Gheorghe Haji is a Romanian footballer. The position in which the player spoke is midfield. Haji named the best football player of Romania of the last century. In 2001, he began to work as a coach.
The main feature of the player is a terrific blow. The player managed to spin the ball, which flew along an incomprehensible line and posed a huge danger to the goalkeeper of the opposing team. In addition, Gheorghe Haji, whose growth is a little more than 170 centimeters, could fight for the ball with taller players. The football player had a wonderful vision of the field and could strike at the right time. In whatever clubs George played, he immediately became a leader.
Youth and career start
On February 5, 1965, George Haji was born. The nationality of the football player is Romanian. By origin, considers himself a descendant of Alexander the Great. This fact can neither be denied nor confirmed. Born in a small port town of Constanta. At the age of thirteen, George was able to get into the local team, in which he received many playing skills.
Clubs of Romania
Gheorghe Haji signed his first professional contract in 1982 with the Farul club. In the same team, he played before, but in the youth squad. Basically, he spent eighteen games, scoring seven goals. The young football player showed himself perfectly on the field, giving all the best in every meeting. The result of the work was the attention of another Romanian club - “Sportul”.
The player ended up in Sportul in 1983 and was able to enter the field more than one hundred twenty times in four seasons. At the same time, the footballer could boast of excellent performance. In the 1985/86 season, Gheorghe Haji scored thirty-one goals.
The next club, which became interested in the services of a football player, was the Romanian “Steaua”. At that time, the club held very high positions not only in the national championship, but also in the international arena. Shortly before the midfielder's transition, “Steaua” took the Champions Cup, having defeated Barcelona in the final match. Shortly before the Super Bowl match, the team decided to rent a football player and did not regret it. Only one goal was scored in the match, and it was Haji's midfielder. Gheorghe stayed in Steaua for the next three seasons.
In those same years, the footballer got a nickname - Carpathian Maradona. In Steaua, George Haji spent one hundred twenty-eight matches and managed to score ninety-three goals. Thanks to such indicators, many eminent clubs in Europe began to become interested in football.
Careers in Spain
In 1990, Real Madrid decided to acquire Haji. The transfer of a football player cost four million three hundred thousand dollars. Despite the huge expectations, the player did not stay long in the “Real”. In those years, the club from Madrid did not differ in grandiose performances and after two seasons decided to sell the player. As part of the team, he spent more than eighty matches and scored twenty times.
The return to the Spanish championship occurred two years later. In 1994, the footballer signed a contract with Barcelona. However, for the two seasons that he spent in the Spanish club, he could not achieve anything. On the field, George Haji appeared forty-nine times and was able to score only eleven goals.
Performances in Italy
In 1992, George Haji joined the Italian "Brescia". Photos and information about the transition surprised many fans of the football player. Before returning to Spain, Haji managed to play both in series A and B. For two seasons, the player scored seventeen goals.
Career in Turkey
In 1996, the player made the transition to Galatasaray. At that time, the rapid growth of Turkish football began. In many teams, the influx of eminent players began. The transition to the Turkish club was very successful. It was in this team that the player finally became the foundation. George managed to get great support from the fans.
The club management really appreciated the midfielder, building a tactical scheme for the game under him. He played in the Turkish team for five years. At the end of his career, the player helped the team win the cup, and soon the UEFA Super Cup. In total for “Galatasaray” he spent almost two hundred games and scored seventy-one times.
Romania national team
The player was able to get into the youth team of the country at seventeen. They made their debut for the main national team at eighteen. Soon, as part of the team, the player went to the European Championship, which was held in France. However, at that tournament, the team could not declare itself, taking the last position in the group.
In 1990, George Haji went to the world championship in Italy as the captain of the national team. The team proved to be quite successful. At the group stage, Romania met with the national team of the Soviet Union, Cameroon and Argentina. The latter at that time was the current champion. Romania flew in the eighth finals thanks to Ireland.
In 1994, the team went to the world championship in the United States. Gheorghe Haji and the team looked very dignified. Having convincingly taken the first line in the group, the Romanians met in eighth with Argentina and managed to win in a bitter struggle. The team left the tournament in the next stage, losing to Sweden in the penalty shootout.
Already at a fairly advanced age, Gheorghe still wore a captain's armband and went with the national team to the World Cup in France, which was held in 1998. Romania again took the leading position in the group, but flew out in one-eighth, losing to Croatia, and with a minimum score.
The last appearance in the national team occurred in 2000 at the European Championships. Taking first place in the group, the team reached one fourth, where they lost to Italy.
Gheorghe Hadji, whose wife is the sister of another famous Romanian football player (Gheorghe Popescu), ended his career in the status of a legend not only in his native country, but also in Turkey.