This is the story of how Hagi magic inspires Romania. Romanian playmaker Gheorghe Hagi, known as the “Maradona of the Carpathians,” is one of the greatest “cult heroes” in FIFA World Cup history.
By Simon Shumba
The “Maradona of the Carpathians” led his nation’s team on an incredible run to the quarterfinals of the 1994 tournament in the United States.
Hagi got off to a great start at the tournament when he inspired Romania to a 3-1 victory over a highly regarded Colombian team, including a stunning long-range goal to make it 2-0. Hagi would later sign for Barcelona after USA ’94.
“I scored goals that are now among the best goals in World Cup history,” Hagi none too modestly told renowned football magazine FourFourTwo 20 years later.
Prior to playing Argentina in the round of 16, Romania won Group A ahead of Switzerland, the US, and Colombia. The most well-known match in Romanian football history was this encounter at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California.
The “Tricolorii” were given little chance of moving on to the next round when they faced a star-studded Argentina team (who were playing without the suspended Diego Maradona). Hagi activated “God Mode,” though, and the Eastern Europeans went on to win 3-2, a remarkable victory in which he assisted and scored the winning goal.
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