Alexandru Apolzan
Encyclopedia
Alexandru Apolzan was a Romania
n football
player, who played mainly for Steaua Bucureşti and also for Romania
. He is in fact the inventor of the sweeper role and is considered as one of the best sweepers in the history of Romanian football, only Miodrag Belodedici
and Gheorghe Popescu
, in the recent years, being able to play at a similar level.
was the one who invented the role of sweeper or libero in football, but this is wrong. It was the Romania
n Apolzan who first played in this role, while at Steaua Bucureşti. However, Apolzan played during the darkest period in the history of Romania
, when the connections with the outside world were almost cut completely.
Apolzan signed his first contract with Şoimii, a local team from Sibiu
, in 1941. After the war he joins the squad of CFR Bucharest and then between 1949 and 1962, at the end of his career, played for Steaua Bucureşti.
The great Hungarian coach Gusztáv Sebes
, the builder of the great Hungarian team from the first half of the '50s - the Magical Magyars, said in 1954, after the 1954 FIFA World Cup
that Apolzan, Ion Voinescu
and Titus Ozon
are at the same level as his own Hungarian players and that he would be proud to be able to coach them.
He also won 22 caps for Romania
. It was however an era when Romania
used to play less than five games per year.
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
n football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
player, who played mainly for Steaua Bucureşti and also for Romania
Romania national football team
The Romania national football team is the national football team of Romania and is controlled by the Romanian Football Federation.Romania is one of only four national teams, the other three being Brazil, France, and Belgium, that took part in the first three World Cups.However, after that...
. He is in fact the inventor of the sweeper role and is considered as one of the best sweepers in the history of Romanian football, only Miodrag Belodedici
Miodrag Belodedici
Miodrag Belodedici is a Romanian former football player.Nicknamed The deer due to his elegant tackles, he won the European Cup twice, in 1986 with Steaua Bucureşti and 1991 with Red Star Belgrade, thus becoming the first player to win the trophy with two different clubs...
and Gheorghe Popescu
Gheorghe Popescu
Gheorghe Gică Popescu is a former Romanian footballer who played as a defender, and was a key part of the Romania national team in the 1990s. He played for a string of European clubs in an illustrious career that saw him amass many honours...
, in the recent years, being able to play at a similar level.
An inventor of modern football
The history of football suggests that Franz BeckenbauerFranz Beckenbauer
Franz Anton Beckenbauer is a German football coach, manager, and former player, nicknamed Der Kaiser because of his elegant style, his leadership, his first name "Franz" , and his dominance on the football pitch...
was the one who invented the role of sweeper or libero in football, but this is wrong. It was the Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
n Apolzan who first played in this role, while at Steaua Bucureşti. However, Apolzan played during the darkest period in the history of Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
, when the connections with the outside world were almost cut completely.
Apolzan signed his first contract with Şoimii, a local team from Sibiu
Sibiu
Sibiu is a city in Transylvania, Romania with a population of 154,548. Located some 282 km north-west of Bucharest, the city straddles the Cibin River, a tributary of the river Olt...
, in 1941. After the war he joins the squad of CFR Bucharest and then between 1949 and 1962, at the end of his career, played for Steaua Bucureşti.
The great Hungarian coach Gusztáv Sebes
Gusztáv Sebes
Gusztáv Sebes was a Hungarian footballer and coach. With the title of Deputy Minister of Sport, he coached the Hungarian team known as the Mighty Magyars in the 1950s. Among the players in the team were Ferenc Puskás, Zoltán Czibor, Sándor Kocsis, József Bozsik, and Nándor Hidegkuti...
, the builder of the great Hungarian team from the first half of the '50s - the Magical Magyars, said in 1954, after the 1954 FIFA World Cup
1954 FIFA World Cup
The 1954 FIFA World Cup, the fifth staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in Switzerland from 16 June to 4 July. Switzerland was chosen as hosts in July 1946. The tournament set a number of all-time records for goal-scoring, including the highest average goals scored per game...
that Apolzan, Ion Voinescu
Ion Voinescu
Ion Voinescu is a former Romanian football player, 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...
and Titus Ozon
Titus Ozon
Titus Ozon was a Romanian international football striker. He was considered one of the greatest talents of the postwar in the Romanian football, famous for his extraordinary ability to dribble.- Records :...
are at the same level as his own Hungarian players and that he would be proud to be able to coach them.
He also won 22 caps for Romania
Romania national football team
The Romania national football team is the national football team of Romania and is controlled by the Romanian Football Federation.Romania is one of only four national teams, the other three being Brazil, France, and Belgium, that took part in the first three World Cups.However, after that...
. It was however an era when Romania
Romania national football team
The Romania national football team is the national football team of Romania and is controlled by the Romanian Football Federation.Romania is one of only four national teams, the other three being Brazil, France, and Belgium, that took part in the first three World Cups.However, after that...
used to play less than five games per year.