Sănmărtean selected as Romania's finest

FC Steaua București midfielder Lucian Sănmărtean has become the oldest man to be voted as Romania's player of the year following a poll of club presidents, top-division captains and writers and readers of popular daily, Gazeta Sporturilor

The 34-year-old, who moved from SC Vaslui to Steaua last winter, topped the vote in the most respected national poll for the year's top football figures, having helped his side win the league title and also impressed for the national team in 2014. He is the oldest player to have won the prize to date. His nearest rivals in this year's vote were Steaua team-mate Claudiu Keșerü and PAOK FC left-back Răzvan Raț, who passed the 100-cap mark for Romania recently.

FC Shakhtar Donetsk's Mircea Lucescu, meanwhile, was named as his nation's top coach having won a Ukrainian title and guided his side to the knockout stage of the 2014/15 UEFA Champions League. Second in the rankings was Laurențiu Reghecampf, who left Steaua for Saudi Arabia's Al-Hilal SFC after winning the 2013/14 league title, and Cosmin Contra – now in charge at Spanish side Getafe CF.

Player of the Year
1 Lucian Sănmărtean (FC Steaua București)
2 Claudiu Keșerü (FC Steaua București)
3 Răzvan Raț (PAOK FC)

Coach of the Year
1 Mircea Lucescu (FC Shakhtar Donetsk)
2 Laurențiu Reghecampf (FC Steaua București/Al-Hilal SFC)
3 Cosmin Contra (Getafe CF)

Best foreign player in Divizia A
1 Łukasz Szukała (Poland – FC Steaua București)
2 Giedrius Arlauskis (Lithuania – FC Steaua București)
3 Filipe Teixeira (Portugal – FC Petrolul Ploieşti)