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Marcel Sabou

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Marcel Sabou
Personal information
Date of birth (1965-08-22)22 August 1965
Place of birth Timișoara, Romania
Date of death 9 June 2025(2025-06-09) (aged 59)
Place of death Gijón, Asturias, Spain
Position Midfielder
Youth career
Politehnica Timișoara
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1985–1986 Politehnica Timișoara 46 (9)
1986–1989 Dinamo București 48 (0)
1989–1990 Real Madrid Castilla 7 (0)
1990–1991 Tenerife 20 (0)
1991–1993 Racing Santander 66 (9)
1993–1996 Sporting Gijón 72 (6)
1996–1998 Desportivo Chaves 59 (10)
Total 318 (34)
International career
1986–1987 Romania U21 7 (0)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals

Marcel Sabou (22 August 1965 – 9 June 2025) was a Romanian footballer who played for Romanian sides Politehnica Timișoara and Dinamo București, Spanish clubs Real Madrid Castilla, Tenerife, Racing Santander and Sporting Gijón and Portuguese team Desportivo Chaves.[1]

Club career

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Sabou was born on 22 August 1965 in Timișoara, Romania.[2][3][4] He began playing football at local club Politehnica, making his Divizia A debut on 14 August 1985 under coach Ion Dumitru in a 1–0 away loss to Petrolul Ploiești.[2][3][4][5] At the end of his first season spent at the club, they were relegated to Divizia B, but Sabou stayed with them for another half a year.[2] Afterwards he went to play under the guidance of coach Mircea Lucescu at Dinamo București.[2][3][4] There, he made his only appearance in European competitions, playing in a 3–0 victory against Kuusysi Lahti in the first round of the 1988–89 European Cup Winners' Cup.[2][6] On 20 June 1989 he made his last Divizia A appearance in Dinamo's 0–0 home draw against SC Bacău, having a total of 77 games with five goals in the competition.[7]

In 1989, Sabou defected to Spain, signing with Segunda División team Real Madrid Castilla.[2][3][4] Shortly afterwards he moved to Tenerife where on 9 September 1990 under coach Xabier Azkargorta he made his La Liga debut in a 3–1 away loss to Osasuna.[2][3][4][8] In 1991 he went back to Segunda División at Racing Santander, helping the team earn promotion to the first division in his second season spent there.[2][3][4] He then went back to La Liga football, playing for Sporting Gijón, scoring his first goal in the competition on 6 March 1994 in a 2–1 away loss to Rayo Vallecano.[2][3][4][9] In 1995 he scored an important goal in a relegation play-off against Lleida which helped Gijón avoid relegation.[4][10] On 25 February 1996, Sabou made his last La Liga appearance in Gijón's 3–2 home loss to Espanyol, totaling 86 matches with six goals in the competition.[2][11]

Afterwards he went to play for Desportivo Chaves where he was teammates with compatriot Ovidiu Cuc.[2][3][4][12] Sabou made his Primeira Liga debut on 1 September 1996 under coach José Romão in a 3–3 draw against Marítimo.[13][14] On 13 October he netted a brace in a 5–2 victory against Braga.[13] He would score two more doubles in a win against Farense and a loss to Leça, netting a personal record of eight goals until the end of the season.[2][13] On 17 May 1998, Sabou played his last game in the Portuguese league, a 0–0 draw against Académica, totaling 59 games with 10 goals in the competition.[2][15]

International career

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Between 1986 and 1987, Sabou made seven appearances for Romania's under-21 squad.[16]

Defection from Communist Romania

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Sabou was one of the few footballers who managed to defect from Romania's communist regime, where defection was illegal at the time.[17][18][19] He defected in 1989 while he was playing for Dinamo București in a friendly tournament held in Madrid, Spain.[18] Together with teammate Gheorghe Viscreanu, he sneaked out of the hotel and went to the airport.[19] They bought tickets to Frankfurt where Sabou mentioned a friend who could assist them, but when they arrived they didn't have an entrance visa so they were sent back to Madrid.[18] When they got back at the airport in Madrid, they found out that their visa for Spain was no longer available.[18] A police commissioner from the airport understood their situation and allowed them to stay in the airport for two days and introduced them to some people he knew from Rayo Vallecano.[18] They signed three-year contracts with Rayo, but did not play in the first one due to a rule at the time that mandated a one-year suspension for footballers defecting from the communist bloc before they could play again.[17][18] Viscreanu and Sabou made an agreement that they would not sign a contract unless the other also signed, but Sabou did not respect this pact as he signed with Real Madrid Castilla without considering Viscreanu's situation, a decision that shattered their friendship.[19]

Personal life and death

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In 2013 Sabou was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a disease that causes the death of neurons controlling voluntary muscles.[20]

On 9 June 2025, he died of complications from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis in Gijón, Spain, at the age of 59.[21][22]

