“So did Lucescu”

As GSP.ro had announced exclusively on Thursday evening, Gică Hagi's surprise for the friendly matches in June is the footballer who in just one season managed to move from League 2 to the event with Craiova University.

Matei is one of the six players from the champion team who will go to the draw, along with Nicușor Bancu, Vladimir Screciu, Ștefan Baiaram, Alexandru Cicâldău and Tudor Băluță.

David Matei, compared to Gică Hagi after the first call

In the summer of 2025, Craiova University paid 75,000 euros to bring David Matei from the second league, from Steaua Bucharest.

Now, he will make contact with the national senior team for the first time, and the president of Olten, Sorin Cârțu, reacted after the summons received by David Matei. The Craiova official compared Matei to the man who offered him this chance, Gică Hagi, who, in turn, had received a similar chance from the late Mircea Lucescu.

“Very good, very good. He sees something. It's a moment that the kid can exploit to the fullest and give him confidence. He can see in him a future national team player and he wants to get him used to the atmosphere.

At that time, Hagi also came to the national team just like that, when Lucescu summoned him”said Sorin Cârțu, quoted by digisport.ro.

• Gică Hagi was introduced by Mircea Lucescu to the Romanian national team on August 10, 1983, in a match with Norway, score 0-0, at only 18 years, six months and five days;

• In his first season in blue and white, David Matei impressed everyone. He managed 5 goals, two decisive assists and the event with Olteni.

Romania's national team squad for Gheorghe Hagi's debut matches

GOALKEEPERS:

• Ionut RADU (Celta Vigo | Spain, 9/0)

• Marian AIOANI (FC Rapid 1923, 1/0)

• Otto HINDRICH (Legia Warsaw | Poland, 0/0);

DEFENDERS:

• Andrei RAțIU (Rayo Vallecano | Spain, 38/2)

• Deian SORESCU (Gaziantep FK | Turkey, 23/0)

• Tony STRATA (Vitória Guimarães | Portugal, 0/0)

• Radu DRĂGUŞIN (Tottenham | England, 29/1)

• Virgil GHIțA (Hannover 96 | Germany, 9/1)

• Bogdan RACOVIȚAN (Raków | Poland, 5/0)

• Andrei COUBIȘ (U Cluj, 1/0)

• Andrei BURCĂ (Yunnan Yukun | China, 45/1)

• Matei ILIE (CFR Cluj, 0/0)

• Lisav EISSAT (Maccabi Haifa | Israel, 2/0)

• Nicușor BANCU (Universitatea Craiova, 52/2)

• Andrei BORZA (FC Rapid 1923, 0/0);

INTERMEDIARIES:

• Răzvan MARIN (AEK Athens | Greece, 74/12)

• Alexandru CICÂLDĂU (Universitatea Craiova, 38/4)

• Vladimir SCRECIU (University of Craiova, 7/0)

• Tudor BĂLUĂ (University of Craiova, 12/0)

• Nicolae STANCIU (Dalian | China, 86/15)

• Vlad DRAGOMIR (Paphos | Cyprus, 7/0)

• Ianis HAGI (Alanyaspor | Turkey, 53/8)

• David MATEI (University of Craiova, 0/0)

ATTACKERS:

• Dennis MAN (PSV | Netherlands, 45/11)

• Olimpiu MORUȚAN (FC Rapid 1923, 17/1)

• Valentin MIHĂILĂ (Caykur Rizespor | Turkey, 35/5)

• Ștefan BAIARAM (Universitatea Craiova, 4/1)

• Alexandru DOBRE (FC Rapid 1923, 6/0)

• Louis MUNTEANU (DC United | USA, 4/2)

• Florinel COMAN (Al-Gharafa | Qatar, 20/2)

• Denis DRĂGUȘ (Gaziantep FK | Turkey, 27/7).