Former Romania soccer midfielder Gabriel Muresan drowns in lake. He was 44

France's Yoann Gourcuff challenges for the ball with Romania's Gabriel Muresan, right, during their World Cup group 7 qualifying soccer match at Farul Stadium in Constanta, Romania Saturday Oct. 11, 2008. (AP Photo/Francois Mori, File) 2026-07-09T10:49:32Z BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — Former Romania soccer player Gabriel Muresan has died after drowning in a lake near the town where he was the mayor, local media reported on Thursday. He was 44. The Romanian soccer federation confirmed the death of a midfielder who played nine times for the national team, including in qualifying games for the World Cup and European Championship from 2007-11. “The Romanian Football Federation sends its most sincere condolences to the family, friends and all those who knew Gabriel Muresan,” it said. Muresan was “a devoted servant of our community,” the public authority in Apold said on Facebook . He had been mayor there since 2020. The most successful period of Muresan’s career was with Cluj, where he won Romanian league titles in 2008, ’10 and ’12. Cluj also won three domestic cups in his six seasons there. In the Champions League, Muresan played in three group-stage campaigns including games against Chelsea, Manchester United and Roma. ___ AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer