Romanian football legend Gheorghe Hagi returns to Turkey; appointed new boss of Galatasaray
Romanian football legend Gheorghe Hagi
has been appointed as the new boss of Turkish side Galatasaray. The 45-year-old Hagi will sign a contract on Friday for the Istanbul-based side, before being presented to the press.
The seven-time Romanian Footballer of the Year winner will replace Dutchman Frank Rijkaard, who got the sack in the wake of the club’s disappointing start to the 2010-2011 campaign.
Owner Cim Bom initially offered the managerial position to experienced coach Fatih Terim, but the offer was turned down by the former Turkish coach, making Galatasaray look elsewhere in the market.
Hagi previously enjoyed a successful coaching stint at the Stadium of Fire when Galatasaray won the Turkish Cup under him in 2005, and has managing experience in Turkey with Bursaspor as well.
Hagi played for the Turkish side from 1996-2001 in a successful period in the club’s history. During his time at the club, Hagi helped Galatasaray win the Turkish League four times (1996–97, 1997–98, 1998–99, 1999–00), the Turkish
Cup (1998–99, 1999–00), Turkish Super Cup (1999-00), UEFA Cup (1999-00) and the UEFA Super Cup in 2000.
The Romanian has been named on FIFA’s official Greatest Players of All Time list and is widely considered to be the greatest player ever to have come from Romania. He was famous for his accurate passing, close control, and powerful
left-footed long shots, which made him one of the best midfielders in the 1980s and 1990s. Also called ‘the Maradona of the Carpathians’, Hagi is a national hero in his homeland and in Turkey.
He represented Romania on 125 occasions (including the World Cups of 1990, 1994 and 1998) and scored 35 goals for his country. In November 2003, he was named the Golden Player of Romania by the Romanian Football Association. Hagi
also has the honour of being one the very few players representing both Real Madrid F.C and Barcelona F.C.
In March 2004, he was listed at no. 15 in Pele’s list of top 125 living footballers.
Managing Galatasaray for the second time might turn out to be a tricky job for the Romanian, as the team from Istanbul is sitting mid-table with only 12 points from 8 games. His first test will come when the side faces bitter rivals
Fenerbahce during the weekend.
Even with the presence of star players such as Arda Turan, Harry Kewell, Milan Baros, Luke Neill and Elano, Galatasaray have had a tough start to the campaign, winning four times and losing four times. They are currently placed
9th in the table, 8 points behind current champions, Bursaspor.
Gheorghe Hagi will be signing a one-and-a-half-year contract with the Turkish giants and must use his immense experience as a manager to bring the best out of the players at his disposal. First up would be the crunching tie against
Fenerbahce, who are currently on 4th place with 16 points, four ahead of Galatasaray.
Hagi has previously managed Bursaspor in 2003, Romanian outfit Timisoara in 2006 and has had some international experience as a manager with Romania in 2001.
Prediction: Hagi’s leadership and motivational qualities both on and off the pitch will be an important factor for Galatasaray if it were to restore its lost status in the Turkish league. Moreover, fans already like him and his
iconic status will never be tarnished in Istanbul as chances are that he will be turning his team’s fortunes around after a few matches and return the club to its former glory days. Knowing the country and being a part of the Galatasaray culture, Hagi has
all the necessary ingredients to realize what's at stake, so he will prove to be a long-term success if things go his and the boards' way.
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