Could Romanian football come home? The consequences of short-term thinking and the gaps to close

Romanians have had, in recent years, little to no reason to be proud of their home football, whether they consider the national team or the clubs’ international performances. However, more fans are attending Superliga’s matches, although they see roughly the same football quality. And who didn’t feel the 2022 - 2023 UEFA Conference League reserved excitement, when, for the first time in six years, two Romanian teams reached a European competition’s Group Stage? Still, are there tangible long-term prospects to look forward to? A former player and a sports mental coach and agent share their views on what’s keeping local professional footballers from upping their game and some of the things that could improve in an analysis that maps Romanian players’ goals, behaviors, and journey to performance.

Nearly 100 years ago, in 1930, totalitarianism was thriving in more and more parts of the globe, the world had less than half of the number of nations today, and football was played with a leather ball and a 3-2-5 or 2-3-5 formation. The first number was, obviously, the defenders. Seeing how different football is compared to back then, one should bear the big picture in mind. To even consider a talk about Romanian football, one should distinguish between significant time periods and their country’s national team and clubs’ achievements.