Gheorghe Hagi (Romanian pronunciation:[ˈɡe̯orɡeˈhadʒʲ]ⓘ; born 5 February 1965) is a Romanian professionalfootballmanager and former player, who is currently the owner ofLiga I clubFarul Constanța. Deployed as anattacking midfielder, Hagi was considered one of the best players in the world during the 1980s and '90s,[3] and is regarded by many as the greatest Romanian footballer of all time.[4][5] Fans of Turkish clubGalatasaray, with whom Hagi ended his career, called himComandante ("[The] Commander"), while he was known asRegele ("The King") to Romanian supporters.[6] Nicknamed "TheMaradona of theCarpathians", he was a creative advancedplaymaker renowned for his dribbling, technique, vision, passing and shooting.[6][7][8]
At international level, Hagi played for theRomania national team in threeFIFA World Cups, in1990,1994 (where he was named in theWorld Cup All-Star Team after helping his nation to the quarter-finals of the tournament) and1998; as well as in threeUEFA European Championships, in1984,1996 and2000. He won a total of 124 caps for Romania between 1983 and 2000,[a] making him the second-most capped Romanian player of all time, behind onlyDorinel Munteanu; he is also the joint all-time leading goalscorer of the Romania national side (alongsideAdrian Mutu) with 35 goals.
Hagi is considered a hero both in his homeland and in Turkey. He was namedRomanian Footballer of the Year a record seven times, and is regarded as one of the best football players of his generation.[9][10] Hagi was nominated six times for theBallon d'Or, his best performance being a 4th place in1994.[11] In November 2003, to celebrateUEFA's Jubilee, Hagi was selected as theGolden Player of Romania by theRomanian Football Federation as their most outstanding player of the past 50 years.[12] In 2004, he was named byPelé as one of the125 Greatest Living Footballers at aFIFA Awards Ceremony.[13] In 1999, he was ranked at number 25 inWorld Soccer Magazine's list of the 100 greatest players of the 20th century.[10]
Following his retirement in 2001, Hagi pursued a managerial career, coaching the Romania national team, as well as clubs in both Romania and Turkey, namelyBursaspor, Galatasaray,Politehnica Timișoara, Steaua București,Viitorul Constanța and Farul Constanța. In 2009, he founded Romanian club Viitorul Constanța, which he has coached between 2014 and 2020. Hagi also established hisnamesake football academy, one of the largest inSoutheastern Europe.[14]
Hagi was born to Iancu and Chirata Hagi on 5 February 1965.[15] Hagi's grandfather was one of 40,000 ethnicAromanians who fled Greece to Romania. His mother was born inMesolakkia, Greece, and her original surname was Mega.[16] He set up home in the village of Săcele, nearConstanța on the Black Sea coast. Hagi has fond memories of his grandfather who, like many Aromanians, was a shepherd. He stated: "I was proud when he, who was called Gheorghe like me, asked me to go and spend the whole day with him minding the sheep". He added: "I loved to eat cheese and tomatoes with him, and that is still my favorite food today."[17][18][19] He also said "ambition is the main quality of the Aromanians".[20][21]
Hagi began his career in 1978, playing forFC Constanța's youth teams under the guidance of coachIosif Bükössy.[22][23] TheRomanian Football Federation selected him to join the Luceafărul București squad in 1980, where he remained for two years.[22][24] In 1982, he returned to FC Constanța, making hisDivizia A debut on 11 September at age 17, being a starter under coachEmanoil Hașoti in a 3–0 away loss toSC Bacău.[22][25] On 6 November he scored his first goal when he defeated goalkeeperVasile Iordache with a 35-meter shot, closing the score in the 2–2 draw againstSteaua București.[26][27][28] In theSportul newspaper, the chronicle of the match was signed by Stelian Trandafirescu, under the title "A junior (Hagi) stops the Bucharest team!" in which the journalist described the goal as follows:"Hagi scored sensationally (what an effective shot!), from distance".[26][27] Until the end of theseason he would score six more goals, including two doubles againstCS Târgoviște andPolitehnica Timișoara, but the team finished in last place, being relegated toDivizia B.[22][26][28]
Hagi was originally directed toUniversitatea Craiova, but choseSportul Studențesc ofBucharest instead where he would form a successful offensive partnership withMarcel Coraș.[17][22][29] The highlights of his years with Sportul were becoming the top-scorer of the league for two consecutive seasons, in the first one with 20 goals scored, then in the second with 31, including six in a 7–5 win overOlt Scornicești in the last round.[22][30] In both instances he had a hard competition withSteaua'sVictor Pițurcă, and those 31 goals netted in the1985–86 season, helped the team finish runner-up in the league.[22][30] During his time withThe Students, Hagi started playing in European competitions, making 10 appearances with four goals scored in theUEFA Cup over the course of four seasons.[22] Most notably he played in a historical 1–0 victory againstInter Milan in the first round of the1984–85 season, then in the same round in thefollowing edition he scored ahat-trick in a 4–4 draw againstNeuchâtel Xamax, but on both occasions the team did not qualify further, losing on the aggregate result.[22][31]
