Soccer Football - Euro 2024 - Group E - Slovakia v Romania - Frankfurt Arena, Frankfurt, Germany - June 26, 2024 Romania's Ianis Hagi celebrates after the match REUTERS/Wolfgang Rattay
FRANKFURT, Germany (Reuters) - Ianis Hagi has long had to live with comparisons to his father, one of Romania’s greatest ever players Gheorghe Hagi, but at the European Championship in Germany he has the chance to make a name for himself.
The 25-year-old attacking midfielder was influential in earning Romania a 1-1 draw with Slovakia in their final Group E fixture on Wednesday, winning the penalty from which Razvan Marin equalised.
Romania won the pool and now face a shaky Netherlands in the last 16, providing the potential for a run similar to the one engineered by his father, whose brilliance led Romania to the 1994 World Cup quarter-finals, where they were edged out by Sweden.
Thirty years ago Gheorghe was coached by Anghel Iordanescu, and in Germany Ianis is working under tactician Edward Iordanescu, the son of Anghel, another connection between two of Romania's most famous football families.
Two generations, three decades apart, hoping to make history for Romania.
"We achieved our first objective, everyone knew that we wanted to get out of the group, and in addition we also had the objective of taking people onto the streets, to make them happy, to be proud of this generation, of our team," Ianis Hagi told PRO TV.
"We are not afraid of any opponent, but we are at the first finals tournament at senior level (for this group of players). We have good experience and then there is us, the young ones, with a lot of enthusiasm and a lot of quality."
Gheorghe Hagi had the distinction of playing for both Real Madrid and Barcelona in an illustrious club career, and led Steaua Bucharest to the 1989 European Cup final which they lost to AC Milan.
His son’s path has been more of a struggle. Inias came through his father’s academy and was given his debut by his Dad aged 16 at the Romanian club Gheorghe formed in 2009, Viitorul Constanța.
He later joined Italian side Fiorentina, Genk in Belgium and now Rangers in Scotland.
Following a long-term injury, Hagi had an underwhelming season on loan at Spanish club Alaves in 2023-24, where his 22 LaLiga appearances, including eight starts, produced only two assists and no goals.
At Euro 2024, however, he has created a stir, not because of his surname, but his exploits on the pitch.
(Reporting by Nick Said, editing by Ed Osmond)
