Ianis Hagi, son of Gheorghe, is living up to Romania legend’s legacy with brilliant goals for Rangers
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IANIS HAGI carries Romania’s hopes on his shoulders - as the son of the country’s greatest ever player.
But the evidence suggests he can take it all and some more.
The 21-year-old announced himself on the world stage - with his dad watching in his stands - with the daddy of all comebacks.
Rangers were 2-0 down but the superstar in waiting hit two well-struck goals for Rangers in a 3-2 win over Braga in the Europa League.
Gerrard said: “His dad was here tonight and I’m sure he would be very proud of that performance."
Hagi Junior signed on loan from Genk in January, after moving to the Belgian side fropm Viitorul Constanta for £4million in June 2019.
Ianis has already been capped at full international level by Romania but he has some way to go to match his dad, who was capped 124 times.
For throughout the 1990s Gheorghe Hagi was one of the most talented stars on the planet.
After making a name for himself in his homeland behind the Iron Curtain with Steaua Bucharest, he spent two years at Real Madrid.
Then after a spell in Serie A with Brescia he returned to Spain with Barcelona before finishing his playing career at Turkish giants Galatasaray.
REAL HERO
But it is perhaps World Cup displays when he endeared himself most to TV viewers in this country.
He helped Romania reach the quarter-finals of USA 94, beating Argentina en route.
Then four years later in France, Romania topped England’s group before going out in the last 16 at a tournament best remembered for Hagi and all his team-mates bleaching their hair blonde.
Nearly two decades after he retired from international football, Hagi, 55, remains Romania’s top scorer with 35 goals from 125 caps.
Ianis was born in Istanbul, Turkey, during his father's spell at Galatasaray.
As a youngster he was enrolled into the massive football academy that his father had built for £9million.
The Gheorghe Hagi Football Academy has over 300 players, and is one of the biggest in Europe.
Hagi Senior also owns Viitorul Constanta, in collaboration with his mate Gheorghe Popescu, which plays many of the graduates of his own academy.
Ianis's talent was clear, and he rapidly moved through the age levels at the academy, and was selected for the Romanian national sides from 13 upwards.
He joined Viitorul Constanța and made his debut at the age of 16, when he his dad was also working as manager.
In July 2016 he joined Fiorentina aged just 17 for £1.5m, and made two appearances for the Italian side in Serie A.
However he hardly covered himself in glory in a disappointing 18-month stint at Fiorentina before he returned to Viitorul Constanța in January 2018.
He found his love of the game again during his second spell at Viitorul, and in July 2019 he joined Belgian champions Genk for £6.5m.
Hagi joined Rangers on a six-month loan with an option to buy on January 2020.
And
Ianis said: “Carrying the surname Hagi on your jersey certainly brings with it a certain pressure.
"But I was born with this pressure, so it's not something that creates problems for me any longer."
Humble Hagi snr rarely talks about his son. He said last year: "I am sure that Ianis will have a great career, he's an ideal No.10.
“I hope that he can become better than I was."
That would certainly take some doing and
THE SPECIAL SON
He said: My father was, obviously, a great champion and he is my mentor, but if I had to choose a role model, I would pick an athlete from another sport - Stephen Curry.
"I really like him because he's managed to make it in the NBA even though nobody believed in him, because he was small, and through his hard work and dedication, he managed to become one of the strongest players in the world.”
Hagi jnr said: “Of course, I talk to him both before and after matches. It's a normal father-son relationship. I talk not only to him but to my whole family.
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"He helps me before a match and, as he watches a lot of football, he knows all of our opponents, so he helps me with some tricks of the trade. But for the most part I know what I have to do.”
Hagi has some way to live up to his father's legacy.
Some players - like Jordi Cruyff - have in the past struggled to walk in their father's footsteps.
But others such as Frank Lampard, manage to walk out of their dad's shadow.