Gheorghe Hagi born on February, 5 1965, in Sacele, (Romania) is a retired football player who played as an attacking midfielder and playmaker until 2001. He is regarded as one of the best attacking midfielders in Europe and generally considered the best Romanian footballer in history.

He started his career by playing for the youth team of Farul Constanta and made his debut for the first team during the 1982–1983 season. After four years at Sportul Studentesc he joined Steaua Bucuresti, the most successful team in Romania, with which he won the national league title and the Romanian cup in 1987, 1988 and 1989. With Hagi as the leader of the team, Steaua also reached the European Cup semifinal in 1988 and the final in the following year. From 1990 Hagi started his European career, joining Spanish giants Real Madrid, where he played 64 matches and scored 15 goals in two seasons, after which he signed for Brescia Calcio, the Italian team he helped return in to Serie A in his second year at the club.

Returning to Spain in 1994, Hagi signed a two-year deal with Real Madrid’s major rivals, Barcelona, but only managed to score 7 goals in 35 matches. From 1996 he joined Galatasaray where his success and popularity among the Turkish supporters was huge, especially after Galatasaray, led by Hagi, won four league titles and most importantly, managed to win the UEFA Cup after defeating Arsenal in the final of the 1999-2000 season, when, at the age of 35, Hagi succeeded in winning every possible trophy with the Turkish side.

For the Romanian national team Gheorghe Hagi played from 1983 until 2000, performing memorably during the 1994 World Cup. In 2001 he retired and has since tried several experiences as a football manager, but without the success he obtained as a player. Nonetheless, he remains one the most popular players in both the Turkish and Romanian championships.

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