Legendary Romanian player and coach Gheorghe Hagi will be the new coach of the national football team, replacing the late Mircea Lucescu.

“The King,” as Hagi is known in Romania, coached the national team for four matches in 2001, a 2-0 win against Hungary and a 1-1 draw with Georgia in the 2002 World Cup qualifiers, and 1-2 with Slovenia in Ljubljana and 1-1 in Bucharest in the qualifying play-off.

The announcement of his second mandate as coach comes after Mircea Lucescu died on April 7, at the age of 80.

Hagi, who is 61, stated during the official presentation that it is an honor and a great responsibility to represent Romania once again, just as he did as a player.

The new coach has a 4-year contract and the goal of qualifying for the Nations League final tournament in the autumn, according to Digi24.

At his first press conference after returning to the Romanian national team, Hagi said, among other things, how he will make selections for the national team. He revealed that players must be among the best in the domestic league, but also have international experience.

“No one has a guaranteed place; you must prove yourself. I was young and restless last time; now I am much more experienced, more of a coach, a man who has progressed a lot,” said Hagi at the presentation conference.

Hagi also mentioned the late Mircea Lucescu. “He was my teacher, the man who inspired me in many of the things I do now. He had courage; he was a man. I don’t think anyone had more courage than him,” he said.

Hagi will begin his mandate in June, when Romania will play two friendly matches, against Georgia in Tbilisi (June 2) and against Wales in Bucharest, at Steaua Stadium (June 6). In September, the national team will face Sweden, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Poland in the UEFA Nations League.

The King of Romanian Football

Few people have more experience in Romanian football than Hagi, especially on the field. He played 223 matches and scored 141 goals, won three league titles and three cups with Steaua Bucharest. He was the top scorer in Romania twice, in the 1984/1985 and 1985/1986 seasons.

Hagi also has 125 matches and 35 goals for the Romanian national football team, sharing the latter achievement with Adrian Mutu. He played in three editions of the World Cup in 1990, 1994, and 1998, as well as in three European Championships in 1984, 1996, and 2000, being the orchestrator of the most successful period in the history of the “Tricolors.”

In Spain, Hagi played for Real Madrid (1990–1992, 19 goals in 64 matches) and FC Barcelona (1994–1996, 7 goals in 36 matches). Between Madrid and Barcelona, he played for Brescia (1992–1994).

Between 1996 and 2001, Hagi played for Galatasaray Istanbul, winning four league titles, two Turkish Cups, one UEFA Cup, and the European Super Cup. He participated in three European Championships (1984, 1996, 2000) and three World Cups (1990, 1994, 1998). At the end of 1999, he was named Romanian footballer of the century.

Hagi’s Coaching Career 

Immediately after retirement, Hagi became Romania’s national coach in 2001. In 2003, he became the coach of Turkish club Bursaspor, and in the 2004–2005 season, he coached Galatasaray Istanbul. In 2006, he returned to Romania at Poli Timișoara, but left shortly after. After a one-year break, Hagi took over Steaua, but the mandate lasted less than three months, during which he qualified the team for the Champions League group stage.

Between September 2014 and August 1, 2020, Gheorghe Hagi was manager of FC Viitorul Constanța. In 2017, FC Viitorul won the Romanian championship. In 2021, he refused the position of Romania national coach, preferring to remain coach and owner at Farul Constanța. In the 2022/2023 season, Farul Constanța won the Romanian championship.

Since August 2020, Hagi has remained within the Gheorghe Hagi Football Academy, where he coordinates the technical concept of the youth center.

This March, Hagi announced he had sold the majority share package of Farul Constanța to Gheorghe Popescu.

radu@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: Frf.ro)