Radio Romania International Sports club
Romanian football legend Gheorghe Hagi at the age of 60
Radio România Internațional, 19.03.2025, 13:45
Arguably the greatest Romanian footballer of all time, Gheorghe Hagi, last week was awarded a high-level distinction by Romania’s interim president Ilie Bolojan. Hagi was bestowed the Star of Romania National Order in Rank of Knight. The ceremony was held one month after former greater footballer turned 60.
Gheorghe Hagi was born on February 5, 1965 in the commune of Sacele, in Constanta County in the south east. He made his debut in football in 1978, with the children’s team of Constanta-based Farul sport club. He was quick to become a juniors’ team footballer.
He compelled recognition in the world of football rather early in his career. At the age of 18 he was already summoned for the national squad, playing his first national team match on August 10, 1983, against Norway in Oslo.
Beginning 1983 Hagi had a three-year stint with Sportul Studentesc Bucharest team: it was a time when Sportul was that close to winning the title. In 1985 Sportul Studentesc was the runner-up team in the domestic championship. We recall holders Steaua Bucharest would win the European Champions’ Cup in 1986.
In 1986, Hagi was signed up by Steaua Bucharest and will play there until 1990.
With Steaua, Hagi won Europe’s Supercup, in1987. In 1989 Hagi reached as far as the European Champions Cup final. We recall back then Steaua was defeated by AC Milan. Beginning 1990 Hagi would play abroad. He was signed up by Real Madrid, Brescia and Barcelona. Gheorghe Hagi ended his career as a professional footballer with Galatasaray Istanbul, in 2001. Hagi played no less than 167 matches with Galatasaray. Also with Galatasaray, Hagi won the UEFA Cup and Europe’s Supercup in 2000.
Gheorghe Hagi boasts 124 caps for the national team. He was the national team’s captain 65 times. Hagi was a member of the national lineup in three editions of the World Cup, in Italy, in 1990m, in the USA, in 1994 and in France, in 1998. Hagi also played in three editions of the European championship, in France, in 1984, as a substitute player, in England, in 1996 and in 2000, in Belgium and the Netherlands.
Since 2001, Hagi has become a professional head-coach. However, his performance as a head-coach was less productive than his career as a footballer. Hagi made his debut with the national team and surprisingly wasted the opportunity to qualify to the 2002 edition of the World Cup.
Hagi then was a head-coach in Turkey, with Bursaspor and Galatasaray. With Galatasaray Istanbul, Hagi also won his first trophy as a head-coach, Turkey’s Cup. In 2006 Hagi returned to Romanian football as a head-coach of Politehnica Timisoara. In the Romanian Superleague, Hagi also got the best results of his career as a head-coach.
The first such result was the champion title with Viitorul Constanta, in 2017. It was also with Farul Constanta that Hagi won Romania’s Cup and the Supercup in 2019. After Viitorul Constanta became Farul Constanta, the team head-coached by Hagi won a new domestic championship title in 2023.
