Galatasaray legend Gheorghe Hagi appointed as the Romania national football team's new head coach..

The Romanian Football Federation announced on its official website on Tuesday that Galatasaray legend and the country's former international attacking midfielder Gheorghe Hagi has been appointed as the new head coach of the Romanian national team.

According to the Romanian Football Federation's official statement, Hagi's term will last four years, until the summer of 2028.

His main task is to lead Romania to qualification for the 2028 European Championship finals and help the national team return to the top level of competition.

Hagi will replace legendary head coach Mircea Lucescu, who recently passed away at the age of 80 due to a heart attack.

At his inaugural press conference, Hagi said, "I am deeply honoured to represent Romania again, and I also know the weight of the responsibility, just as I did as a player. I hope to do the same as a coach, because the most important thing is to achieve results and succeed. That's why I joined the national team; I firmly believe we can achieve great things."

"I hope my performance as a player can continue as a coach. I firmly believe we can become the strongest."

It's worth mentioning that this is Hagi's return to the Romanian national team as head coach for the second time after 25 years.

That was his first job as a coach. He managed four matches then, but the team narrowly missed qualifying for the 2002 FIFA World Cup in Korea-Japan finals due to a 3-2 defeat to Slovenia in the qualifying playoffs.

About Gheorghe Hagi

The 61-year-old Hagi was born on February 5, 1965, in Săcele, Romania. He is1.74 meters tall, played as an attacking midfielder and is considered one of the greatest players in Romanian football history. He played for Farul Constanța, Sportul Studențesc, Steaua Bucharest, and Brescia. He is also one of the few players in football history to have played for both Barcelona and their arch-rivals Real Madrid.

In the summer of 1996, Hagi joined Galatasaray for €3.5 million.

During his five-year spell at Galatasaray, Hagi made 192 appearances for the club in all competitions, scoring 72 goals and providing 63 assists. During which, he helped the team win four Turkish Süper Lig titles, two Turkish Cup titles, one Turkish Super Cup title, one UEFA Cup title, and one UEFA Super Cup title, solidifying his legendary status.

After retiring in 2001, Hagi focused on coaching, serving as head coach of Bursaspor, Timișoara, and Steaua Bucharest, and also returning twice to Galatasaray as head coach.

In the summer of 2009, Hagi founded Viitorul Constanța and coached the team for several years. The club later dissolved in the summer of 2021 after merging with Farul Constanța.

The following summer, Hagi returned to Farul Constanța as head coach and also became the club's minority shareholder.

As a result, he successfully led the club to the 2022/23 Romanian Liga I title.

Image source: Internet / Romanian Football Federation official website