Gheorghe Hagi has become the new head coach for Romania national football team, replacing the great Mircea Lucescu, who passed away on April 7, days after resigning due to health issues. Impressively, Hagi returns to the role he held 25 years ago: leading the Romanian national team was Hagi's first managerial role in 2001, the same year he retired as a player, where came close to qualifying for the 2002 World Cup.
After that, Hagi coached for Turkish teams like Bursaspor, Galatasaray (where he won a Turkish cup) and Romanian clubs like Viitorul Constanța (which Hagi himself founded) and Farul Constanta.
But Hagi was even more successful as a player, where he came to be known as the "Maradona of the Carpathians", finished fourth in the 1994 Ballon d'Or, and played for both Real Madrid and Barcelona, as well as Brescia in Italy, Steaua București, and Galatasaray, where he won most of his titles, including the UEFA Cup (current Europa League) and the UEFA Super Cup in 2000. Internationally, he played in three World Cups and three Euros, and is tied with Adrian Mutu as the all-time leading scorer, 35 goals in 124 games.
Hagi and Romania won't be at World Cup this summer, because Romania lost to Turkey in the play-offs, but Hagi has signed for the next two qualifying cycles: Euro 2028 and World Cup 2030. Hagi will make his debut in this second, hopefully longer stint as coach for Romania with friendlies against Georgia and Wales in June, before playing in Nations League B in September.