In late 1986, Hagi transferred toSteaua București as the team prepared for theEuropean Super Cup final againstDynamo Kyiv.[17] The original contract was for a one-game loan only, thefinal.[17] However, after winning the final, in which Hagi scored the only goal of the match from a free kick, Steaua did not want to release him back to Sportul Studențesc and retained him.[17][32][33] By the end of his first season he helpedThe Military Men winThe Double, coachAnghel Iordănescu giving him 14 league appearances in which he scored 10 goals, and also appeared the full 90 minutes in the 1–0 victory in theCupa României final overrivalsDinamo București.[22][34][35]
In thenext season, Hagi was used by Iordănescu in 31 league games in which he scored 25 goals that helped the club win another title.[22][34] They also made another continental performance, reaching the semi-finals of theEuropean Cup where they lost toBenfica, Hagi contributing with two doubles scored againstMTK Budapest andOmonia Nicosia in the eight matches played, being the competition's top-scorer alongside six other players.[22][32][34][36][37]
In the1988–89 season, the team won another Double, Hagi managing to score 31 goals in the 30 league matches he was played by Iordănescu, and also scored the only goal in another 1–0 victory in theCupa României final over Dinamo.[22][34][38] He delivered another European performance by playing nine games in theEuropean Cup campaign, including the entire match in the 4–0 loss toAC Milan in thefinal, scoring three goals againstSpartak Prague, two againstSpartak Moscow and one in the semi-finals againstGalatasaray.[22][32][34][39] In December 1988 he netted five goals againstCorvinul Hunedoara in a 11–0 win which is the biggest goal difference victory for Steaua in its first division history.[22][40] In addition to his goal scored in the Cupa României final, he also scored four league goals in the derby against Dinamo that helped his side earn one victory and two draws.[40][41] On 6 May 1990, Hagi made his last appearance for Steaua, a Divizia A match in which he scored once in the 4–0 success over Corvinul Hunedoara, having a total of 222 matches with 141 goals in the competition.[40][42]
After impressing in the1990 World Cup, Hagi was signed on 27 June that same year by Spanish clubReal Madrid who paid a sum estimated by the press in between$3.5 – 4.3 million to Steaua to acquire him.[6][43][44][45] He made hisLa Liga debut on 1 September, being used the entire match by coachJohn Toshack in a 1–0 home win overCastellón which was the club's 1000th victory in the competition.[46][47] On 21 September he netted his first goal by closing the score in a 3–1 away victory againstReal Zaragoza.[46][48] During his first season, Toshack got replaced withAlfredo Di Stéfano and under his command he managed to win theSupercopa de España, playing in the final minutes of the 1–0 win in the first leg againstrivalsBarcelona, but didn't play in the second leg because of an injury.[49][50][51]
In thefollowing season under the guidance ofRadomir Antić, Hagi scored more often.[6][49][52] Most notably he managed a hat-trick in a 5–0 home win overAthletic Bilbao and a double in another victory againstOsasuna, one of the goals being scored with afolha seca from the center of the field.[49][52][53][54] In 2013, theMarca newspaper organized a poll for the most beautiful long-distance goal in Real Madrid's history and Hagi's folha seca against Osasuna came in first place.[55] He also helpedLos Blancos reach the1991–92 UEFA Cup semi-finals, making 10 appearances in the campaign, scoring againstFC Utrecht,Neuchâtel Xamax and in the lost semi-final toTorino.[32][49][56] With one round before the end of the season, Real was in first place, needing a victory againstTenerife to win the title, but after leading 2–0 at halftime with one goal netted by Hagi, they ended up losing 3–2 and Barcelona won the championship.[49][57] The team also lost theCopa del Rey final with 2–0 in aderby againstAtlético Madrid in which coachLeo Beenhakker used Hagi as a starter.[49][58]
In his second season with Brescia, he helped them win theAnglo-Italian Cup, defeatingNotts County 1–0 in the final atWembley and also contributed to their third-place finish inSerie B and subsequent promotion back to Serie A.[52][59]
