought the attention of his former club, Steaua București, and at the end of the 2011–12 season, they offered him a one-year contract. His main objective was to secure Steaua's first championship title after a seven-year absence. In March 2013, he guided Steaua to the last 16 of the Europa League, eliminating Ajax from the competition. The first leg away ended with a 2–0 win for Ajax in Amsterdam. In the second leg at home, Steaua took a 2–0 lead, and the 2–2 aggregate sent the match into extra-time. Steaua beat the Dutch side 4–2 on penalties.[9] Steaua were then eliminated by eventual winners Chelsea after winning 1–0 in the first leg at home and losing 1–3 away at Stamford Bridge. In May 2013, he clinched the Romanian League title and later the Romanian Supercup. On 9 May 2014, Reghecampf led the club to their second consecutive Liga I title.[10] He then guided Steaua to the UEFA Champions League group stages and also took his side to the Romanian Cup final, where they lost 4–2 on penalties to league runners-up Astra Giurgiu.[11]
Al Hilal
On 27 May 2014, he signed a two-year contract with Saudi Arabian side Al Hilal.[12] He led Al-Hilal to the AFC Champions League final five months after his appointment, defeating Al-Ain 4–2 on aggregate in the semi-finals. However, his side lost the final to Western Sydney Wanderers in a two-legged match. He was sacked on 15 February 2015 after another final loss, this time in the Saudi Crown Prince Cup.[13]
Litex Lovech and return to Steaua
In August 2015, he was appointed manager of Bulgarian side Litex Lovech.[14] However, in December 2015, Reghecampf decided to leave the club and return to Steaua București for a second stint.[15]
During his second tenure, Steaua finished in second place in Liga I for two consecutive seasons (2015–16 and 2016–17). In addition, he guided the club to victory in the 2015–16 Cupa Ligii. Reghecampf remained in charge until May 2017, when he parted ways with the club.[16]
Al Wahda
On 3 July 2017, Reghecampf was announced as the new head coach of the Emirati club Al Wahda on a 2-year deal replacing Javier Aguirre.[17] According to sources, his salary will be $2.6 million per season plus potential bonuses up to another $1.6 million.[18] On 16 September 2017, in his Arabian Gulf League debut, Al-Wahda defeated Dibba Al-Fujairah 5–0.[19]
He led Al Wahda to three domestic trophies during his tenure, including two UAE Super Cup titles (2017 and 2018) and the UAE League Cup in 2018.[20]
Al Wasl
In January 2019, Reghecampf took over as manager of the relegation-threatened UAE Pro League club Al Wasl.[21] He successfully guided them to safety, avoiding relegation after a strong run.[22]
Al Ahli Saudi
On 1 April 2021, Reghecampf was announced as the new manager of Saudi Professional League club Al Ahli Saudi.[23] Less than two months later, after two wins, two draws and a loss, he was dismissed.[24]
CS Universitatea Craiova
On 26 July 2021, Reghecampf returned to his native Romania, where he signed a two-year contract to become the new manager of CS Universitatea Craiova.[25] After finishing the previous season third in the league table, the team saw themselves in sixth position in December 2021, triggering rumours of his premature departure from the club.[26][27] As a result, Reghecampf transfer-listed several first-team players, including Mihai Bălașa, Matteo Fedele, Antoni Ivanov and Mihai Roman.[28] In June 2022, he stepped down as coach.[29]
Neftchi Baku
On 21 June 2022, Neftchi Baku announced the appointment of Reghecampf on a two-year contract.[30] After one year, on 21 June 2023, Reghecampf left Neftçi by mutual agreement.[31]
Al Tai
On 25 September 2023, Reghecampf was appointed as manager of Saudi Pro League club Al-Tai.[32] In April 2024, he resigned from his position.[33]
