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Gheorghe Hagi
Lansarea candidaturii Gabrielei Szabo pentru Camera Deputatilor, Voluntari - 04.05 (48) (14270956179) (cropped).jpg
Hagi in 2014
Personal information
Date of birth (1965-02-05) 5 February 1965 (age 60)
Place of birth Săcele, Romania
Height 1.74 m
Playing position Attacking midfielder
Club information
Current club Farul Constanța (manager)
Youth career
1975–1980 FC Constanța
1980–1981 Luceafărul București
1981–1982 FC Constanța
Senior career*
Years Team Apps† (Gls)†
1982–1983 FC Constanța 18 (7)
1983–1987 Sportul Studențesc 108 (58)
1987–1990 Steaua București 97 (76)
1990–1992 Real Madrid 64 (16)
1992–1994 Brescia 61 (14)
1994–1996 Barcelona 36 (7)
1996–2001 Galatasaray 132 (59)
Total 516 (237)
National team
1983–2000 Romania 124 (35)
Teams managed
2001 Romania
2003 Bursaspor
2004–2005 Galatasaray
2005–2006 Politehnica Timișoara
2007 Steaua București
2010–2011 Galatasaray
2014–2020 Viitorul Constanța
2021– Farul Constanța
  • Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.
† Appearances (Goals).

Gheorghe Hagi (born 5 February 1965) is a famous Romanian football manager and former player. He is known as one of the best players in the world from the 1980s and 1990s. Many people think he is the greatest Romanian footballer ever.

Fans of the Turkish club Galatasaray called him "The Commander." Romanian fans knew him as "The King." He was also nicknamed "The Maradona of the Carpathians." Hagi was a creative player who was great at dribbling, had amazing technique, and could see the whole field. He was also excellent at passing and shooting.

Hagi started his playing career in Romania. He played for FC Constanța, Sportul Studențesc, and Steaua București. Later, he played for big clubs like Real Madrid and FC Barcelona in Spain. He also played for Brescia in Italy and Galatasaray in Turkey. Hagi is one of the few players who played for both Real Madrid and Barcelona, who are big rivals.

During his club career, Hagi won many titles in four different countries. He won three Romanian League titles and two Cupa României titles with Steaua București. He also won the European Super Cup with them. With Real Madrid, he won a Supercopa de España title. He won the Anglo-Italian Cup with Brescia. With Barcelona, he won another Supercopa de España. At Galatasaray, he won four Süper Lig titles, two Turkish Cups, two Turkish Super Cups, the UEFA Cup, and the UEFA Super Cup.

For his country, Hagi played for the Romania national team in three FIFA World Cups (1990, 1994, and 1998). He also played in three UEFA European Championships (1984, 1996, and 2000). He played 124 games for Romania between 1983 and 2000. This makes him the second most-capped Romanian player ever. He is also the top goalscorer for Romania, with 35 goals.

Hagi is a hero in Romania and Turkey. He was named Romanian Footballer of the Year seven times. Many consider him one of the best football players of his time. In 2004, Pelé named him one of the 125 Greatest Living Footballers.

After he stopped playing in 2001, Hagi became a coach. He coached the Romania national team and several clubs in Romania and Turkey. In 2009, he started his own club, Viitorul Constanța. He also created the Gheorghe Hagi Football Academy, which is one of the biggest in Southeast Europe.

Hagi's Early Life and Football Start

Gheorghe Hagi was born on February 5, 1965. His family had moved to Romania from Greece. He grew up in a village called Săcele, near Constanța. Hagi loved spending time with his grandfather, who was a shepherd. He enjoyed simple foods like cheese and tomatoes. Hagi often said that being ambitious was a key quality of his family.

Hagi began playing football for the youth teams of FC Constanța in the 1970s. He was very talented. In 1980, the Romanian Football Federation chose him to join a special team called Luceafărul București. He stayed there for two years. In 1982, he returned to FC Constanța. He played his first professional game at just 17 years old. A year later, at 18, he joined Sportul Studențesc in Bucharest.

Hagi's Club Career Highlights

In late 1986, Hagi moved to Steaua București. He joined them for a special game, the European Super Cup final. Hagi scored the only goal in that game, and Steaua won! After that, Steaua decided to keep him.

During his time at Steaua (1987–1990), Hagi played 97 league games and scored 76 goals. He scored 98 goals in 107 games across all competitions for the club. With Steaua, he helped the team reach the European Cup semi-final in 1988 and the final in 1989. Hagi also won three league titles and two Romanian Cups with Steaua. Many big European clubs wanted him, but Romania's government at the time did not let him leave.

