Hagi named best Romanian soccer player of the century Gheorghe Hagi was named the best Romanian soccer player of the century, after being an inspiration to his national teammates for the most successful decade in their history. Hagi, 34, made his debut in the national squad in 1981 and played for Spanish giants Real Madrid and Barcelona in a distinguished club career. He led Romania to the 1994 World Cup quarterfinals – the best performance in the country’s soccer history. He scored 35 goals in 119 matches for Romania including three World Cup finals and the Euro 1996 finals. After the ceremony, which was held behind closed doors by the Romanian Football Federation, Hagi stated his joy at receiving such an honour, adding that he couldn’t dream of anything better. Hagi then professed his desire to prepare along with his teammates for what he hopes will be Romania’s best ever performance in the upcoming European Championships. Romania will play at EURO 2000 in Belgium and the Netherlands in the same group as England, Germany and Portugal. Former team coach Anghel Iordanescu was named the best Romanian coach of the century at Monday’s ceremony.