Espérance de Tunis
On 5 November 2024, Reghecampf signed a contract with Tunisian Ligue Professionnelle 1 club Espérance de Tunis until June 2026,[34] with an annual salary of €500,000.[35] This deal made him the highest-paid coach in Tunisian football. In February 2025, he guided the club to victory in the Tunisian Super Cup, defeating Stade Tunisien 2–0 in the final. He was unexpectedly released by the club on 17 March 2025, despite leaving Espérance in first place. During his four months in charge, he won 16 matches, drew 6, and lost only 2 matches, while also qualifying the club for the quarter-finals of the 2024–25 CAF Champions League.[36]
Al Hilal Omdurman
On 7 August 2025, Reghecampf was appointed as the new manager of Sudanese club Al-Hilal S.C.[37] He took charge during the ongoing civil war in Sudan, which forced the club to relocate and temporarily play their home matches at Amahoro Stadium in Kigali while competing in the 2025–26 Rwanda Premier League. Under his management, Al‑Hilal progressed through the CAF Champions League qualifying rounds, defeating Jamus and Kenya Police to reach the group stage, where they opened their campaign with a 2–1 victory over Algerian side MC Alger.[38]
Managerial statistics
- As of match played 3 March 2026[39][citation needed]
| Team | Nat | From | To | Record | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Win % | ||||
| FC Snagov |  |
14 August 2009 | 13 May 2010 | 29 | 16 | 5 | 8 | 57 | 36 | +21 | 55.17 |
| FC Universitatea Craiova | |
14 May 2010 | 23 May 2010 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2 | +1 | 50.00 |
| Gloria Bistrița | |
3 June 2010 | 23 October 2010 | 13 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 16 | 17 | −1 | 23.08 |
| FC Snagov | |
28 November 2010 | 3 April 2011 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 5 | +2 | 60.00 |
| FC Universitatea Craiova | |
4 April 2011 | 1 May 2011 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 8 | −5 | 20.00 |
| FC Snagov | |
27 June 2011 | 17 December 2011 | 16 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 26 | 21 | +5 | 37.50 |
| Concordia Chiajna | |
18 December 2011 | 20 May 2012 | 16 | 11 | 1 | 4 | 30 | 20 | +10 | 68.75 |
| Steaua București | |
21 May 2012 | 27 May 2014 | 103 | 63 | 27 | 13 | 205 | 91 | +114 | 61.17 |
| Al-Hilal |  |
28 May 2014 | 15 February 2015 | 24 | 13 | 6 | 5 | 40 | 19 | +21 | 54.17 |
| Litex Lovech |  |
7 August 2015 | 2 December 2015 | 17 | 8 | 7 | 2 | 29 | 14 | +15 | 47.06 |
| Steaua București | |
3 December 2015 | 19 May 2017 | 73 | 37 | 20 | 16 | 104 | 73 | +31 | 50.68 |
| Al Wahda |  |
3 July 2017 | 24 November 2018 | 62 | 36 | 10 | 16 | 141 | 96 | +45 | 58.06 |
| Al Wasl | |
26 December 2018 | 18 October 2020 | 61 | 25 | 11 | 25 | 99 | 126 | −27 | 40.98 |
| Al Ahli | |
27 March 2021 | 30 June 2021 | 11 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 15 | 20 | −5 | 27.27 |
| Universitatea Craiova | |
26 July 2021 | 12 June 2022 | 45 | 26 | 7 | 12 | 86 | 37 | +49 | 57.78 |
| Neftchi Baku |  |
21 June 2022 | 20 June 2023 | 45 | 24 | 8 | 13 | 73 | 47 | +26 | 53.33 |
| Universitatea Craiova | |
26 July 2023 | 18 September 2023 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 11 | 8 | +3 | 57.14 |
| Al-Tai | |
25 September 2023 | 8 April 2024 | 19 | 4 | 3 | 12 | 21 | 43 | −22 | 21.05 |
| Espérance de Tunis |  |
5 November 2024 | 17 March 2025 | 24 | 16 | 6 | 2 | 49 | 18 | +31 | 66.67 |
| Al Hilal S.C. |  |
7 August 2025 | present | 36 | 22 | 8 | 6 | 73 | 30 | +43 | 61.11 |
| Total | 613 | 322 | 136 | 155 | 1,088 | 791 | +297 | 52.53 | |||
Honours
PlayerOțelul Târgoviște Steaua București Litex Lovech Individual |
ManagerSteaua București[1] Al Hilal[1]
Al Wahda[1]
Neftchi Baku[1]
Espérance de Tunis[1] Al Hilal S.C.[1]
Individual
|
