Lăcătuș was an iconic player for Steaua București's supporters. Even now, many years after leaving the club as a player, the supporters shout his name at home games. The supporters loved him for his spectacular way of playing football, as well as for his commitment during the games. He was nicknamed
Fiara (The Beast). He was the first player to score in the penalty shoot-out of the 1986 European Cup final against
FC Barcelona, won by Steaua. After the
1990 FIFA World Cup in Italy, where he scored two goals against the
USSR, Lăcătuș signed for the Italian club
Fiorentina and then moved to
Real Oviedo in Spain. In 1994, he returned to Steaua and played for the club until 1999, when he signed for
FC Național București, where he played only half a season before retiring. On 25 March 2008, he was decorated by the president of Romania,
Traian Băsescu with Ordinul "Meritul Sportiv" — (Order of Sporting Merit) class II for his part in winning the
1986 European Cup Final. Lăcătuș played a total of 414 games in the Romanian
Divizia A (now Liga I), scoring 103 goals; 21 games in the Italian
Serie A where he scored three times and also 51 games in the Spanish
La Liga, scoring 7 goals. He also made 72 appearances in the
European Cup,
Cup Winners' Cup and the
UEFA Cup, scoring 16 goals. ==International career==