Nicolae Rainea (19 November 1933 – 1 April 2015), nicknamed The Locomotive of the Carpathians, was a Romanian football referee and player. Highly regarded throughout the world, he is considered one of the best whistles of his generation and, arguably, the finest Romanian referee of all time. Career Nicolae Rainea played football in the lower leagues of Romania for Laminorul Brăila, Metalul Piatra Neamț and Constructorul Bârlad, he retired in 1959 to start his career as a referee, making his debut in Liga I in 1965. He refereed at three FIFA World Cups (1974, 1978, 1982), the UEFA Euro 1980 Final, the 1983 European Cup Final, the second leg of the 1978 European Super Cup and the second leg of the 1978 UEFA Cup Final. Rainea officiated the Italy v Argentina game at the 1982 World Cup. He was linesman in a later match between France and Northern Ireland. Honours and legacy Rainea was decorated by two presidents of Romania, Ion Iliescu and Traian Băsescu. He was made honorary citizen of Galați where he resided and served four local council terms. Nicolae Rainea Stadium in Galați is named after him. Personal life and death In 2011, he celebrated 50 years of marriage. He had a son and a daughter, both living in Sweden. After an untreated mild cold turned into a pulmonary edema, Rainea suffered a cardiac arrest while in hospital and died on 1 April 2015 in Galați. He was 81 years old. References External links Profile Sportspeople from Brăila 1933 births AFC Dacia Unirea Brăila players Romanian football referees FIFA World Cup referees 2015 deaths 1982 FIFA World Cup referees 1978 FIFA World Cup referees 1974 FIFA World Cup referees Romanian sportsperson-politicians Social Democratic Party (Romania) politicians Councillors in Romania UEFA Euro 1980 referees UEFA European Championship final referees Association footballers not categorized by position Romanian footballers Deaths from pulmonary edema