Rangers ace Ianis Hagi is in ‘top ten players in the world’ for his age group, according ex-Romania ace

BlueMeanie

Well-Known Member


RANGERS star Ianis Hagi is "one of the top 10 players in the world" for his age group, according to a former Romanian international.
The 22-year-old attacker joined Steven Gerrard's squad permanently last summer, having arrived on an initial loan from Genk in January 2020.
Ianis Hagi warming up at Ibrox

He's managed a decent return during this campaign, noticing nine assists and five goals in the Premiership.
He has also impressed in the Europa League, with big showings in the two wins over Royal Antwerp.
Interest is high in the Gers star back in Romania, as he is of course the son of the country's greatest footballer Gheorghe Hagi.
And ex-internationalist Ianis Zicu believes the Rangers talent must be judged on his own skills rather than he famous father.
The Romanian impressed against Royal Antwerp last week

Zicu told GSP.RO: "Hagi's name is definitely a burden, and it put a strain on me too.
"Because when I was young a lot of people compared me to Gica and it affected me negatively because I thought I was better than I was at that level.
"In my opinion we need to judge Ianis strictly on the qualities he has.


"He has some really high level qualities in terms of his vision, how he strikes the ball and how he handles situations on the pitch.
"There's no point expecting Ianis to dribble past three or four players and go straight to the goal, or to run with it at full pace.
"He can't do those things, but in terms of what he can do I think he's in the top 10 players in the world in his age category.
"By which I mean how he hits the ball, how he passes, how he thinks about the game."
 
Got to be honest. Thought the money could have been better spent elsewhere and didn't think he offered enough last season. Glad up Was wrong. He's been important this season.
 
Can't agree as he is 22 and there's all sorts of attackers playing at the very top level at roughly that age who have the vision of Hagi.

But he is going to be a very very good player. Fancy we will make a killing on him.
 
Our Management will make this boy reach his potential you can see we are making him better and the scary thing is when Gerrard is finished with him he will be hitting 20 goals and as many assists per season imo.
 
Articles like this are embarrassing IMO.

We laugh at Celtic when stuff comes out about Ajer being touted as a £35m player or whatever.
 
His talent is never up for question his consistency needs to improve and we will have something very special to watch at Ibrox
 
Articles like this are embarrassing IMO.

We laugh at Celtic when stuff comes out about Ajer being touted as a £35m player or whatever.

Hardly the club's fault though is it.

Zicu has obviously said this so essentially it's just quoting his opinion.

It's not Keith Jackson claiming an unknown Milan source has told him that Ajer is on their shortlist for £4 billion.
 
I was full on expecting this to be a clickbait article and for the ‘ex Romanian ace’ to be his dad.
 
I don't get your point, 22 is still a boy?
Correct but there are alot better players in the world out there at that age and just below.

If was performing at the level he is now at the age of 17 it would be more of a chance he would be in top 10.

At 22 hes nowhere near top 10 imo

Top top player though
 
Correct but there are alot better players in the world out there at that age and just below.

If was performing at the level he is now at the age of 17 it would be more of a chance he would be in top 10.

At 22 hes nowhere near top 10 imo

Top top player though
Yeah but it's quotes from a Romanian, be like Paul Lambert telling you John McGinn is amongst the best for his age group
 
He will net us an absolute fortune. A name alone generates interest above a player's stature anyway, but his stats at every level we play are very good and he does a few things that cost a premium.
 
Last edited:
Hagi is a great player.

He will improve and when he leaves he will have learned a physical league and winning mentality too.

Spain or Italy will be his destination I believe.

I think next summer he will leave and if we get a wedge in and reinvest then we.will all be happy.
 
Articles like this are embarrassing IMO.

We laugh at Celtic when stuff comes out about Ajer being touted as a £35m player or whatever.

Whats embarrassing about an ex Romanian Internationalist rating a countryman highly? Not like the club have put it out to sell him. Weird comparison to make.
 
We are lucky to have such a talent in the team . he will only get better too with age .fantasic player and a great lad .
 
Hagi is a cracking player, but hes not even in the top 100 players around his age

heres a wee look at some of the players roughly the same age as Hagi (although these guys are all younger)

ghgg.jpg


hopefully he gets half as good as some of these lads
 
I could see him taking over from Davis as a quarterback style role. Build around him for the future.
Edit. Hes not got the pace for front 3 in our team as it is imo. He can't just get quicker at the end of the day.
 
Hagi is a cracking player, but hes not even in the top 100 players around his age

heres a wee look at some of the players roughly the same age as Hagi (although these guys are all younger)

ghgg.jpg


hopefully he gets half as good as some of these lads

That wasn't quite the quote though. He said he was in the top 10 at what he does, meaning the type of player he is.

There's not many on that list who play in the same way. Can't claim to know enough to be able to place him really.
 
His biggest asset is his footballing brain, that is only going to improve with every passing year. Some players regress as they get older, Hagi is going to bloom as he gets more experience.

In a game right now, he makes 10 defence splitting attempts and 1 will work. As he gets older, he will realise when to hold on to the ball and when to go for it. One thing in his favour is he always looks for that one pass that opens a team up. There are not that many of that type of player, and usually they are a lot older

I think he still has a way to go, but there is not doubt he has the tools to be a top player.
 
A lot of folks thought he wasn't getting his chance at the team, pretty sure it was Rivaldo that said he should leave. They don't see what is happening week to week, Gerrard doesn't just toss players in from the go, he gets the player in and seems to let him settle with the squad for a while then he starts to introduce them to the games and gives them some game time which increases over time, it even took Roofe a while to get his way into the team. I felt this would have been a big season for Katic to start getting his way in but injury stopped that, so I'm expecting next season to be the season where Katic is involved more.
 
