Report by Dr. Talal Osman
Gheorghe Hagi – former star of Real Madrid and Barcelona – has set his sights on winning every match after being named new head coach of the Romania national team on Monday, signing a four‑year contract with the Romanian Football Federation.
Hagi returns to the national team bench after a previous brief stint in 2001 that lasted little more than three months. The 61‑year‑old described his appointment as both “a great honour and a great responsibility,” and “a challenge of significant magnitude.”
He said:
“Our goal is to win the UEFA Nations League. Our goal is to qualify for UEFA Euro 2028.”
Adding a personal note, he insisted:
“I was born to win, not just to be there.”
Reflecting on his first spell as Romania’s coach in 2001, Hagi explained:
“At that time, I was young and impulsive. I am different today. I am more experienced and more mature as a coach in every respect.”
Hagi replaces Mircea Lucescu, who was sacked in early April and died just five days later at the age of 80 following a heart attack. It was Lucescu who first brought Hagi into the national team as a youth at 18 before appointing him captain at just 20.
Widely regarded as one of the greatest ever Romanian players, Hagi – the attacking midfielder famed for his magic left foot – made 124 international appearances and led the national team all the way to the quarter‑finals of the 1994 World Cup.
Romania has not reached a World Cup finals since 1998 and once again missed out on 2026 after a 1–0 defeat to Turkey in the European play‑off semi‑finals in March.
Hagi concluded by stressing ambition:
“We will try to be the best. It may seem difficult, but you know that I love to set very ambitious goals. I love to win.”
