What became of... Gica Hagi

Previously… Gheorghe Hagi (Sacele, Romania, 1965) was a midfielder with outstanding speed and attacking ability. He began his professional career in his native country in 1982, arriving in Spanish football in 1990 when he signed for Real Madrid. After two seasons, he was transferred to Italian club Brescia Calcio, before returning to Spain in 1994, this time to play for FC Barcelona. He later moved to Turkey, where he turned out for Galatasaray Istanbul SK.

His achievements… Hagi collected a number of winners’ medals as a player, particularly in national competition. In Romania, he claimed three league titles and two domestic cups, in addition to a UEFA Super Cup. In Spain, he won two Spanish Super Cups, the first in 1990 with Madrid and the other four years later with Barça, and finally in Turkey he scooped four Superligas, two Turkish Cups, another UEFA Super Cup and a UEFA Europa League. He was also an international for Romania, making his debut against Norway in 1983 aged just 18.

After hanging up his boots… The midfielder retired at Galatasaray in 2001 at the age of 36. That same year, he became Romania manager for a six-month spell, taking charge again in 2010. Between 2001 and 2010, he coached several Turkish and Romanian clubs.

Did you know… Hagi was particularly noted for his powerful left-foot shot, and scored a total of 227 goals in 485 competitive appearances in Romania, Spain and Turkey.