Ianis Hagi, son of Gheorghe, former captain with 125 caps for Romania, intends to catch up with his father’s legend.
There are many sons at this Euro 2024. Marcus Thuram, Lilian’s child, with the French team. Daley Blind, Danny’s son, plays with the Oranje. And Ianis Hagi intends to follow in the patriarch’s footsteps.I am happy and proud, explained the son of Gheorghe, former midfielder of Real Madrid and FC Barcelona and a true legend in the country, but above all I feel an additional responsibility.»
At 25, the man who has worn number 10 since then in homage to his father, knows how to play with pressure. Five years ago, when he took over this legendary number, heavy with history, he declared: “Every day I try to work even harder to make the fans happy. Together with my colleagues, we have the duty to make Romanians happy!»
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Long-awaited Ianis Hagi
Against the Netherlands of Memphis Depay and Xavi Simons, Ianis Hagi should honor his 38th selection. He who remains important within the Tricolori squad despite reduced playing time – one start, two substitutes during the group stage – is already a key player in this team, which he discovered at a very young age.
Considered a star, the player trained at the… Hagi Academy revealed himself during a Euro Espoirs in 2019. After a draw against Sylvain Ripoll’s French team (0-0), Romania left the competition in the semi-finals, eliminated by Germany (2-4). That summer, his name was circulating on the side of Manchester City, Ajax Amsterdam or Sevilla FC. Later, he would be associated with Olympique Lyonnais but it was RC Genk who dropped nearly ten million euros to secure the services of the Romanian nugget a few days after the competition.
Since then, the attacking midfielder has had a more disjointed career. After discovering Western Europe and Italy at Fiorentina (2016-2018), the young man, born in Istanbul, Turkey, went to Belgium and then quickly joined Scotland. First on loan, he was bought by Glasgow Rangers in 2020. Last summer, Ianis Hagi was loaned to Deportivo Alavés.
Romania, one of the surprises of the Euro
In a very homogeneous Group E, the Tricolori overtook the Red Devils and sent the Ukrainians home. A first place that should have guaranteed them an affordable draw. The Romanians, however, inherited the Netherlands, who finished among the best third-placed teams.
«Our fans are incredible and our team’s relationship with them is incredible too. That’s also why we played well, Ianis Hagi enjoyed during the group stage. I am very proud to have not only my father but also my whole family with me. Imagine that 25 years ago, my whole family was there for my father to see him play and now they are there for me. I am very proud. They are my motivation to continue.»
At Euro 2000, Romania lost in the quarter-finals to Italy for the best result in its history. If they win against the Netherlands, the son will equal his father, captain of the historic epic.