After performing memorably during the1994 World Cup, Hagi returned to Spain, signed byBarcelona from Brescia for$3.2 million, and was coached by his childhood idolJohan Cruyff.[6][44][52][60][65] His first performance was winning theSupercopa de España againstReal Zaragoza, where in the first leg,Hristo Stoichkov opened the score after a free kick executed by Hagi, which the goalkeeper defended.[50][66] In the second leg, Hagi played the first 10 minutes, but was replaced after suffering an injury.[50][66] He made his league debut forBarça on 16 September 1994 in a goalless draw in thederby againstEspanyol, then in the following round he netted a double in a 4–0 win overCompostela.[67] In December 1994 he scored a goal from the center of the field in an away victory againstCelta Vigo which in 2007 was nominated by theMundo Deportivo newspaper for the most beautiful goal in Barcelona's history.[68]
In 1996, 31-year-old Hagi signed for Turkish clubGalatasaray who paid$3.5 million to Barcelona for his transfer, during this spell reuniting withPopescu, and with RomaniansAdrian Ilie andIulian Filipescu also at the club.[6][44][72] He had been the subject of a competing transfer offer fromSão Paulo.[63][73] He made hisTurkish league debut on 9 August under coachFatih Terim, scoring a brace in a 4–0 win overVanspor.[74] Although in the twilight of his career, at Galatasaray, he was extremely successful and became highly popular among the Turkish supporters.[6][22] In his first four seasons, he domestically won four league titles, twoTurkish Cups and twoTurkish Super Cups.[6][22] His highest success was when at age 35 hecaptained the club to win the1999–2000 UEFA Cup, scoring two goals in the campaign againstBorussia Dortmund and in the semi-finals againstLeeds United.[22][32][75] In thefinal, they defeatedArsenal on penalties following a 0–0 draw, but during the match, Hagi was sent off in extra time for punching Arsenal captainTony Adams.[22][32][75][76][77] Consequently, Galatasaray became the first Turkish club to win aUEFA club competition title.[76]
In June 2000, RomanianMircea Lucescu replaced Fatih Terim at theCim Bom Bom side, together winning the2000 UEFA Super Cup, after a 2–1 victory againstReal Madrid.[32][78][79] They also reached the quarter-finals of theChampions League during the2000–01 season where in thefirst group stage, Hagi netted a goal with a spectacular long-distance shot in a win overAS Monaco.[78][80] Subsequently, in thesecond group stage he scored his last goal in a European competition following a deep launch fromCapone, then succeeding alob over goalkeeperDida in a 2–0 victory againstAC Milan.[81] In the quarter-finals they earned a 3–2 victory in the first leg against Real Madrid, but lost with 3–0 in the second one.[78][82] In 2014,UEFA placed his goal against Monaco in a top 60 all-time best goals scored in European club and national teams competitions, while in 2020, the journalists ofFrance Football ranked it in 19th place of most beautiful goals scored in the Champions League.[44][80][83][84]
On 26 May 2001, Hagi played his last game as a professional footballer, managing to score a brace and provide an assist in Galatasaray's 4–0 win overTrabzonspor in the Turkish league.[85][86] Hagi drew praise from the Galatasaray supporters for his performances during his time with the club, who adopted the chant "I Love You Hagi" in his honour.[85][87]
Hagi made his debut forRomania on 10 August 1983 at the age of 18, under coachMircea Lucescu who used him the entire match in a 0–0 friendly draw againstNorway, played at theUllevaal stadium inOslo.[6][88][89][90] After the game, theSportul newspaper wrote:"Hagi is the main win of the match with Norway".[88]
He was selected by Lucescu to be part of the squad that went toEuro 1984, as the team needed a replacement for injuredIlie Balaci.[89][91][92] In the first game which was a 1–1 draw againstSpain, he came in the 76th minute to replaceRomulus Gabor, then in the 2–1 loss toWest Germany he was a starter, but replaced at half-time withIon Zare.[89][91][92] In the 1–0 loss againstPortugal he did not play, as Romania did not get past the group stage.[89][91][92] The 19-year-old Hagi's performance in the final tournament was criticized by Lucescu:"Țicleanu and Hagi failed to make a real contribution after entering. Hagi, especially, isolated himself on the wing, being unable to make up for the great absence of Balaci".[91]
He scored his first international goal againstNorthern Ireland in a 3–2 loss during the1986 World Cup qualifiers.[8][88][89] In the second leg against the Northern Irish he was made captain for the first time, but the game ended with another loss.[17][88][89]
He played six matches and scored once from a penalty in a 3–0 victory againstGreece in the1990 World Cup qualifiers.[89][93] In thefinal tournament, coachEmeric Jenei could not use him in the first game, a victory againstSoviet Union, as he was suspended due to a red card in the last qualifier match againstDenmark.[89][94] He played in the following two which were a loss toCameroon and a draw againstArgentina as Romania got past the group stage, reaching the round of 16.[89] There, the journey ended in favor ofRepublic of Ireland at the penalty shoot-out following a 0–0 draw, with Hagi netting Romania's first spot kick.[89][95]
