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Gil Mărdărescu

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Gil Mardaresco
Personal information
Full name Mircea Mărdărescu
Date of birth (1952-04-12) 12 April 1952 (age 72)
Place of birth Săcele, Romania
Height 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Position(s) Midfielder
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1970–1973 Politehnica Iași[a] 28 (0)
1973–1975 Wydad Casablanca
1975 New York Cosmos 5 (0)
1975 Rochester Lancers 2 (1)
1980 New York United
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Mircea "Gil" Mărdărescu (born 12 April 1952, in Săcele) is a retired Romanian-American football (soccer) player.

Career

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Gil Mărdărescu started playing football in 1970 at Politehnica Iași under the guidance of his father, Virgil, making 28 appearances in the Romanian top-division, Divizia A.[1][2][3] From 1973 until 1975 he played in Morocco at Wydad Casablanca.[1][2]

In 1975, he joined the New York Cosmos as a midfielder in the North American Soccer League, where he played alongside three-time World Cup winner Pelé.[1][2][4] According to Pelé's autobiography, when Mărdărescu first saw him he made the sign of the cross, then grabbed his hand, telling him:"I always dreamed that I would shake your hand. But playing alongside you is a miracle!".[1][2] In the same year he moved on to the Rochester Lancers, where he was coached by Ted Dumitru.[5][6] In 1980, he signed with the New York United football team of the American Soccer League.[7][8]

Personal life

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His father Virgil Mărdărescu coached the Morocco to the 1976 African Cup of Nations title.[9][10]

He currently lives in California with his wife Stephanie. Gil and Stephanie have two children together, Natalie and Nathan. Mardaresco has three grown children from a previous marriage.[9][11]

Honours

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Politehnica Iași

Notes

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  1. ^ The statistics for the 1972–73 Divizia B season are not available.

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Un singur român a fost coechipier cu Pelé: "Am visat mereu că îți voi strânge mâna"" [Only one Romanian was a teammate with Pelé: "I always dreamed that I would shake your hand"] (in Romanian). Gsp.ro. 29 December 2022. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d "Unicul fotbalist român care a fost coleg cu Pele: "Și-a făcut semnul crucii". Ce scria legenda braziliană în autobiografia sa" [The only Romanian footballer who was a colleague of Pele: "He made the sign of the cross". What the Brazilian legend wrote in his autobiography] (in Romanian). Prosport.ro. 30 December 2022. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
  3. ^ "Mircea Mardarescu" (in Romanian). Labtof.ro. Archived from the original on 24 January 2020.
  4. ^ "Curtain call for a legend". Sports Illustrated. 23 June 1975. Archived from the original on 2 June 2008. Retrieved 14 April 2013.
  5. ^ "Gil Mardarescu". Soccer-almanac.com. Archived from the original on 20 August 2018.
  6. ^ "Imagine de colecţie + Fabuloasa biografie a singurului român care i-a fost coechipier lui Pele" [Collection image + Fabulous biography of the only Romanian who was a teammate of Pele] (in Romanian). Gsp.ro. 14 January 2015. Retrieved 25 January 2020.
  7. ^ "New York United shines in 3 - 0 Big Apple debut" (PDF). Gannett Westchester Newspapers. 29 May 1980.
  8. ^ "Gil Mărdărescu". Nasljerseys.com. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
  9. ^ a b "Clipe grele pentru singurul român care a jucat cu Pele: "Rugați-vă pentru el și îmbrățișați-i pe cei dragi"" [Hard moments for the only Romanian who played with Pele: "Pray for him and hug your loved ones"] (in Romanian). Gsp.ro. 28 June 2017. Retrieved 25 January 2020.
  10. ^ "Marele Pele a dezvăluit ce i-a spus singurul fotbalist român alături de care a jucat. "Replica lui m-a îngrijorat!"" [The Great Pele revealed what the only Romanian footballer that played with him said. "His reply worried me!"] (in Romanian). Adevarul.ro. 10 October 2015. Retrieved 25 January 2020.
  11. ^ "Gil Mărdărescu, fotbalistul român care a jucat cu marele Pele la New York Cosmos, operat de cancer la prostată" [Gil Mărdărescu, the Romanian footballer who played with the great Pele at New York Cosmos, operated on prostate cancer] (in Romanian). Libertatea.ro. 29 June 2017. Retrieved 25 January 2020.
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