Ianis Hagi has been at Ibrox now for a considerable period, two years. That’s right, he arrived on loan in January 2020 and it was made permanent that summer, and after those two years Ibrox Noise wanted to ask a slightly unfair question, but one which is relevant:
Just how does the lad compare to his father?
The legendary Gheorghe Hagi was, frankly, a world class player back in the 80s and 90s, winning most of his honours with Romanian giants Steaua, and Turkish colossus Galatasaray.
He also had strong spells with the Spanish behemoths of Real and Barca winning domestic cups with both.
But at his equivalent age, of early 20s, he was in Romania with Steaua, forging his career and winning a lot (league titles and even a European Cup runners’ up medal) before a move to Real at the age of just 25.
By comparison, his son hasn’t, on the face of it, quite hit those marks yet – he is a league winner with the Famous, but the chances of Ianis securing a European final at Ibrox are quite slim, and the lad is up against a gigantic reputation in the form of his old man and if we think how Jordi Cruyff compared with legendary Johann, well, it’s never a fair comparison.
But the name is synonymous with success, and Ianis has lived with it and the comparison his whole life.
So, being rational how is he doing?
Truth? He’s blooming into one of the more impressive legendary sons. Sure, not quite on the level yet of say the Maldini dynasty, where father and son were absolute dynamite, and young Daniel is doing not bad either, but he’s holding his own.
He was a big part of 55, and he’s been more than impressive in Europe, and he’s well-liked among fans for his technical quality, attitude, and vision.
He does lack a yard of pace, that is well documented, but he has the ability to use intelligence to make up for that, and while pace is a huge tool in football, having cunning and nous, used well, is even more dangerous.
So, no, he isn’t quite living up to the level of his old man just yet, but he is forging his own path and is certainly having his own career which is in itself attracting interest from some mighty European sides.
You don’t have to be your dad to be a star.
I’d like to say he’s going to be as good as his father but sadly he’ll never reach those heights. There’s no shame in that as his father was one of the best. Ianis is a decent technical footballer but honestly has too many limitations though you can’t fault his attitude.
It’s always tough for footballers to follow in their hugely successful dad’s footsteps. Being publicly compared to your dad’s great achievements can often be a burden or hindrance for them. There are not many players like Gheorghe Hagi that can boast about having lifted the European Cup and successfully played for both Barcelona and Real Madrid. His acceleration and dribbling skills were a joy to watch. As you mention correctly, Ianis is a different player with different qualities and needs to go his own way, and even though he may never achieve what his dad achieved, he’s still young and can pick up a few more medals and trophies in the years to come. The most important thing for him is to enjoy his football. I assume his dad will still be proud of him. So, yes, you don’t need to be like your dad to be a success.
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