Hagi scored five goals in the1994 World Cup qualifiers, including a brace in a 5–1 home win overWales.[89][96] In the last group game of the qualifiers, which was also against Wales, he opened the score, the first half ending 1–0.[96] Then Hagi, feeling that his teammates were too relaxed, asked coachAnghel Iordănescu to leave the dressing room and let him talk to them, and afterwards he started punching the closet and held a motivational speech.[96] The match finished with a 2–1 victory which earned Romania the mathematical qualification to thefinal tournament, and also this game is considered by Romanian journalists as the birth of Romania's "Golden Generation".[96][97]
Hagi captainedThe Tricolours in the final tournament.[89] In the first match againstColombia, he provided the assists for both ofFlorin Răducioiu's goals in the 3–1 win and defeated goalkeeperÓscar Córdoba with a spectacular 35-meterlob from the side of the field, with the ball not spinning in the air.[89][98] After getting past the group stage, they eliminatedArgentina with a 3–2 score in which Hagi gave an assist to one ofIlie Dumitrescu's goals, then scored himself after Dumitrescu returned the favor.[89][99] In the quarter-finals, Romania facedSweden, the score was 2–2 afterextra time, reaching the penalty shoot-out where Hagi netted his shot, but two of his teammates missed, while all the Swedes scored, thus the campaign ended.[6][89][100]
Hagi was named in the Team of the Tournament for his performances.[101] His goal against Columbia was listed in 2010 as one of the ten most beautiful goals scored in theWorld Cup by theAgence France-Presse news agency, and in 2014Diario AS placed it in third place andL'Équipe in 16th.[102]
In the1998 World Cup qualifiers he made six appearances, scoring three goals againstIceland, one againstLiechtenstein, and a spectacular one inDublin with a 35-meter free kick shot in a 1–1 draw against the Republic of Ireland.[44][89][105] Hagi was used as captain by Iordănescu in all four games during thefinal tournament, as in the group stage they earned victories in the first two rounds over Colombia andEngland, thus mathematically being qualified before the last group match againstTunisia.[89][106] In order to celebrate, the players dyed their hair blonde and presented themselves like that at the game.[89][106] They were defeated with 1–0 byCroatia in the round of 16 after a goal scored from a penalty byDavor Šuker.[89][107]
After the World Cup 1998, Hagi retired from the national team.[108][109][110] Before a game againstrivalsHungary in theEuro 2000 qualifiers, Hagi was invited byAdrian Păunescu to his "Meciul Meciurilor" (The Match of Matches) TV show.[108][109][110] During the show, Păunescu and all his guests who were figures from Romanian football but also from politics tried over the course of about five hours to convince Hagi to come back to the national team, and also over 100 fans spontaneously came in front of the TV station's headquarters to cheer him even though it was past midnight.[108][109][110] Seeing all of this happening, Hagi recalls saying to himself in those moments:"Who are you, for an entire country to beg for you?!"[108] He played in the 2–0 victory against the Hungarians, having a praised evolution by the press even though coachVictor Pițurcă used him only in the first half because he injured his shoulder.[108][109][110] At the end of the game he was carried on the arms of his colleagues to tour the stadium, although his shoulder was immobilized in a splint.[108][109][110] In these qualifiers he would go on to score his last two goals for the national team in a win over Slovakia and a draw against Portugal.[89]
During thefinal tournament, coach Emerich Jenei used him as a starter in the first two group stage matches, receiving a yellow card in each of them leading to his suspension for the decisive game againstEngland.[89][111] Eventually, his teammates managed to win it without him and qualify to the quarter-finals.[89][111] There, they lost with 2–0 to eventual runners-upItaly in which Hagi received a red card in the 59th minute.[89][111][112]
Hagi retired from professional football in 2001 at the age of 36.[113] That year, he was given a send-off in a testimonial game on 24 April, called "Gala Hagi," featuring a team of Romanian All-Stars against a team of international All-Stars.[113] At the time of his retirement, his 124 caps[a] for his country were a national record, which has since been surpassed byDorinel Munteanu.[114] He currently still holds the record of most goals scored for Romania, alongsideAdrian Mutu, with 35.[6][8][115]
