Ianis Hagi, a midfielder known for his habitual meandering into the central lane, was born in the land of kebabs on 22 October 1998. The chap stands proud at 5ft 11in (1.82m for those who abandoned the empire's measurements), and weighs in at a respectable 11st 4lb (72kg for metric devotees). Currently spotted in the blue of the Rangers, with a weighty number 30 stitched onto his jersey, Hagi is no stranger to the beautiful game's international side either, having turned out for the Romania national team.
In 2014, this fledgling footie talent found a pad with Viitorul Constanța in Romania's Liga II. Clearly more than just decoration on the first team sheet, young Hagi put up a respectable strike rate over his time there. A £1.7m credit to his bank account saw him flit off to Italy in July 2016, where he played for a little-known team in Series A called Fiorentina. Two appearances in his debut Italian season makes you wonder if he spent more time sampling spaghetti al pomodoro and Chianti than dancing about the pitch.
By January 2018, a figure just poking north of £1.8m saw Hagi return to Viitorul Constanța in Romania. Again, he exhibited a fine swansong year, dazzled in front of the goal post and added more numbers to his scoring tally. However, it seems the siren call of waffles and beer proved too tempting, so Hagi upped-sticks and transferred to Genk in Belgium in July 2019, where the profit margin on his trade topped a hearty £7.2m. At Genk, he made a token 14 appearances and slid in three goals.
A Scotsman in Belgium must have noticed Hagi's burgeoning talents, for by January 2020, a loan deal had been struck and our protagonist was whisked off to Celtic's mortal enemies, Rangers, for a test run. It seems Hagi found his footing in this northern clime, with his tally seeing a steady uptick in goals scored with each passing year, coupled with a commensurate increase in his appearance rate. By July 2020, Rangers were convinced they had a star in their midst, prompting a final offer of £3.2m to secure the lad with a permanent transfer.
Naturally, Hagi's journey took him on a brief continental pinball trip. In August 2023, he was loaned to Alaves in Spain's LaLiga, only to be returned to Rangers in June 2024 upon completion of his service. One can only assume he visited to garner an appreciation for paella and bullfights.
Hagi's participation record in various competitions testifies to his enduring fitness and the faith placed in his skills. There's the League Cup and Scottish Cup for Rangers, Euro 2024 and the Euro Qualifiers for Romania, as well as the illustrious Europa League. The lad must have a well-thumbed passport.
The tartan-clad Rangers must be feeling their little bounty, coughing up a thrifty £3.2m for a Romanian goal monster, was justifiable. A wee irony for us loyal Celtic supporters though, is that the lad is earning his keep under the likes of them.
