Article by Eduard Apostol, Cezar Titor – Published Monday, 05 January 2026, 12:26 / Updated on Monday, 05 January 2026 12:36
Virgil Ghiță, 27, is preparing in Antalya with his club team from Zweite, Hannover, starting today in the training match with Borussia Monchengladbach, the team in 12th place in the Bundesliga. He was replaced at half-time, with the score 1-0 for his team (3-0, at the end), and then offered statements from the side of the field.
They obviously orbited around the play-off with Turkey, declaring themselves extremely confident in the chances of the “tricolors” at the beginning of 2026. He believes that we can rise to the level of Calhanoglu & Co., the atmosphere in Istanbul should not represent an intimidating factor for Mircea Lucescu's students and he does not consider a possible triumph of ours a “shock”.
He also discussed the objectives of the club team, promotion being the most important, having a frothy reaction to the GSP reporters' question regarding the atmosphere that awaits the Romanians in March, in the “Crescent Land”.
VIDEO. Virgil Ghiță: “I don't even want the people at the hotel to know that I'm playing against them”
“It's a new year, we've set ourselves big goals, both for the team and the national team, and I'm sure we'll do a good job. I'm very happy that the goal I scored against Austria was voted goal of the year and I thank everyone who voted for me.
I was asked about the match, considering that we also have some half-Turkish players in the team. They said that for 90 minutes we will not be friends. I don't even want the people at the hotel to know that I'm playing against them, otherwise they don't pay attention to me anymore. Better not to know,” said Virgil Ghiță, on the sidelines of the “Cornelia Sports Center” in Belek.
He then analyzed the play-off opponent: “Turkey is a very good team, with players who progress to big, valuable clubs, but we also form a good team and I think it will be a nice match. We need to be more motivated, we will definitely give more and look much better. We have to believe in ourselves and show what we know.
I haven't been asked by many people about tickets, those close to me have priority. It matters to everyone that members of the Golden Generation will be present at the match, they will give us extra energy. It will be a Gold Gallery, for sure. I hope we have at least half as many supporters as they will have. I'm exaggerating, but I'm sure there will be many Romanians in the stands“.
Hannover are 5th in the Zweite, 4 points off the play-off places and 5 off the first straight promotion, currently occupied by Elversberg, but Ghiță is confident he will be on the field in the Bundesliga next season: “At club level, we had a good half-season.
We also made some mistakes, we didn't collect all the points we deserved, but we are there, in the fight for promotion. I played in the Superliga a while ago, but it doesn't compare to the Zweite Bundesliga. Instead, I no longer know exactly what the current level is in League 1.”
“It wouldn't be a shock if Romania won against Turkey. For me, it would be something normal”
“We are thinking that, together with the family, we will get tickets to America in the summer, not to go on other vacations. I would really like to see people on the street, it would be a dream come true. We barely have time to rest here, we only have a week off, but it's very intense.
I haven't played in Istanbul yet, but I know it will be a great atmosphere. Even us in the field might need earplugs. The atmosphere may impress us, but we are professionals. We've all played in front of 50,000 at least once and we shouldn't care why it's in the stands.
It wouldn't be a shock if Romania won. For me it wouldn't be, it would be something normal. There are no big or small teams anymore, anyone who prepares well can beat anyone”, concluded the stopper who scored an essential goal against Austria, at the National Arena, in the 90+6th minute, the one that brought the most important victory of the qualification campaign.
