Alexandru Boc

Alexandru "Sandu" Boc (born 3 June 1946) is a retired Romanian footballer, who played as a defender.

Alexandru Boc

Personal information
Date of birth	(1946-06-03) 3 June 1946 (age 77)
Place of birth	Vașcău, Romania
Height	1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Position(s)	Defender
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1964–1967	Petrolul Ploiești	48	(1)
1967–1969	Dinamo București	50	(1)
1970–1971	Sportul Studențesc București	9	(0)
1971–1973	Rapid București	50	(7)
1973–1976	Universitatea Craiova	76	(3)
Total		233	(12)
International career
1967–1971	Romania^[a]	6	(0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Club career

"The spectators stood up and would applaud for 5 minutes after each intervention with the Oxford procedure that I had"

–Alexandru Boc, talking about himself^[3]

Alexandru Boc was born on 3 June 1946 in Vașcău and played football as a defender, being known for using often the "Oxford procedure" for the public's delight which consisted of him letting the ball pass over or past him, and when the forward was about to gain possession of it, he would reach back and take it with the exterior side of the foot.^[3][4][5][6] Boc made his Divizia A debut on 11 October 1964, playing for Petrolul Ploiești in a 3–0 victory against CSMS Iași.^[6] In the following season he helped Petrolul win the 1965–66 Divizia A title, being used by coach Constantin Cernăianu in 26 matches in which he scored one goal, being the player with the highest grade point average in the entire championship according to the Sportul newspaper.^[5][6][7] He also played three games for The Yellow Wolves in the first round of the 1966–67 European Cup against Liverpool which include a 3–1 victory in which he scored a goal, however they did not manage to qualify to the next round.^[6][8][9] In 1967 he went to play for two seasons at Dinamo București, helping the club win the 1967–68 Cupa României in the first one.^[2][6][10] After one season in which he didn't play because he was in jail and another one spent in Divizia B at Sportul Studențesc București, Boc returned to play in Divizia A at Rapid București, helping the club win the 1971–72 Cupa României and took part in Rapid's 1971–72 UEFA Cup campaign, playing five games, as the team reached the eight-finals, eliminating Napoli and Legia Warsaw, being eliminated by the team who would eventually win the competition, Tottenham, also taking part in the 1972–73 European Cup Winners' Cup campaign, playing four games, helping the team reach the quarter-finals, eliminating Landskrona BoIS and Rapid Wien against whom he scored a goal, being eliminated by Leeds United who reached the final.^{[3][4][6][11][12][13][14][15]} He reunited with coach Cernăianu at Universitatea Craiova, winning the 1973–74 Divizia A title in which he played 32 games and scored one goal and at the last game of the season against Petrolul Ploiești which ended 0–0, Boc received a grade 10 in the Sportul newspaper as the team earned the point that mathematically made them champions.^[3][4][6][7] Alexandru Boc made his last Divizia A appearance on 10 December 1975 in a 3–0 away loss against FCM Reșița, having a total of 224 matches and 12 goals scored in the competition, also having a total of 22 games and two goals scored in European competitions.^{[3][4][6][16]}

International career

Alexandru Boc played five matches at international level for Romania, making his debut under coach Bazil Marian in a 1–1 against Uruguay, which took place on 4 January 1967 in Montevideo on Estadio Gran Parque Central.^[1][17] He played in two victories against Switzerland and a 2–2 against Greece at the successful 1970 World Cup qualifiers, however he missed the opportunity be part of the squad that went at the final tournament, being in jail at that time.^[1][4] After Romania's 1–0 victory from Lausanne against Switzerland at the 1970 World Cup qualifiers, journalist Eugen Barbu praised Boc in the Flacăra magazine:"If Nicolae Ceaușescu would give Boc the right to play in Europe and sell him, he could build a city with the money!".^[18]

