Article by Sergiu Alexandru – published Monday, June 2, 2025, 16:43 / Updated Monday, June 2, 2025:45
After promoting Metaloglobus, Ianis Zicu announced his departure. Will reach the Lighthousewhere Gică took a step in the back and give up the position of coach. Since promoting in the first league, the team of the “king” has had 5 technicians, but results had only Gică Hagi.
Ever since he set up the club, Gică Hagi has always been close to the team. He held the position of technical manager, taking care of the development of players in the academy. The “king” also had two mandates as a coach (September 2014 – August 2020 and June 2021 – June 2025). These periods were also the most successful team, the Ovidiu Club having modest results without Hagi on the bench.
What did Gică Hagi's team do without him on the bench
Since June 2012, since promotion, Dobrogens have been led, apart from Hagi, by Cătălin Anghel (two mandates), Bogdan Argeș Vintilă (two mandates), Bogdan Stelea, Ruben de la Barrera and Mircea Rednic.
The team promoted in the summer of 2012 having on the bench on Cătălin Anghel. He was from December 2009 to the team and continued his job in the first division. The team finished in 13th place, at 4 relegation points. The future, as the club was called then, recorded 8 victories, 12 draws and 14 defeats. Anghel also started the 2013 – 2014 season, resigned in August 2013, after five stages in which he accumulated only two points.
Cătălin Anghel
Then Hagi went on his hand Bogdan Argeș Vintilă, the one who had been second in Galatasaray. The former goalkeeper took the team in September 2013 and stayed until the end of the season (June 2014). There were 13 victories, 9 draws and 13 defeats in all competitions, and the future finishes the season on 12. With 40 points, with two in addition to the last relegated.
After Vintilă, Gică Hagi named his former colleague as a coach, Bogdan Steleacoming from the national youth. The collaboration was not a success. Only 4 matches resisted “Arnold” to Ovidiu. He left after gathering only two points in four stages. After an interim of Vintilă, the “King” decided to become a coach of the future for the first time in September 2014.
Bogdan Stelea
He stayed on his team's bank until August 2020, managing to win the title in the 2016-2017 season, the Cup in the 2018-2019 season and Super Cup in the beginning of the 2019-2020 season.
Gică Hagi's surprise: Ruben from Barrera. Disastrous mandate for Mircea Rednic
In the summer of 2020, Hagi made a very surprising move. And decides to bring the Spanish Ruben Alfonso from Barrera Fernandezwhich was then 35 years old and who had trained in teams in the third and fourth division in Spain, Al Ahli, Qatar, between December 2018 – November 2019 and had been a second coach at Real Sociedad.
Ruben Alfonso from Barrera Fernandez
The Iberian stayed for almost 4 months on the bank of the future, leaving at the end of November. After 11 stages. Leave the team in the 7th place, with 16 points obtained (4 wins, 4 draws and 3 defeats). And eliminated from the Romanian Cup, in 16-Ii.
Even the next coach brought by Hagi had no results. It's about Mircea Rednicwho stayed at the club in Dobrogea from December 2020 until April 2021. In total, “Puriul” resisted 18 matches (two wins, 9 draws and 7 defeats). The future finishes the season led by Cătălin Anghel and ran on 4 in the play-off.
Then, from June 2021 he returned the “king” on the team of the team he set up and then became the Lighthouse. And again he obtained a champion title, in the 2022-2023 season.
