Fotbal Club Steaua București is a professional association football club based in Ghencea, Bucharest, Romania. The club was founded in 1947 at the initiative of several officers of the Romanian Royal House. The establishment took place following a decree signed by General Mihail Lascăr, High Commander of the Romanian Royal Army. It was formed as a sports society with seven initial sections, including football, coached by Coloman Braun-Bogdan. The decision had been adopted on the ground that several officers were already playing for different teams, which was premise to a good nucleus for forming a future competitive team. As of 2023, FCSB is one of only three clubs to have never been relegated from the top level of Romanian football.
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In the period from 1950 to 1955, FCSB won the Cupa Romaniei four times and the Liga I three times. FCSB enjoyed a successful start in Divizia A, winning the championship in four years from founding. However, after that run in the 50' did not win the league again until 1967. Under the leadership of coaches Emerich Jenei and Anghel Iordănescu, FCSB had an impressive Championship run in the 1984–85 season, which they eventually won after a six-year break.
What followed was an absolutely astonishing European Cup season. After eliminating Vejle, Honvéd, Kuusysi Lahti and Anderlecht, they were the first ever Romanian team to make it to a European Cup final. At the final, played on 7 May 1986 at the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán Stadium in Seville, Spanish champions Barcelona were clear favourites, but after a goalless draw, legendary goalkeeper Helmuth Duckadam saved all four penalties taken by the Spaniards being the first ever Romanian to reach the Guinness Book for that matter, while Gavril Balint and Marius Lăcătuș converted theirs to make Steaua the first Eastern-European team to conquer the supreme continental trophy.
Gheorghe Hagi, Romanian all-time best footballer, joined the club a few months later, scoring the only goal of the match against Dynamo Kyiv which brought FCSB an additional European Super Cup on 24 February 1987 in Monaco, just two
FCSB reached the UEFA Cup semi-finals in 2005–06, where it was eliminated by Middlesbrough thanks to a last-minute goal. FCSB thereafter qualified for the following Champions League seasons after a ten-year break, and in 2007–08 FCSB again reached the group stage of the Champions League. Nationally, the club won two titles—in 2004–05 and 2005–06—and the Supercupa României in 2006, the latter being the club's 50th trophy in its 59-year history.