Conviction

In 1969, during an evening spent at the Athenee Palace where he was staying with actor Cornel Patrichi among others at a table, a man threw an empty cigarette pack in Patrichi's glass, then a verbal confrontation between them started and Boc intervened and punched the man, afterwards the man was beaten by other people, ending with his leg broken.^{[18][19][20][21][22][23]} The man beaten up was a Securitate captain, so Boc confessed what happened and took all the responsibility of the situation on himself, relying on the fact that he was a football player at Dinamo București and wouldn't suffer any consequences but at the trial Patrichi sided with the Securitate captain.^{[18][19][20][21][22][23]} He was sentenced to a jail term of two years and a half, spending the first six months of the conviction in a relaxed environment having a telephone and a TV in his cell from the headquarters of the Militia Command in the center of Bucharest, where the minors were also imprisoned.^{[19][20][21][22][23]} After that period he was close to obtain a pardon from his conviction, but the Securitate found out about the light detention he had and at the pressure of Vasile Patilineț who found out that his wife had an affair with Boc and was a member of the Central Committee of the Romanian Communist Party who on 7 September 1970 had a meeting to discuss his case with dictator Nicolae Ceaușescu himself participating in it where it was decided that he would not be granted the pardon.^{[4][19][20][21][22][23][24][25]} He was sent to the Văcărești prison, afterwards being moved to one of the toughest prisons in Romania, the Policolor colony where he was in an insanitary cell with many criminals and he had to wake up each day at 4 a.m. to work and at every three hours a black Volga car with members of the Central Committee would come to verify if he works, looking at his hands to see if they have calluses.^{[4][19][20][21][22][23][24]} His teammates from Dinamo would send him food and money, Cornel Dinu personally going to deliver the packages to him but because he was not allowed to go inside the prison, he would come through the back, entering through a cornfield to reach him at the prison's yard.^[4][19][22] After a total of 13 months spent in jail, Boc was released.^{[4][19][20][21][22][23][24]}

Personal life

Alexandru Boc was known for his success with women, being nicknamed "The ladies' man of Romanian football", having relationships among others with actresses Corina Chiriac and Aimée Iacobescu, volleyball player Elena Butnaru and was engaged with Salomeea Djanhanghir who was the granddaughter of the richest man on the planet at that time, the Shah of Iran, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.^{[4][18][19][26][27]} The VIP magazine put Boc in the top 5 best Romanian men alongside Florin Piersic, Petre Roman, Ion Dichiseanu and Sergiu Nicolaescu.^[19][26] He was also an occasional film actor, playing alongside Romanian actors Toma Caragiu and Gheorghe Dinică in the 1975 comedy movie Nu filmăm să ne-amuzăm (We do not film to amuse ourselves) directed by Iulian Mihu.^{[4][18][19][26][28]}

Honours

Petrolul Ploiești

• Divizia A: 1965–66^[6]

Dinamo București

• Cupa României: 1967–68^[2]

Rapid București

• Cupa României: 1971–72^[6]

Universitatea Craiova

• Divizia A: 1973–74^[6]

