Dynamo Kiev hires Lucescu as head coach

Ukrainian football club Dynamo Kiev appointed Mircea Lucescu as the senior team's head coach on Thursday.

Dynamo Kiev said on its website that Lucescu, 75, became the Ukrainian team's new head coach and adding that the Romanian national agreed for two years with an option for another season.

Lucescu is a famed head coach in Turkey, managing Turkish clubs Galatasaray (2000-02) and Besiktas (2002-04), and the Turkish national team (2017-19).

Meanwhile he was a longtime Shakhtar Donetsk head coach (2004-16) as Lucescu-led Ukrainian powerhouse lifted the UEFA Cup in 2009, the club's only European trophy.

As of the 2009-10 football season, the UEFA Cup was rebranded the UEFA Europa League, Europe's second-tier international club tournament held every season.

During the tenure of Lucescu, Shakhtar Donetsk dominated Ukraine by winning eight league titles.

Lucescu was regarded as the architect and mastermind of a project putting Shakhtar Donetsk at the top of Ukrainian football and making it one of the intimidating clubs in Europe.