Honours

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Politehnica Timișoara

References

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  1. ↑ "E pe locul 4 în topul românilor cu cele mai multe meciuri în Primera! "Am bătut şi Barça, şi Realul!" [He is ranked 4th in the Romanians top with most matches in Primera! "I beat both Barça and Real!"] (in Romanian). Prosport.ro. 5 September 2011. Retrieved 16 April 2018.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Marcel Sabou at RomanianSoccer.ro (in Romanian)
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "S-a stins Marcel Sabou" [Marcel Sabou has passed away] (in Romanian). Sspolitehnica.ro. 10 June 2025. Retrieved 18 June 2025.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "Veste tristă din Gijon! S-a stins Marcel Sabou. Avea 59 de ani și se lupta teribil din 2013 cu boala necruțătoare!" [Sad news from Gijon! Marcel Sabou has passed away. He was 59 years old and had been fighting a terrible battle with the relentless disease since 2013!] (in Romanian). Gsp.ro. 10 June 2025. Retrieved 18 June 2025.
  5. ↑ "Petrolul Ploiești vs Politehnica Timișoara 1-0". Labtof. Retrieved 9 October 2025.
  6. ↑ "Marcel Sabou. European Cup Winners' Cup 1988/1989". WorldFootball. Retrieved 18 June 2025.
  7. ↑ "Marcel Sabou". Labtof. Retrieved 12 November 2025.
    "Marcel Sabou 1988/89". Labtof. Retrieved 12 November 2025.
    "Dinamo București vs FCM Bacau 0-0". Labtof. Retrieved 12 November 2025.
  8. ↑ "Marcel Sabou. Primera División 1990/1991". WorldFootball. Retrieved 18 June 2025.
    "CA Osasuna - CD Tenerife 3:1". WorldFootball. Retrieved 18 June 2025.
  9. ↑ "Marcel Sabou. Primera División 1993/1994". WorldFootball. Retrieved 18 June 2025.
    "Rayo Vallecano - Sporting Gijón 2:1". WorldFootball. Retrieved 18 June 2025.
  10. ↑ "Marcel Sabou a murit. Fostul internațional de tineret se lupta de 12 ani cu o boală necruțătoare" [Marcel Sabou has died. The former youth international had been battling a relentless illness for 12 years] (in Romanian). Libertatea.ro. 10 June 2025. Retrieved 18 June 2025.
  11. ↑ "Marcel Sabou. Primera División 1995/1996". WorldFootball. Retrieved 18 June 2025.
    "Sporting Gijón - Espanyol Barcelona 2:3". WorldFootball. Retrieved 18 June 2025.
  12. ↑ "Marcel Sabou: "Cred ca stie mult mai multa lume de mine in Spania decat in Romania."" [Marcel Sabou: "I think that more people know about me in Spain than in Romania."] (in Romanian). Sptfm.ro. 20 December 2014. Archived from the original on 1 May 2015. Retrieved 18 June 2025.
    "GD Chaves. Squad 1996/1997". WorldFootball. Retrieved 18 June 2025.
  13. 1 2 3 "Marcel Sabou. Primeira Liga 1996/1997". WorldFootball. Retrieved 18 June 2025.
  14. ↑ "CS Marítimo - GD Chaves 3:3". WorldFootball. Retrieved 18 June 2025.
  15. ↑ "Marcel Sabou. Primeira Liga 1997/1998". WorldFootball. Retrieved 18 June 2025.
    "GD Chaves - Académica de Coimbra 0:0". WorldFootball. Retrieved 18 June 2025.
  16. ↑ "Marcel Sabou profile". 11v11. Retrieved 18 June 2025.
  17. 1 2 "Gheorghe Viscreanu, singurul fotbalist roman care a fugit de doua ori din tara, in comunism: "Vorbeam de doua ori pe saptamana cu Hagi, dupa ce a venit la Madrid"" [Gheorghe Viscreanu, the only Romanian footballer who fled the country twice, during communism: "I used to talk twice a week with Hagi, after he came to Madrid"] (in Romanian). Sptfm.ro. 25 November 2014. Archived from the original on 26 March 2015. Retrieved 18 June 2025.
  18. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Gheorghe Viscreanu, fost jucător la Steaua și Dinamo, face o incursiune răscolitoare prin viața sa: "Australia m-a extrădat în baza unui pact secret cu Ceaușescu"" [Gheorghe Viscreanu, former player at Steaua and Dinamo, makes a tumultuous foray through his life: "Australia extradited me on the basis of a secret pact with Ceausescu"] (in Romanian). Gsp.ro. 27 January 2020. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
  19. 1 2 3 "A doua parte a confesiunilor lui Gheorghe Viscreanu: "Chef de pomină cu colegi de la Dinamo, Steaua și 22 de balerine" + "Am spart banii la cazinou ca să nu-i împart cu soția la divorț"" [The second part of Gheorghe Viscreanu's confessions: "Party with colleagues from Dinamo, Steaua and 22 ballerinas" + "I broke the money at the casino so as not to share it with my wife at divorce"] (in Romanian). Gsp.ro. 27 January 2020. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
  20. ↑ "REPORTAJ EMOȚIONANT – Povestea tulburătoare a lui Marcel Sabou: de la transferul la Real Madrid la 6 ani în vârtejul ALS, o boală incurabilă" [EXCITING REPORT – Marcel Sabou's disturbing story: from the transfer to Real Madrid to 6 years in the whirlwind of ALS, an incurable disease] (in Romanian). Sptfm.ro. 16 January 2020. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
  21. ↑ Falagán, Aser (9 June 2025). "Pésame por el fallecimiento del exjugador Marcel Sabou" [Condolences on the passing of former player Marcel Sabou] (in Spanish). Realsporting.com. Retrieved 9 June 2025.
  22. ↑ Falagán, Aser (9 June 2025). "Fallece Marcel Sabou, uno de los héroes del ascenso del 93" [Fallen Marcel Sabou, one of the heroes of the rise of 93] (in Spanish). El Diario Montañés. Retrieved 12 June 2025.
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