That wasn't quite the quote though. He said he was in the top 10 at what he does, meaning the type of player he is.

There's not many on that list who play in the same way. Can't claim to know enough to be able to place him really.

Its very hard to say where Hagi should be playing, I reckon long term he should be a midfielder, as someone said above, maybe more of a Davis role than what hes doing right now....or possible in the middle of the 3 in a 4231.

hopefully we'll see him find his position in the 10 years hes here lol
 
He does two or three things in every game that nobody can or would do. He can be frustrating but you only have to look at our third goal against Antwerp to see what he is all about
 
I think if (when) Morelos leaves, Hagi should be played through the middle as a number 10, with 2 forwards playing just in front of him, Probably Roofe and one other (Itten or someone new), with Kent floating from side to side.
 
That wasn't quite the quote though. He said he was in the top 10 at what he does, meaning the type of player he is.

There's not many on that list who play in the same way. Can't claim to know enough to be able to place him really.

Exactly, it's a misleading headline - I'm surprised more people haven't read the actual quotes. He says he's in the top 10 at passing and striking the ball. Passing I disagree with, but I doubt there are many 22 year olds who can strike it as cleanly and with the technique he has with both feet, and the movement he gets on the ball.

If he can improve the accuracy on his strikes, he'll get a barrel-load of goals.
 
If he was only 17 I'd agree

Hes 22.

Turning into a smashing young player, no need to exaggerate how good he is though, keep pressure off the lad with that nonsense.
22 is young for a first-team player at a big club like Rangers. Nowhere near his peak.

It's not 1977 where 17 year olds could challenge for a first-team place.

So I don't get your point.
 
22 is young for a first-team player at a big club like Rangers. Nowhere near his peak.

It's not 1977 where 17 year olds could challenge for a first-team place.

So I don't get your point.

22 is not young in footballing terms.

Just this season alone a lot of Barca's main starters have been between 16-19.
 
Hagi is a cracking player, but hes not even in the top 100 players around his age

heres a wee look at some of the players roughly the same age as Hagi (although these guys are all younger)

ghgg.jpg


hopefully he gets half as good as some of these lads
For me, Foden is the best footballer on that list. The boy is pure class.
 
Exactly, it's a misleading headline - I'm surprised more people haven't read the actual quotes. He says he's in the top 10 at passing and striking the ball. Passing I disagree with, but I doubt there are many 22 year olds who can strike it as cleanly and with the technique he has with both feet, and the movement he gets on the ball.

If he can improve the accuracy on his strikes, he'll get a barrel-load of goals.
He is an excellent passer of the ball, look at the pass to Morelos as an example. Davis is the only other player in the team that could have made that pass
 
Can't agree as he is 22 and there's all sorts of attackers playing at the very top level at roughly that age who have the vision of Hagi.

But he is going to be a very very good player. Fancy we will make a killing on him.

The article is just click bait of course but you make a good point. Hagi has bags of skill and great potential but by 22 youd expect him to have played more games and established himself further if he was indeed at the level suggested here.

What you can say is hes improved a lot in a short time at Rangers and seems to be getting better all the time, European games and a Grand Master like Steven Gerrard coaching him has clearly helped.

If hes got the hunger to really push himself you could see him improving more but there defo needs to be more in the way of consistency of performance levels and impact across full matches.

You could say the same for Ryan Kent, both hugely talented, both need to reach the next level of performance and no finer place for them to do it than at Rangers with this Coaching Team.
 
I absolutely love Hagi. Given how cleanly he strikes a ball though, you'd think the gaffer would be urging him to shoot more often. He's got better and better as the season has gone on and has contributed with so many crucial goals and assists.


He's seriously underrated by a lot of our support.

He has an incredible knack of finding that crucial half yard of space, even around the tightest of defences and midfields.

Terrific vision and very 2 footed as well.

He must be an absolute stick on for Scottish Young Player of the Year.
 
He's seriously underrated by a lot of our support.

He has an incredible knack of finding that crucial half yard of space, even around the tightest of defences and midfields.

Terrific vision and very 2 footed as well.

He must be an absolute stick on for Scottish Young Player of the Year.
He should be main contender for young player of the year but Turnbull will get it due to who he plays for
Turnbull hasn't done enough to even be considered but when has that mattered
 
He should be main contender for young player of the year but Turnbull will get it due to who he plays for
Turnbull hasn't done enough to even be considered but when has that mattered

He couldn't lace Hagi's boots mate.

I've watched most of their games this season and he always starts brightly, but has dropped out of games by 30 minutes.

He's one of the main reasons the mentally challengeds can't maintain a good tempo for any length of time.

If he gets Young Player of the Year it'll just go to show how clueless, or biased, sports journalists are in this country.
 
I could see him taking over from Davis as a quarterback style role. Build around him for the future.
Edit. Hes not got the pace for front 3 in our team as it is imo. He can't just get quicker at the end of the day.
Hagi's pace is in his brain it is there he excels above others imo, he can read, make runs and passes quicker than many in our league and can at time ghost into areas that will hurt the opposition!

I think he also runs his heart out to get involved in chasing down the opposition when out of possession and isnt afraid to get involved in the physical side at all!

I believe there is more in his locker and playing with us will stand him in good stead in his career wherever he ends up, once he gains that consistency the sky is the limit!
 
Last edited:
He can become a very good player but it’s up to him to listen and not think he’s arrived already
 
Back
Top