Being the son of one of the greatest players in Romanian football history may be a huge weight to carry, especially for any young player who is looking to make a name for himself.
But not for Ianis Hagi as the 20-year-old, son of Romanian great Gheorghe Hagi, is looking forward to emulate the achievements of his father who has been dubbed as the ‘Maradona of the Carpathians’.
The Genk midfielder is hoping to be back in Cosmin Contra’s plans for this evening’s match against Malta after he was a second-half substitute in Thursday’s 2-1 defeat in Bucharest.
“I was really sad with our result against Spain, especially for our fans who were desperate to see us get a positive result,” Hagi told a news conference.
“But that is in the past now and we now must focus on our next matches. If we keep thinking on the past matches then we end up being effected by our poor start against Norway when we had to come from two goals down and take a point and by the late goal we conceded against Sweden that cost us two very precious points.
“We have to look to the future, starting against Malta where we are hoping to get the three points. Qualification is still firmly in our hands and it’s up to us to ensure we get the right results in the last four matches to secure qualification.”
Hagi has so far collected five appearances at senior level for his country and so far he has been handed the no. 8 and 11 shirts for his country. His father Gheorge built his dynasty of success with Romania wearing the no.10 shirt. Asked whether he harbours hope of being given the opportunity to wear his father’s no. 10, Ianis said that he was craving for that opportunity.
“Since I started playing football I have always been very eager to win and I’m always hungry to do more,” Hagi said.
“For me if I had to be given the opportunity of wearing the Romania no.10 shirt like my father did for many years would be a dream come true. It’s true we play different positions in the pitch but I firmly believe that it’s only a matter of time before I will be given that shirt number and I’m confident of wearing it for many years.”
Hagi is one of a new generation of players in Romanian football who the country’s FA are hoping to carry the team back among the elite of world football.
Apart from Hagi, Contra has also included his selection the likes of goalkeeper Ionut Radu, Defender Ionut Nedelcearu, midfielders Alexandru Cicaldau, Tudor Baluta and Ravzan Marin as well as forwards Dennis Man and George Puscas.
“I think there is a good mixture of young and experienced players at the moment in the national team,” Hagi said.
“So far we have achieved some very positive results but obviously we can achieve much more than that. Our goal is to focus to help the national team reach the Euro 2020. The coach has shown a lot of faith in young players and is always bringing in more players from the U-21 national team.
“Hopefully this blend of young and experienced players can help our country to open a successful era.”
On club level, Hagi has achieved a huge milestone this summer when he helped his Belgian club to reach the group stages of the Champions League.
Genk face a daunting challenge as they were drawn to face Liverpool, Napoli and Salzburg but Hagi is looking forward to the challenge.
“I am really happy at Genk,” Hagi said.
“I think everyone in the club has shown a lot of faith in me and I am very pleased with my performances so far. At the club there are a lot of young players and I am looking forward to help the club reach its goals this season.
“The Champions League will be a great showcase for us young players and hopefully I will have some great experiences. It would have been nice to face Ajax with whom there is my friend Ravzan Marin but it was not to be.”