The 50-year-old Romanian began his playing career in the 1980s in his native Constanta before moving to Dinamo Bucharest for several years and later arriving in Austria where he played for several clubs.
Since embarking on his coaching career in the late 1990s, Gheore Cretu has worked for several clubs in Austria (including numerous national titles with Donaukraft Vienna), before taking up coaching positions in Belgium, Italy, Poland and Qatar. Since 2014 he has been in charge of the men's national team of Estonia, which he led the 2016 European League title and then in their only season in the FIVB World League in 2017.
Cretu took over Asseco Resovia Rzeszow this year, after a few years with the clubs of AZS Olsztun and Cuprum Lubin in Poland and a brief stint in Russia.