For representing his country at six final tournaments, Hagi was decorated byPresident of RomaniaTraian Băsescu on 25 March 2008 with the Ordinul "Meritul Sportiv" – (The Medal "The Sportive Merit") class II.[116] In 2013 he wasDecorated at the Romanian Royal House with the "Nihil Sine Deo" medal byMargareta of Romania, Hagi saying at the event:"It's an important moment for me, I'm happy, I'm glad because all the sacrifices I've made in life were worth it, and right now I feel even more honored and responsible and I have more ambition to keep going, to keep working and giving my best for football, for children".[117] In 2022, theInternational Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS) included Hagi in its "Romania's all-time dream team" first XI.[118] On 12 March 2025, Hagi was decorated by PresidentIlie Bolojan with theOrder of the Star of Romania in the rank of Knight, the highest distinction of the Romanian state.[119]
Hagi was hired byPolitehnica Timișoara in November 2005, managing to win his first two matches, defeatingOțelul Galați 2–0 andPandurii Târgu Jiu 1–0.[130] During this spell, he gave thefirst league debut toGabriel Torje.[120][130][131] However, after a string of poor results and disagreements with the management, he left the club in May 2006 after a 2–0 loss to Oțelul.[120][130] His decision to coach Politehnica Timișoara did not go well withFarul's fans, who asked for the name to be changed, asConstanța'smain stadium used to bear his name since 2000.[132]
Viitorul won their first league title in the2016–17 season after a 1–0 home victory overCFR Cluj in the last round, finishing on equal points withFCSB but on a better head-to-head record.[120][143] As a result, Hagi won his second Romania Coach of the Year award.[120][144] Hagi would go on to win two more trophies with Viitorul, first the2018–19 Cupa României after a 2–1 victory againstAstra Giurgiu in thefinal and shortly afterwards the2019 Supercupa României when they defeated CFR Cluj with 1–0.[120][145]
At a press conference from 21 June 2021, Hagi, together with club presidentGheorghe Popescu andFarul Constanța's ownerCiprian Marica announced that Viitorul and Farul had merged into one team which would have the name of the latter and Hagi would be head coach.[146]
Led by Hagi, Farul won their first league title in the2022–23 season, earning the points that mathematically made them champions with one round before the end of the season, after a 3–2 win againstFCSB, coming back from 0–2.[120][147]
A talented left-footedattacking midfielder, Hagi's playing style was frequentlycompared withDiego Maradona's throughout his career, due to his technical ability as well as his temperamental character and leadership;[8][53][148][149][150] as a youth, he was mainly inspired by compatriotsAnghel Iordănescu andIon Dumitru.[8] A quick, agile, creative, and mobileadvanced playmaker, Hagi was also tactically versatile, and capable of playing in severalmidfield andoffensive positions on eitherwing or through themiddle, due to his ability with both feet, despite being naturally left-footed, although he had a preference for using his stronger foot; his preferred position was in a free role as aclassic number 10, but he was also used as asecond striker on occasion.[3][6][148][151][152][153][154] Hagi was renowned in particular for his first touch and speed on the ball, as well as his timing, interpretation of space, bursts of acceleration anddribbling skills, which enabled him to get past defenders; he was also highly regarded for his vision and precise passing,[3][6][148][155] although he was capable of both scoring and assisting goals, and was also an accurate finisher andset-piece taker, who had a penchant for scoring goals from powerful,bending long range strikes.[3][6][8][148][151][156] Despite his small stature and slender build, Hagi possessed significant upper body strength, which, along with his control, aided him in protecting the ball from opponents, and allowed him to create space for himself or his teammates.[8][17][43][151] Despite his skill and his reputation as one of the greatest number 10s of his generation, his career was marked by inconsistency at times, and he was also considered to be a controversial player, due to his rebellious and arrogant attitude, as well as his low work-rate, aggression, unsportsmanlike behaviour, and lack of discipline, which led him to have several disagreements and confrontations with his managers, opponents, and officials.[8][17][43][52][153][157][158][159]
Hagi is married to Marilena Hagi and has two children with her.[162] His son,Ianis Hagi, is also a footballer.[163] His daughter, Kira Hagi, is an actress.[164] He is the brother-in-law of fellowRomanian internationalGheorghe Popescu, who married Hagi's wife's sister.[165]
Hagi was chosen to dub in Romanian the character Dagda in the animated movieEpic.[166]
^abcd125 appearances according to some sources, although, as of 2007, theFRF no longer recognises Romania's unofficial 3–1 friendly away win against theEcuador U23 side on 22 January 1984[2]
^"Hagi firmò el Blanco"(PDF).El Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). 28 June 1990. p. 24.Archived(PDF) from the original on 10 August 2016. Retrieved5 November 2019.
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