Meet Ianis Hagi, who was born on 22 October 1998 in exotic Turkey. Currently 26 years old, Hagi is a knight of the midfield, favouring the role of a central attacking midfielder. This lad sports number 30 on his back and represents Rangers while also serving his homeland, Romania, on the national team. With a height of 5ft 11in (1.82m) and a weight equivalent to a bag of cement - 11st 4lb (or 72kg for those embracing the metric system) - it's clear Hagi doesn't shy away from a full Scottish breakfast.
Hagi's first fumbling steps into the footballing world led him to Viitorul Constanța in the Liga II of Romania amidst the summer of 2014. The debut season bore scant fruit, with merely seven first-team appearances and one goal to call his own. Fear not, for Hagi's fire was merely smouldering, staging a comeback in later seasons resulting in 31 appearances and three goals in the 2015 - 2016 season. His journey at Viitorul Constanța went onto witness sporadic appearances and a spike in his goal-scoring ability, culminating in 31 appearances and ten goals in the 2018 - 2019 season.
In the cruel summer of 2016, Hagi bid farewell to Viitorul Constanța, packing his boots and jetting off to Fiorentina in the Serie A in charming Italy. The flight cost the Italians a casual £1.7m, a bargain really. And what they got in return? Two appearances in the 2016 - 2017 season - far less riveting than Fiorentina might have hoped for.
No surprises when the son of Romania returned to Viitorul Constanța in January 2018, for a fee of around £1.8m. The figures of Hagi's return appearances at the club rang oddly familiar - there were appearances and goals, but no stand-out performance to speak of.
Hagi's next port of call was Genk in the Pro League of Belgium, in July 2019. The Belgians parted ways with £7.2m, entrusting their faith and their currency in Hagi. He rewarded them with 14 appearances and three goals in the 2019 - 2020 season at Genk.
A shift in winds saw our globe-trotting Hagi chart a course to Scotsland in January 2020, gracing the Scottish Premiership with his play as he joined Rangers on a loan basis. His first season saw seven appearances and one goal to his name. His tenure at Rangers was soon made permanent in July for £3.2m. His performances there varied, showing some consistency, but not at a level that has his face plastered on every Rangers memorabilia.
The winds of change breathed once more, and Hagi was temporarily shipped off to Alaves in the LaLiga of Spain in August 2023, only to return to Rangers in June 2024 after the expiry of his loan deal. Hagi's Spanish adventure saw him make 22 appearances in league matches.
National duty beckoned as Hagi represented Romania in Euro 2024, the Euro Qualifiers between 2022 - 2024, and the Nations League 2024 - 2025. Although Hagi was no doubt a presence, with some starts and a decent run of substitute appearances, dear reader, let's not fool ourselves into thinking he was the lone wolf driving Romania's campaign.
