Article by Ionuţ Coman – Published Saturday, 08 November 2025, 22:21 / Updated Saturday, 08 November 2025 22:22
The cheerful voices and laughter of hundreds of children energized the atmosphere in the sports base of the Hagi Academy from Ovidiu on Saturday. This time, the little ones, accompanied by their parents and grandparents, did not come for training or a match, but to participate in a first-ever event.
Launching a book that combines their passion for football with friendship and education. The first volume in the “Diary of a Pocket Footballer” series, which tells the colorful story of a group of mischievous kids and a coach who has reached the age of senescence, set off on an adventure to discover the virtues and fair play in football.
A fiction that combines reality, narrated extraordinarily by one of the best-known authors of children's books in Romania, Alex Blenche.
Staged by Academia Hagi and Editura Litera, with the message “Reading raises champions”, the celebration took place in a good mood, entertained by music and the mascot of the white and blue team, Marinero, while the hostess was the actress Monica Davidescu.
Proposal from the author
In addition to the heroes from the book, the children met the author Alec Blenche and the captain of the Lighthouse, Ionuț Larie, whom they attacked for autographs and photos. And the two took advantage of the moment, urging them to read and do sports.
“I wrote this book because I want as many children as possible to read in our country. I would make a deal with you. Every night for three days, read for 10 minutes. If after these three days, you don't want to read further, no problem.
But if you enjoy it, if you want to know what happens next, if you find yourself in any of the characters, in the jokes of the boys, in everything that happens in their universe, which is also yours, then you can read even more than ten minutes. And I guarantee you that, after the three days, you will also want the second volume, which will appear next year, in March”, Alec Blenche told the children.
Messages from idols
And the surprises continued. “Releasing a children's book is a very nice moment. Education, reading, school are very important and necessary, especially since very few of the children who play football make it to the professional level.
Sports must come second, even if the pleasure of playing is very high. I'm glad that my work in the field is appreciated and I would like many of these kids to reach big teams in the country and abroad”, added Ionuț Larie.
The blue-white captain was not the only footballer who spoke to the little ones. Through a video projected on a huge screen, former students of the Hagi Academy, including Ianis Hagi, Răzvan Marin, Florin Tănase and Denis Alibec, explained to the children how important it is to read and take care of their future.
