Ianis Hagi’s concession this morning that he wants nothing to do with Rangers’ Champions League qualifiers and is prioritising his country’s participation in this summer’s Olympics instead is sure to ruffle a few feathers.
On one hand this is the first CL Rangers have been near in a decade, and it’s everything to our club.
On the other, representing your nation at a major summer event is a big deal.
At least, it is when it’s the Euros or the World Cup.
Romania didn’t get to the Euros, and this is their big event of the summer instead – 16 nations made it to the Olympics, and Great Britain weren’t one of them. But then neither were Italy or world cup finalists Croatia.
How do we feel about his choice?
Well we certainly understand the desire to represent your country at big tournaments, but the Olympics is not a big tournament in football. Meanwhile the CL is basically, alongside the World Cup, the biggest tournament in football.
And Rangers’ participation in it at last after 10 years is colossal.
We see it from both sides – he wants to play for his country, but equally Covid has nothing to do with this dilemma – Olympics usually start at this point in the summer whatever year they’re held, and the CL qualifiers do usually clash.
End of the day, Hagi has chosen his country over his club – Olympics over the CL.
It’s up to you what you think of that.
Man, let me enumerate some other points why perhaps Hagi has chosen Olympics over CL:
1) He hopes he will have other opportunities to play in CL, whereas he will not have another chance for Olympics.
2) Also, at Rangers he isn’t given chances in big matches. He hasn’t play that much even in EL, I doubt Gerrard will use him in the CL. Also, if he performs outstandingly at the Olympics I suppose his price will increase so it’s good business for Rangers to sell a “fringe” player, as he is labelled by some fans.
3) I am sure that if Hagi was somehow assured (not through words, but from the previous matches in EL) that he will play in CL he would choose the club instead, but he knows he will not.
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