After showing his skills at the 1990 FIFA World Cup, Hagi joined Spanish club Real Madrid in 1990. He played two seasons there, scoring 20 goals in 84 games. He won the Supercopa de España with them. One of his most famous goals was a 40-yard lob against Osasuna. In 1992, he moved to Italian club Brescia.

Hagi played for Brescia in Serie A, Italy's top league. After one season, the team was moved down to Serie B. But Hagi helped them win the Anglo-Italian Cup and get promoted back to Serie A.

After a great performance at the 1994 FIFA World Cup, Hagi returned to Spain. He joined FC Barcelona in 1994 and immediately won his second Supercopa de España. He played two years at Barcelona.

In 1996, at 31 years old, Hagi joined Turkish club Galatasaray. Even though he was older, he became very successful and popular there. Hagi helped Galatasaray win four league titles in a row from 1996 to 2000. In 2000, at 35, Hagi had one of his best seasons. He helped Galatasaray win every major title possible that year. He was the captain when they won the 1999–2000 UEFA Cup against Arsenal. This made Galatasaray the first Turkish club to win a UEFA club competition. After that, they also won the 2000 UEFA Super Cup by beating his old club Real Madrid.

When Hagi retired in 2001, he was one of the most loved players in Turkey and Romania. Galatasaray fans even had a chant for him: "I Love You Hagi."

Hagi's International Career for Romania

Gheorghe Hagi first played for the Romania national team on August 10, 1983, when he was 18. He scored his first international goal against Northern Ireland in 1984. The next year, he became captain for the first time.

Hagi played in the 1990 World Cup, where Romania reached the round of 16. Four years later, he led Romania to their best ever performance at the 1994 World Cup. They reached the quarter-finals! Hagi scored three goals in that tournament. One memorable goal was a 40-yard lob against Colombia. This goal was voted one of the greatest World Cup goals ever. Hagi was even named in the World Cup All-Star Team for his amazing play.

He captained Romania again at the 1998 World Cup. Romania won their group, which included England. They reached the round of 16 before being knocked out. Hagi played his last international game at UEFA Euro 2000.

Hagi retired from professional football in 2001 at 36. At that time, his 124 games for Romania were a national record. He still holds the record for most goals scored for Romania, with 35 goals.

Hagi's Career as a Coach

After retiring as a player, Hagi became a football manager. In 2001, he became the manager of the Romania national team. He also coached Turkish club Bursaspor in 2003.

In 2004, Hagi became the manager of Galatasaray, where he had been a star player. He led them to win the Turkish Cup in 2005. He also coached Politehnica Timișoara and his former club Steaua București in Romania. He even returned to coach Galatasaray again in 2010.

In 2009, Hagi founded his own football club, Viitorul Constanța. He also coached the team from 2014 to 2020. Under his coaching, Viitorul Constanța won their first ever league title in 2016–17 Liga I. They also won the Cupa României in 2019 and the Supercupa României in 2019. This showed his great skill as a manager. He is currently the owner and manager of Farul Constanța, which won the Liga I title in 2023.

Hagi's Style of Play

Hagi was a very talented left-footed attacking midfielder. People often compared his playing style to Diego Maradona because of his amazing skills and strong personality. He was quick, agile, and very creative. Hagi could play in many different midfield and attacking positions. He was good with both feet, even though he preferred his left. His favorite position was as a "classic number 10," which meant he was the main playmaker.

Hagi was known for his first touch and speed with the ball. He was great at dribbling past defenders. He also had excellent vision and could make very accurate passes. Hagi could both score and assist goals. He was a powerful shooter from long range and good at free kicks. Even though he was not very tall, he was strong and could protect the ball well. Hagi was a passionate player, which sometimes led to disagreements, but he was always dedicated to the game.

Hagi's Personal Life

Gheorghe Hagi is married to Marilena Hagi. They have two children. His son, Ianis Hagi, is also a professional football player. His daughter, Kira Hagi, is an actress.

Hagi also lent his voice to a character named Dagda in the animated movie Epic in Romanian.

Honours

Player

Steaua București

Real Madrid

Brescia

  • Anglo-Italian Cup: 1993–94

Barcelona

Galatasaray

  • 1.Lig: 1996–97, 1997–98, 1998–99, 1999–2000
  • Turkish Cup: 1998–99, 1999–2000
  • Turkish Super Cup: 1996, 1997
  • UEFA Cup: 1999–2000
  • UEFA Super Cup: 2000

Manager

Galatasaray

  • Turkish Cup: 2004–05

Viitorul Constanța

Farul Constanta

Individual Awards

Player

Manager

  • Romania Coach of the Year: 2015, 2017
  • Liga I Manager of the Season: 2022–23

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Gheorghe Hagi para niños

  • List of top international men's football goalscorers by country
  • The 100 Greatest Players of the 20th Century
  • List of footballers with 100 or more caps
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