Gheorghe Hagi salutes 'extraordinary' Rangers fans as he waxes lyrical about Steven Gerrard's managerial nous
The legendary playmaker's son Ianis became an instant Ibrox hero after netting a brace in the thrilling 3-2 Europa League win over Braga
Gheorghe Hagi has lavished praise on
Steven Gerrard for turning son Ianis into an instant Ibrox hero,
The Genk loanee bagged a famous double as
Rangers produced a
Europa Leaguecomeback for the ages to secure a stunning 3-2 win over
Braga in their last 32 first leg clash.
Hagi Sr was beaming in the stands as he loved every moment of his son's big moment and he has now saluted Gerrard for his brilliant man management to unlock Ianis' full potential.
He said: "From the beginning, the Rangers manager made it very clear he wanted Ianis. He was convinced of his quality.
"The manager there is of great importance in
Ianis' development. He knows exactly how to get the best out of him. He knows how to talk to him and he knows how to integrate him in the group.
"Rangers have a very good group of players and supporters. That's why I said they are an ideal club for him.
"For his mentality and his future growth, this is perfect for him. He's just turned 21 and you can see the confidence growing in him.
"That's come from the Rangers manager.
"Rangers are a very big club, they are desperate to get back to where they were, so there's a lot of motivation at the club. Ianis' knows that and buys into it.
"He also knows he can't rely on what he did before. It's about what he does now. That's why football is beautiful because what happened yesterday is no longer valid.
"It was bad weather in Scotland, but today's footballer must adapt to that and that's what he did."A good player will find a way to succeed on any pitch and they won't use the conditions as an excuse.
"On Thursday, I saw all the seasons in one day in Glasgow. There was winter, summer, snow, rain, wind, sun. And that was all within an hour.
"But you know what...it was cold and he got on with it.
"I feel he is getting better every day. At Rangers he is now playing in a top European competition and that will make him better. Young players need to experience this.
"I watched a great game with extraordinary supporters. It was a fantastic evening.
"I found it incredible the way Rangers fans supported and backed their team. There's no doubt it gave the Rangers players a massive lift and gave them a huge shot of pure adrenaline.
"In my view, that was the secret of Rangers' success. Their fans pushed the players to win."
And Hagi, speaking on a Romanian TV show, refused to compare himself with his son after he was shown a remarkably similar free kick in his career.
In the 1986 European Super Cup Final in Monaco, Hagi flighted a free kick from almost exactly the same position as Hagi junior hit his winner on Thursday at Ibrox It also took a deflection on its way to the net.
Like his son on Thursday, that goal made Hagi senior the hero of his Steaua Bucharest side that night as his goal secured a 1-0 win against Dynamo Kiev and saw the Romanians win the trophy for the only time in their history.
But Hagi said: "Leave me alone! Stop making these comparisons because I have no answers to these things.
"I've already said one of the proudest moments in my life was during a Romanian Under 21s game witn Spain and a young boy asked me for my autograph because I was Ianis' dad. He had no idea who I was.
"It's not about me anymore. I'm second in importance now. I was a footballer, it's true. Now he is and I'm not.
"Ianis is a player with great creativity in both feet. That's his greatest quality and if he continues to improve he can have a great career."
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