“At that moment, I called the president”

Left on the previous action or used too little in the previous ones, Vlad Dragomir took the eyes of the specialists in the “double” with the Republic of Moldova and Austria.

Imposing in front of the Austrians, the football player in Arsenal at the supplicated with brio on Răzvan Marin, turning into an uncomfortable “ghimpe” for Rantnick's offensive people. Now, Dragomir's name is associated with a viable long -term certainty, not with a “time”.

Vlad Dragomir's story started in Timisoara

Even though he “partially” broke from the Romanian football, which he left in 2015 for a move to Arsenal, the traces left by Dragomir on Bega, where he took the first steps in football, are still fresh. In this regard, the Sports Gazette contacted Florin Bătrânu, the former midfielder from Poli Timișoara, Dinamo and U Craiova, who was in a spot and facilitated Dragomir's debut at ACS Poli, a decade ago.

The Banat took the first steps in football at LPS Timișoara Banat, then arrived in the courtyard of the late ACS Poli.

Bătrânu, 54, appointed at the beginning of October the chief of the Scouting Department of ASU Poli Timișoara, He told in detail the context of the hypostasis in which he discovered Vlad Dragomir, analyzing the subsequent ascension of the midfielder and the prospects he has.

Adolescent Vlad Dragomir, at the juniors of the Banat / Photo source: sporttim.ro

“When I first saw him, I said,” Lord, how talented this child is! “

“Too bad that he began to talk so late about him, he was a boy who had to be seen long before. But that's it, it's never too late.

At ACS Poli, we had a group of coaches at the Center for Children and Junior, I was the coordinator, together with Aurel Șunda. We had many teams involved in the national junior championships and I also had the second team, where I played county with the young people who did not have to play (No to a level above)

At one point, I stayed in a crisis of players, because at the same time several matches were played from different groups. Together with Cristian Contescu, my former colleague from Poli Timișoara, we decided to take players from the smaller groups.

I knew Vlad was talented, but I didn't know he could cope at a higher level! I remember perfectly, I took it and put it in a match played in Liebling, in a village near Timisoara. When I saw how much maturity he had in thinking and how he was doing against the seniors, I said, “Lord, what this child is!”

At that moment, I called President Timofte and said: «You see that we have an incredible talent here, we must see how we do, what we do, you have to meet with his parents to give him a contract. I think he was 15-16 years old. It's a shame to lose it, this is rare, it's a pure leftist! ».

Since then it was something special. Until Timofte decided, they probably heard the impressions and, when he was considering signing a contract, he wanted to go to Arsenal. That's how it was his story ”, recalled Florin Bătrânu, who also reached the subject of the years spent by Dragomir at the Arsenal Academy:

“It is very difficult to impose yourself there … Look at Marco Dulca, at Cîrjan, Pascanu. In England, when you go so early and you give the reality of professional football, our Romanian immediately cades.. Although he was a modest, hard -working, well -raised boy, as he is now. “

Withdrawn in 2006, Florin Bătrânu gathered eight selections at the Romanian national. After the withdrawal, he remained faithful to Banat football and the juvenile phenomenon / photo source: Facebook

2 million €It's Alex Dragomir's market share, according to Transfermarkt

“It was a matter of time until someone trusts him to national.”

Bătrânu is not surprised by the imperturbable version that Dragomir displayed with Austria:

“I followed his route all the time and I was firmly convinced that, at one point, he would demonstrate the qualities and value he has. Unfortunately, he did not take an environment in which to show his true talent.

He was also in Italy and where he was, probably here he feels at the bottom of Pafos. He is appreciated, he has been confident and has an extraordinary maturity and disintegration. So the performance of his match with Austria was not accidental, it was a matter of time until someone was trusting the national team. I was firmly convinced that the talent came out at one point if you are serious and forget that it also caught a team that would be liking.

From my point of view, he won a place in the national team. Everyone has seen it now and recognizes its value and qualities. He was not pushed from the back by anyone. I was reading now and I knew, in fact, that Dan Petrescu said that he had noticed it since last year, he said of him.

So it is not accidental, I do not say that I have discovered the miracle in Romania now. Probably he had to give him confidence faster and to be brought faster in the entourage of the first great representative, because he had more flirting with the junior lots, ”said Florin Bătrânu, in the interview with the Gazeta.

At the match with Austria the two Timisoara of ours (No Dragomir and Marius Marin) have risen to an extraordinary level! You have a satisfaction to see that in Timisoara there is still football!

It is known that here, in Timisoara, it was an important football school and it is still that way. He remembered the world that players were growing here and we were trying, with the performance of the two-I even made a target-that in the next period I would go to the county and look for partnerships with all the schools and communes where there are talented children, to head to Poli, not to leave so easily.

– Florin Bătrânu, coordinator of Poli Timisoara's Scouting Department

15 yearshad Vlad Dragomir when he ticked his only two appearances for ACS Poli in Liga 2

How did Vlad Dragomir do with Austria

Against Austria, Pafos's footballer has fully noted in the median compartment, shows an analysis by GSP.ro. He recorded 20 precise passes, out of a total of 25. In addition, he won 8 of the 15 duels involved. Of these, two were defensive, both being won. And succeeded four recovery.

I do not know if you remember, but when I played with Pafos, I said that it is a top team, and Vlad Dragomir has to play at the national team, I do not understand why he is not summoned. And everyone took me to the cool, because it's all about us all the time: when I say something, I look like hair! “Look at him, good, and so he gets!” Petrescu is not allowed to open my mouth, I am a nobody, I did nothing, neither as a player, nor as a coach. That's how it was the situation with Pafos, and with Dragomir!

– Dan Petrescu about Vlad Dragomir, for gsp.ro