On 26th of March 2022 the new built Giulești Stadium is being opened in a outstanding ceremony of eight hours. It is an historic moment, without any doubt. Still, this is only the last historic moment and, of course, a beginning of a new glorious era for Rapid Bucharest, the club which plays here. The future looks promising, but the history is very important because it is written in the stone and not too many of the people are aware about the heritage that this stadium has and what kind of story its location holds. It is well known that the official inauguration of the former old stadium, the sublime version from nearly one century ago was officially opened on 10th of June 1939, in a ceremony where the Royal House was a main participant. This is the well known story by about anybody who loves football and history in the same time.
26th of February 1936: Rapid – Sportul Studențesc 0-0
On the other hand, football matches on the Old Giulești were played as early as 1936. In fact, 26th has, indeed, a special meaning for the history of the club. Not only that it comes after 25th of June, when as a Rapid Bucharest lover you might have a hangover, after celebrating the official birthday of the team – well, official, because 11th of June should have been the one, but I will go to that some other time – but 26th is linked to the stadium as the new pitch, Rapid-Giulești Stadium was opened on 26th of March 2022. OK, but so did the first ever football match played here actually took place in February, 26th. 1936! So more than three years prior to the official ceremony and it ended, against Sportul Studențesc, 0-0. In fact, on Giulești, very famous football games were played long before the “official” kick-off. And I would like to briefly mention one, because it is well known by all Rapid lovers.
1938: Rapid – Genoa 2-1, CEC
From Rapid – Ujpest 4-0, to FC Rapid 1923 – Înainte Modelu 1-0
3rd of July 1938, Rapid – Ujpest 4-0 was played in front of 15.000 fans, allegedly. In that period, Hungary was world vice-champion and Ujpest not only that was a mighty team, but they did won the first leg in Budapest, 4-1! On the pitch were the purples, Ujpest’s color from now-days, won – “UTE”, I was present in 2020 and I wasn’t impressed at all. Maybe the fan shop looked good, but the stadium itself and especially the location cannot compare anywhere near Giulești. Our stadium its unique and it hosted hundreds of crucial games. Therefore, I won’t remind any of them here, apart from one. The one in which the old version of our eternal house said farewell to the audience and it coincided with Daniel Pancu’s last official football game. It happened in a FC Rapid 1923 – Înainte Modelu 1-0, in the third league, 24th of November 2018. Was there. 🙂 Only goal, scored by Marian Vlada.
The drama: 4th of April 1944
Daniel Pancu did not scored then, but he did now. OK, not in an official match or even in a normal friendly, but in a old-boys encounter. It still counts, though. In terms of the unique goal netted on 26th of March 2022 in the birth match of the new temple, Rapid – Poli Timișoara 1-0, the author was Younes Marzouk, a striker brought at the club in the summer of 2021. We’ll see whom will score the first official one. Bottom line, I’ve presented you four key matches in the history of the stadium, from which, maybe, two are very little known. Or at least the one against Ujpest was not very familiar to the fans as played on Giulești, since it took place one year before the event from 10th of June 1939. Anyway, Giulești does not mean only football games and openings, but also some other key moments, like 4th of April 1944. The day Romania will never forget, because what happened in the Gara de Nord region, where the young stadium, at that time, was located.
Americans bombed the perimeter killing more than 2.000 civilians and injuring roughly the same number, an immense tragedy, without any rationing. Since so many innocent lives were taken, Giulești, the stadium, was sent in second place, but the damage was significant. To put a gentle end on this very sad chapter, I’ll switch to a beautiful story, that stays at the origins of the former name of the building, “Valentin Stănescu”. Even though it seems to have passed a lifetime under this name, in reality things are not like this. Maybe the sensation was caused by the fact that Valentin Stănescu will be, indeed, eternal remembered in the history of Rapid, since he’s the coach who brought the first official league tile for Rapid Bucharest, in 1967.
The stadium name changes after 21 years
Anyway, the name of the stadium, in his honor, happened only in 2001. I mean only two decades ago. Unfortunately, the name was not kept for the new edifice, but we should recognize that the name of Rapid is far bigger than any individual from the history of the club, regardless his achievements. Now, the name is given to Tribuna 1, so it is a very fair sign of respect. The location of the stadium has so many special moments that we could write a book twice as tick as the Bible only using a few words for every moment. Therefore it is very hard to pick. I did it, though, and fixed these key milestone points for the eternity. Because this is the scale of this. Now I am waiting without patience the first official football match on the new house. I can never travel in time to see the first football matches played on Giulești, but I sure can see the first ever played on the fresh-start stadium. Let’s hope we will have a real fresh start. In 15 months we will have the centenary!
Stadion Giulești, November 2013, Rapid – Dunărea Galați 1-0