Ionel Ganea’s son died after a serious car accident.
Credit: Facebook page Atenție în Trafic
English fans might remember Ionel Ganea as the fiery Romanian striker who crushed England’s hopes at Euro 2000.
In a dramatic group-stage game, it was Ganea who slotted the last-minute penalty that sent Kevin Keegan’s team packing. The final score: 3-2 to Romania. For England, it was devastating. For Ganea and the Romania national team, it was pure glory.
Ganea went on to play for clubs like VfB Stuttgart, Bursaspor, and Wolverhampton Wanderers, where he spent two seasons between 2004 and 2006. Though he didn’t quite light up the Premier League — with just 7 goals in 32 appearances — he left a mark as an unpredictable forward.
Now, two decades after that unforgettable night in Charleroi, Ganea is in the headlines for a devastating reason — one that has nothing to do with football and everything to do with unbearable personal tragedy.
Credit: YouTube screenshot
A tragic turn
Now 51, Ganea was four weeks ago involved in a serious car accident while driving through Romania, between the towns of Beclean and Făgăraș.
Riding alongside him in the passenger seat was his two-year-old son — a child who, according to Romanian reports, was not wearing a seatbelt and was seated in the front, against all the road safety regulations.
Reports indicate that Ganea’s vehicle collided with a stationary car parked on the roadside. The impact wasn’t fatal for the former striker, but his young son suffered catastrophic injuries: a traumatic brain injury, multiple internal traumas, and cardiac arrest. He was resuscitated on site, rushed to hospital, operated on, and placed in an induced coma.
The Romanian press now reports the worst: on June 6, nearly a month after the accident, Ganea’s son passed away from his injuries.
Questions of responsibility
This is not the first time Ganea is said to have disregarded traffic laws.
Local outlets in Romania suggest that a police officer had previously warned him about placing his son in the front seat without proper restraints. That warning went unheeded. This time, the consequences were fatal.
Ganea, once known for his short temper and off-pitch controversies (he nearly beat a referee while playing for Poli Timișoara), now faces a tragedy of unimaginable scale — and one that many believe could have been prevented.
A career to be remembered
Credit: Creative Commons
Before this dark chapter, Ganea’s football résumé was impressive. He earned 45 caps for Romania and scored 19 goals for the national team. He was part of Romania’s success in the early 2000, contributing to major tournaments and representing the country with distinction.
After hanging up his boots in 2011, Ganea turned to coaching, managing various Romanian sides. But since 2021, he has been out of the game, largely staying out of the public eye — until now.
This isn’t a scandal. It’s a tragedy. It’s the kind of personal collapse that no trophy, no career stat, no goal celebration can soften.