Individual

• Romanian Footballer of the Year (runner-up): 1972,

Notes

1. Including one appearance for Romania's Olympic team.^[1][2]

References

1. "Alexandru Boc". European Football. Retrieved 27 January 2021.
2. Alexandru Boc at National-Football-Teams.com
3. "Sandu Boc, eroul unei intervenţii uitate azi în fotbal: procedeul Oxford" [Sandu Boc, the hero of an intervention forgotten today in football: the Oxford procedure] (in Romanian). Gsp.ro. 23 September 2011. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
4. "Legendele fotbalului: Sandu Boc, "craiul" fotbalului românesc" [Football legends: Sandu Boc, the "ladies' man" of Romanian football] (in Romanian). Adevarul.ro. 23 July 2011. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
5. "Îl mai știi pe Alexandru Boc? Fostul mare jucător nu renunță la fotbal nici la 75 de ani: "Medicament contra coronavirusului!"" [Do you remember Alexandru Boc? The former great player does not give up football even at the age of 75: "Medicine against the coronavirus!"] (in Romanian). Prosport.ro. 27 December 2021. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
6. Alexandru Boc at RomanianSoccer.ro (in Romanian)
7. "Romania National Champions". RomanianSoccer. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
8. "Petrolul 66, 53 de ani de la victoria cu Liverpool. Supraviețuitorii succesului, sărbătoriți la Ploiești" [Petrolul 66, 53 years since the victory with Liverpool. The survivors of success, celebrated in Ploiesti] (in Romanian). Libertatea.ro. 13 October 2019. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
9. "55 de ani de la istorica victorie a Petrolului cu Liverpooli" [55 years since the historic victory of Petrolul with Liverpool] (in Romanian). Wesport.ro. 12 October 2021. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
10. "Povestea unei fabuloase finale de Cupă" [The story of a fabulous cup final] (in Romanian). Welovesport.ro. 16 June 2023. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
11. "49 de ani de când Rapid mătura pe jos cu Zoff și cu Altafini. Boc: "Așa ne-am câștigat dreptul să vedem un film aproape porno la Varșovia!"!" [49 years since Rapid swept on foot with Zoff and Altafini. Boc: "This is how we earned the right to see an almost pornographic film in Warsaw!"] (in Romanian). Gsp.ro. 30 September 2020. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
12. "Acum o jumătate de veac, Rapid elimina pe Napoli" [Half a century ago, Rapid eliminated Napoli]. Wesport.ro. 19 October 2021. Retrieved 30 September 2022.
13. "Leeds United – Rapid 5-0 (7 martie 1973 – sferturi Cupa Cupelor)" [Leeds United – Rapid 5-0 (March 7, 1973 – Cup Winners' Cup quarter-finals)]. Tikitaka.ro. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
14. "Alexandru Boc. Europa League 1971/1972". WorldFootball. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
15. "Alexandru Boc. Cup Winners Cup 1972/1973". WorldFootball. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
16. Alexandru Boc at WorldFootball.net
17. "Uruguay - Romania 1:1". European Football. Retrieved 18 October 2022.
18. "Alexandru Boc s-a iubit cu cea mai frumoasă femeie din lume. Cei doi au fost logodiți, dar n-au rămas uniți!" [Alexandru Boc fell in love with the most beautiful woman in the world. The two were engaged, but they didn't stay together!] (in Romanian). Libertatea.ro. 5 June 2017. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
19. "Cu emoţie şi respect pentru unicitatea poveştii sale, Alexandru Boc descrie iubirile din viaţa sa. Cele 1001 nopţi ale lui Sandu Boc!" [With emotion and respect for the uniqueness of his story, Alexandru Boc describes the loves of his life. The 1001 nights of Sandu Boc] (in Romanian). Gsp.ro. 25 January 2010. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
20. "Ceauşescu l-a aruncat în închisoare!" [Ceauşescu threw him in jail!] (in Romanian). Gsp.ro. 24 September 2008. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
21. "Dezvăluire după 47 de ani. Sandu Boc l-a iertat pe Cornel Patrichi, după ce a făcut pușcărie în 1969: "Am fost fraier, am crezut că este de partea mea"" [Disclosure after 47 years. Sandu Boc forgave Cornel Patrichi, after serving prison time in 1969: "I was a sucker, I thought he was on my side"] (in Romanian). Libertatea.ro. 25 January 2010. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
22. "Amintiri din puscarie cu Sandu Boc, mana dreapta a lui Dragomir" [Memories from prison with Sandu Boc, Dragomir's right-hand man] (in Romanian). Ziare.com. 19 December 2012. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
23. "O poveste incredibilă. Ce a păţit Alexandru Boc după ce a bătut un colonel de securitate" [An incredible story. What happened to Alexandru Boc after beating a security colonel] (in Romanian). Orangesport.ro. 4 July 2020. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
24. "Sandu Boc, dezvăluiri cutremurătoare: "Am stat la închisoare cu 180 de oameni într-un dormitor cu 3 geamuri! M-au închis pentru că i-am furat nevasta"" [Sandu Boc, shocking revelations: "I was in prison with 180 people in a bedroom with 3 windows! They locked me up because I stole his wife"] (in Romanian). Gsp.ro. 21 March 2020. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
25. "Cum l-a infuriat informatorul Boc pe Ceausescu" [How the informant Boc angered Ceausescu] (in Romanian). Romanialibera.ro. 24 September 2008. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
26. "Aimee Iacobescu s-a iubit cu un fotbalist celebru la vremea lui! Ce spune Alexandru Boc despre actrita: "Ma tot batea la cap ca vrea sa se marite cu mine!"" [Aimee Iacobescu fell in love with a famous footballer of his time! What Alexandru Boc says about the actress: "She kept beating me on the head that she wants to marry me!"] (in Romanian). Wowbiz.ro. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
27. "Fotbalistul care s-a iubit cu cele mai frumoase femei ale României, episod exploziv cu celebra Corina Chiriac:"Fiica mea m-a dat de gol"" [The footballer who was in love with the most beautiful women in Romania, explosive episode with the famous Corina Chiriac: "My daughter told on me"] (in Romanian). Playsport.ro. 24 December 2020. Retrieved 27 October 2022.
28. "Nu filmăm să ne-amuzăm" [We do not film to amuse ourselves]. Imdb.com. Retrieved 19 October 2022.

External links

• Alexandru Boc at IMDb