Mircea Costache II

{{Short description|Romanian handball player and coach (1940–2016)}}

{{Cleanup translation|Romanian|type=check|listed=nolist|date=March 2024}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2024}}

{{Infobox handball biography

| name = Mircea Costache II

| image = Mircea Costache II.jpg

| image_size =

| alt =

| caption = Costache pictured in 1961

| fullname = Mircea Costache

| birth_date = {{Birth date|1940|05|02|df=y}}

| birth_place = Bucharest, Romania

| death_date = {{Death date and age|2016|02|16|1940|05|02|df=y}}

| death_place = Bucharest, Romania

| nationality = Romanian

| position = Pivot

| currentclub =

| clubnumber =

| youthyears1 =

| youthclubs1 =

| years1 = 1957–1959

| years2 = 1959–1971

| clubs1 = Rapid București

| clubs2 = Dinamo București

| nationalyears1 = 1959–?

| nationalteam1 = Romania{{cite web|url=http://www.frh.ro/pdf/istorie/Palmares%20de%20onoare%201936-2014.pdf|access-date=21 April 2014|author=|title=Istoria Handbalului Românesc 1921–2014|page=65|work=Romanian Handball Federation|language=Romanian}}

| nationalcaps1 = 79

| nationalgoals1 = 99

| ntupdate =

| titleyears1 =

| titleplace1 =

| manageryears1 = 1971–1976

| managerclubs1 = Algeria

| manageryears2 = 1973–1975

| managerclubs2 = Nadit Alger

| manageryears3 = 1976–1980

| managerclubs3 = Romania Youth

| manageryears4 = 1980–1988

| managerclubs4 = CSŞ 2 București

| manageryears5 = 1988–1995

| managerclubs5 = Portugal

| manageryears6 = 1995–1997

| managerclubs6 = Águas Santas

| manageryears7 = 1997–1998

| managerclubs7 = Vitória Setúbal

| manageryears8 = 2000–2001

| managerclubs8 = Sporting Horta

| manageryears9 = 2003–2004

| managerclubs9 = CCP Serpa

| medaltemplates =

{{MedalSport | Men's handball}}

{{MedalCountry|{{hb|ROU}}}}

{{MedalCompetition|World Championship}}

{{MedalGold| 1961 West Germany |Team}}

{{MedalGold| 1964 Czechoslovakia |Team}}

{{MedalBronze| 1967 Sweden |Team}}

{{MedalSport|Head coach {{hb|ALG}}}}

{{MedalCompetition|All-Africa Games}}

{{MedalGold|1973 Nigeria|Team}}

{{MedalCompetition|All-Africa University Games}}

{{MedalGold|1975 Ghana|Team}}

{{MedalCompetition|African Championship}}

{{MedalSilver|1976 Algeria|Team}}

{{MedalCompetition|Mediterranean Games}}

{{MedalBronze|1975 Alger|Team}}

{{MedalSport|Head coach {{hb|POR}}}}

{{MedalCompetition|European Youth Championship}}

{{MedalGold|1992 Switzerland|Team}}

{{MedalCompetition|IHF Junior World Championship}}

{{MedalBronze|1995 Argentina|Team}}

}}

Mircea Costache II (2 May 1940 – 16 February 2016) was a Romanian handball player and coach who played as a pivot for Dinamo București and for the national team. He scored the winning goal in the 1961 World Championship final.{{cite web|url=https://www.gsp.ro/sporturi/handbal/se-sting-campionii-mircea-costache-ii-ultimul-mag-de-pe-semicerc-trecut-in-nefiinta-470295.html|date=17 February 2016|access-date=18 February 2016|author=|title=Se sting campionii – Mircea Costache II: ultimul mag de pe semicerc trecut în neființă|work=Gazeta Sporturilor|language=Romanian}}

After retiring he became a coach in his native Romania and abroad in Algeria and Portugal. Costache led the national team of Algeria to a World Cup for the first time in 1974.{{cite web|url=http://www.record.pt/modalidades/andebol/detalhe/morreu-o-antigo-selecionador-nacional-mircea-costache.html|date=17 February 2016|access-date=18 February 2016|author=|title=Morreu o antigo selecionador nacional Mircea Costache|work=Record|language=Portuguese}}

Between 1988 and 1995 he was named coach of both the Portugal senior national team and the Portuguese youth sides, with whom he won the European Youth Handball Championship in 1992.{{cite web|url=https://www.dn.pt/desporto/interior/morreu-mircea-costache-antigo-selecionador-de-portugal-5034879.html|date=17 February 2016|access-date=18 February 2016|author=|title=Morreu Mircea Costache, antigo selecionador de Portugal|work=Diário de Notícias|language=Portuguese}}

Costache was also an associate professor at the Moderna University in Lisbon from 1997 to 2002, where he coach the football team and won two championships, between 1997 and 2001, and was runner-up in 1998.