2001–02 FC Dinamo București season

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2001–02 FC Dinamo București season

Overview
FC Dinamo București won the Romanian league (Divizia A) for the 16th time in its history. They reached the Romanian Cup final but were defeated by Rapid. In Europe, they were eliminated early in the UEFA Cup and focused on domestic competition.

Domestic league (Divizia A)
- Dinamo led the table at mid-season, two points ahead of FC Național.
- In March 2002, a 3–2 win over Rapid extended Dinamo’s lead, and president Cristian Borcea famously said, “Let us prepare for the Champions League.”
- The title was clinched on the final day with a win against Brașov, while Național lost to Universitatea Craiova, sealing the championship for Dinamo.

Romanian Cup (Cupa României)
- Dinamo reached the final but lost 1–2 to Rapid.

UEFA Cup
- Dinamo entered the UEFA Cup but were eliminated in the first round by Grasshopper Club Zürich, 6–2 on aggregate.

Top scorer
- Claudiu Niculescu – 15 goals.

Management
- Marin Ion was the manager for rounds 1–23.
- Cornel Dinu took over for rounds 24–30.

Transfers
- New players: Claudiu Niculescu (from Craiova), Ovidiu Stângă (PSV Eindhoven), Bogdan Lobonț (Ajax Amsterdam), Ionel Dănciulescu (Steaua), Ionuț Ilie (Ceahlăul).
- Departures: Vali Nastase, Mihalcea (to Genoa), Buia (Gloria Bistrița), Lupescu (Al Hilal Riyadh), Semeghin, Sabin Ilie.

Squad highlights
- Goalkeepers: Bogdan Lobonț, Florin Prunea, Alexandru Iliuciuc
- Notable players: Ionel Dănciulescu, Claudiu Niculescu, Adrian Mihalcea, Bogdan Onuț, Ioan Lupescu, Vlad Munteanu, Florin Pârvu, Ciprian Marica, Ciprian Drăgan

Season takeaway
Dinamo București emerged as Romanian champions for the 16th time, asserting their dominance in domestic football and making a strong statement ahead of the next seasons.