Gheorghe Hagi: Inside a icon's plan to restore Romania's glory days

Hagi, 58, remains the astir celebrated subordinate successful Romanian shot history

Romania person not qualified for a World Cup since 1998 and person reached the European Championships lone doubly since 2000, failing to get past the radical signifier connected some occasions. They statesman their attempts to suffice for Euro 2024 with matches against Andorra and Belarus this month.

"Hagi for president" was chanted by hundreds of thousands backmost location arsenic Romania bushed Colombia, hosts USA and Argentina connected their mode to the World Cup quarter-finals successful 1994. Penalty decision by Sweden followed, but the question of unprecedented emotion towards the nation's shot leader mislaid small momentum.

Two years later, contempt Hagi not moving successful Romania's 1996 statesmanlike elections, radical inactive voted for him. They wrote his sanction retired by hand, with the midfielder getting a fewer 1000 votes, much than immoderate of the authoritative candidates.

Over a 29-year nonrecreational vocation that ended astatine Galatasaray successful 2001, Hagi played for Real Madrid and Barcelona and appeared 124 times for his country, scoring a associated grounds 35 goals. They called him the 'Maradona of the Carpathians'. He placed 4th for the Ballon d'Or successful 1994 and Pele included him successful a 125-strong database of the world's champion surviving players successful 2004.

Hagi turned to absorption months aft his status from nonrecreational football. His archetypal job? The Romania nationalist team.

For the 'King', arsenic helium is known successful Romania, it was a unsmooth start. His broadside mislaid to Slovenia successful the World Cup qualification play-offs and missed retired connected a spot astatine the tourney for the archetypal clip since 1986.

When helium was playing, Hagi could determine everything connected his ain done an unexpected shot, a mazy dribble oregon a keyhole assist.

"I had personality, I had bully shot power and I was fast," Hagi says. "I grew up with the Netherlands squad successful the 1970s, with full football. Johan Cruyff was my idol. I wore the fig 10 astir of the clip and I knew what that meant: make a extremity oregon score.

"I wore the fig 10 garment for Real Madrid and Barcelona, 2 of the champion teams successful the world. My ambition was ever to beryllium the champion - that was my biggest motivation."

In management, things seemed much hard for him. Things did not enactment retired truthful brilliantly astatine the commencement - but the representation is antithetic now.

Now 58, helium is the proprietor and caput manager of Farul Constanța, Romania's existent top-flight leaders. After jobs astatine Galatasaray, Bursaspor and Steaua Bucharest, successful 2009 helium returned to his hometown of Constanța connected the Black Sea seashore with a bold ambition.

He started an academy from scratch, investing portion of his ain luck and borrowing the remainder to enactment the project. More than £10m was injected to substance his dream: creating a procreation that would get Romania successful the combat to triumph the World Cup.

Hagi inactive entertains during grooming sessions with his dribbling skills, free-kick masterclasses and passing abilities. He is the king successful his castle, with young prospects' faces lighting up arsenic helium walks past.

When helium started the academy, much than 200 kids from each astir the state joined. About 100 unit were hired.

The academy took implicit a third-tier club, Viitorul Constanța, and rapidly won consecutive promotions to the apical flight. In 2017 the astir unthinkable happened - Hagi's squad won the Romanian title, with cupful occurrence pursuing 2 years later. In 2021 the nine merged with the well-supported Farul Constanța, wherever Hagi's ain travel successful shot began erstwhile helium was 10 years old.

A large portion of the wealth Hagi earned arsenic a subordinate is present invested successful his club. Farul are 1 of the youngest teams successful Europe, with the club's doctrine centred astir younker development. Recently, Hagi offered a 14-year-old his top-flight debut.

Hagi's academy took implicit third-tier Viitorul Constanta successful 2009. Eight years aboriginal they won the Romanian title

Over the years, teenagers who person impressed person moved abroad, joining Ajax, Fiorentina, Brighton, and Rangers. Almost fractional of the astir caller Romania squad person a inheritance successful Hagi's team, portion the percentages successful the younker nationalist sides are adjacent much impressive.

One of those who roseate done the ranks astatine the academy is Hagi's son, Ianis. The 24-year-old is present astatine Rangers, aft playing for Fiorentina and Genk.

"A bully subordinate tin spell retired and bash his occupation anywhere," Hagi says. "The league doesn't matter. Ianis won the grant for Rangers' champion young subordinate earlier his genu ligament wounded (in January 2022), truthful helium adapted reasonably well. Bad luck with his injury. But if I ne'er got to play successful England, possibly helium volition - wherefore not?

"I had 2 opportunities to play successful the Premier League and I'm atrocious I yet missed both. It's a state I similar and respect. I'm definite fans would person enjoyed my style."

Tottenham and Newcastle tried to motion Hagi successful the 1990s. Cruyff and Barcelona were successful the mode successful 1994. Then Galatasaray tempted him with a large European task adjacent to location 2 years later.

"I loved Kevin Keegan arsenic a kid - helium was 1 of my idols - truthful I would person loved to play nether him astatine Newcastle," Hagi says. "But erstwhile Cruyff calls you successful idiosyncratic and asks you to spell with him to Barcelona, it's hard to resist. He said I was his favourite fig 10.

"Then I opted for Galatasaray. They wanted to physique a squad that would situation for continental success. Also, they were person to Romania, and I ever had the thought to instrumentality location aft football.

"I wrote a book. I enactment everything wrong astir my tactics, my philosophy, astir however I spot football. You person to commencement with the basics, bash the elemental things first, past spell measurement by measurement towards the much complicated. My motto is: I'm calved to win, not conscionable to exist. So I'm trying to use that successful everything I bash and I privation to animate those I enactment with to bash the same.

"Cruyff is my inspiration. The mode helium did things was conscionable amazing. I learned truthful overmuch from him, from his methods and ideas."

Hagi's academy aims to beforehand astatine slightest 2 players to the archetypal squad each season. The manager doesn't attraction astir the property of those helium trains.

"I was fortunate capable to person bully teachers who accelerated my progress. That's what I privation to bash myself," helium adds.

"This full academy is my mode of giving thing backmost to shot due to the fact that I ever felt indebted."

The academy is built connected erstwhile farmland extracurricular the coastal municipality of Constanța

The academy lies conscionable extracurricular Constanța, a metropolis of astir 300,000 radical situated connected the Black Sea coast. Before Hagi's task came to this determination it was a tract wherever section farmers utilized to graze their cows and sheep.

Hagi was promised a caller stadium would beryllium built successful Constanța, capable to clasp 20,000 - 4 times the capableness of the crushed the squad presently inhabit astatine his academy. The Romanian authorities volition put astir £100 cardinal into the caller project, which should beryllium acceptable by 2025.

"I returned to Constanța due to the fact that it's wherever I was born," Hagi says. "This is my spot - Farul made me.

"I americium moving to make champions. I privation to make satellite champions. I judge successful this. I judge successful the enactment I'm doing and successful the endowment of the Romanian players.

"You request to acceptable the biggest goals and judge tirelessly. Otherwise, you aren't going to bash much."

Hagi scored 3 goals successful Romania's tally to the past 8 astatine USA 1994, including the victor successful the last-16 necktie with Argentina