Gheorghe Hagi

Who is Gheorghe Hagi?

Gheorghe Hagi is a Romanian former footballer. He was one of the best attacking midfielders in Europe during the 1980s and 1990s and is considered the greatest Romanian footballer of all time. Galatasaray fans called him 'Commandante' and Romanians called him 'Regele'.

Nicknamed "The Maradona of the Carpathians", Hagi is considered a hero in his homeland. He was named Romanian Footballer of the Year seven times, and is regarded as one of the best football players of his generation. He was renowned for his technique, vision, passing and finishing.

Hagi played for the Romanian national team in three World Cups in 1990, 1994 and 1998, as well as in three European Football Championships in 1984, 1996 and 2000. He won a total of 124 caps for Romania, ranked second after Dorinel Munteanu, and is the joint leading goalscorer with 35 goals.

In November 2003, to celebrate UEFA's Jubilee, he was selected as the Golden Player of Romania by the Romanian Football Federation as their most outstanding player of the past 50 years. In 2004, he was named by Pelé as one of the 125 Greatest Living Footballers at a FIFA Awards Ceremony. Hagi is one of the few footballers to have played for both Spanish rival clubs Real Madrid and Barcelona.