A look at Gheorghe Hagi Academy and the prodigies they have produced 

The Academy has produced many bright talents

You may describe a manager who chooses his 16-year-old child as the skipper of the first team as engaging in flagrant nepotism. Nevertheless, when Gheorghe Hagi is the head coach, his club (Viitorul Constanta) is dominating the Romanian division, and the promising midfielder Ianis Hagi is only one of a talented bunch of up-and-coming talents who attended a world-class Gheorghe Hagi Academy, it is necessary to take a different approach.

Although it may be overstated, Hagi's grandiose plan for Viitorul Constanta might be among the most important advancements in European football in recent memory.

When Hagi lost interest in working for other people in 2009, everything began to fall into place. As a player, he always preferred to do things his way on the field, but it was obviously impossible when he started coaching.

How Hagi opened his own academy in a cornfield

His stints with the Romanian national team, Bursaspor, and Galatasaray all ended in bitter disappointment, and his time at Steaua Bucharest was cut short when Hagi refused to put up with President Gigi Becali's propensity to meddle in every management choice. The best player Romania has ever produced chose to open his own academy as a result.

On land that was formerly a cornfield close to his home town of Constanta, Hagi used his personal money, which is thought to be worth over €10 million, to develop the academy's facilities. aforementioned time, he founded Viitorul Constanta, a professional team that debuted in the third level in 2009.

To make the enterprise lucrative, it was planned to bring academy graduates onto the squad and then market them to larger teams. With the youthful and talented coach Catalin Anghel, Viitorul were promoted right away to the second level and made it to Liga I, the top flight, by 2012.

The institution thrived throughout the interim. Hagi's reputation drew investors, and the greatest football players in the nation were discovered using a top-notch scouting network. Modern living and training facilities make it simple for youngsters and their families to decide whether to go to Viitorul and player growth there is remarkable.

Players of all ages have been given by Hagi's scheme to young national teams. At the early age of 16 years and 10 months, perhaps one of them, defender Cristian Manea, became the youngest player ever to represent Romania last year and later joined Chelsea.

Hagi and his age are often regarded as the apex of Romanian football. Since 1998, Romania has failed to earn a World Cup berth, and the European Championship has brought about similar failures. The Romanian national football team's campaign for Euro 2024 gets underway this month with games against Belarus and Andorra.

He built an academy from the ground up, investing some of his own money and lending the rest to finance the endeavour. To support his vision of raising a generation that would put Romania in contention to win the World Cup, more than £10 million was invested.

With his dribbling prowess, free-kick demonstrations, and passing talents, Hagi continues to amuse the crowd during training sessions. The young prospects' faces light up as he passes by since he is the king in his own castle.

More than 200 children from all throughout the nation joined the programme when he first opened it. There were about 100 new hires.

Hagi's academy graduates are flourishing in top European clubs

Teenagers who made an impression throughout the years have travelled overseas and joined clubs like Ajax, Fiorentina, Brighton, and Rangers. Hagi's team has a history with about half of the most recent Romanian team, and the percentages in the young national teams are much more amazing.

Hagi's son Ianis is one of many who progressed through grades at the institution. After playing for Fiorentina and Genk, the 24-year-old is currently at Rangers.