BUCHAREST: Gheorghe Hagi took over as coach of the Romanian national team on Monday with the former Barcelona star announcing ambitious targets for his new charges.
“Our goal is to win every game. Our goal is to win the Nations League. Our goal is to qualify for the European Championship (in 2028),” Hagi said during a press conference in Bucharest.
“I was born to win, not just to exist. Don’t you know my motto?”, the 61-year-old, nicknamed the ‘Maradona of the Carpathians’, added.
Hagi signed a four-year contract, calling it “an honour, a great responsibility”, but also “a huge challenge” to make the country and its supporters happy.
The appointment marks Hagi’s return as coach of the national team, over two decades on from a previous stint which lasted less than three months in 2001.
He takes over from Mircea Lucescu, who died at the age of 80 following a heart attack earlier this month.
Lucescu was the coach who gave Hagi his international debut at the age of 18 and then promoted him to captain when he was just 20.
“He wanted me” to take over as coach, Hagi said.
Published in Dawn, April 21st, 2026
