I’ve been in Hagi’s shoes and it’s not an easy path
WHAT’S in a name? Pride, love and history, for sure. But the letters on the back of your shirt can also carry a weight of scrutiny and expectation.
I know that from my own life experience. And so, too, does Ianis Hagi.
On Thursday night, Hagi will hope to get the nod from Steven Gerrard to start against Galatasaray in a fascinating Europa League play-off.
What an occasion this could be for him, to play against the club where his dad became an all-time hero. He was actually born in Istanbul in the years when the great Gheorghe Hagi was winning four straight league titles and the UEFA Cup.
So many eyes will be on Ianis if he lines up at Ibrox. So much emotion will be tied up inside the match. It would be a chance for him to go and show the world what he is capable of.
I think he has the mental strength to handle the challenge and we will come back to a perfect example of that later on. But, believe me, just becoming a professional footballer showed real bravery on his part.
I have to salute him. He could have chosen any other sport in the world, any other career, and those comparisons with his father would not have followed him. But he has taken on this challenge with courage. And, to me, joining Rangers showed that he wants to decide his own direction.
While I have never met Ianis Hagi, I think I can put myself in his place. My dad, Finn, and my older brother, Michael, put the Laudrup name out there in the world of football well before my own career.
There were times when I really struggled with all the comparisons as a kid. My dad played for Denmark in a different era but he was highly regarded by a lot of people in our country. Then my brother came up and did even better than him.
I’m five years younger than Michael. So when I was 11 or 12, people were saying: “Oh, just wait until Brian comes on the scene. He could be the best of the lot”. I was like: “What? Please shut up! Let me just play my football and enjoy myself”.
No one I met ever asked me what job I wanted to do, a solicitor or a dentist or whatever. No, it was: “Brian, when are you going abroad to choose your first contract?”.
I had to learn the hard way how to deal with that. You just have to try and embrace the burden that you carry. It’s about realising you can only try and achieve the best you possibly can on your own terms. You can’t ask for more than that.
I see that in Hagi — that he wants to choose his own way. In some aspects of his play, there are similarities with his dad. But there are also a lot of differences. And we have to remember he is still only 21.
He just has to keep working hard and improving. Everyone seems to speak very highly of his attitude so I don’t think that will be a problem. Then, in 20 years’ time, he can look back and say: “I did it my way”.
Of course, the immediate question for Gerrard is whether Hagi is the right man for the job against Galatasaray. Jordan Jones took his place in Sunday’s 5-1 win over Motherwell and scored a fantastic goal.
Had it been an away game, the case for Jones would be strengthened in terms of him running in behind against a team that would try and dictate. On Thursday at Ibrox, I would expect some degree of caution within Galatasaray because of the circumstances.
In that respect, Hagi would make sense because he knows how to react in those little pockets of space. His two-footedness and quick decision-making are really big assets.
Then there is the emotional side of this game. Hagi’s best performance so far for Rangers — against Braga in the Europa
League last season — also came when there was a lot of attention on him.
His dad was there watching at Ibrox. People were wondering if he could do enough to earn a permanent contract at Rangers. And the team were in big trouble at two goals down.
Some players at his age would have crumbled. But Hagi responded with an amazing performance, scoring twice to achieve a 3-2 comeback, and that told me a lot about his character.
Clearly, that is a quality all of the Rangers players will need to show on Thursday night. It would be the best of Gerrard’s three qualifications for the Europa League group stage if they can beat such a strong and experienced opponent.
The financial significance of getting through cannot be overlooked, especially with the impact coronavirus is having on football. It’s possible the outcome could have a real impact on the decisions the club is able to make in the final few days of the transfer window.
Everyone knows the importance of the league this season but Gerrard has rightly been clear that a club of Rangers’ standing has to combine their domestic ambitions with playing on the continental stage.
All that applies just as much to Galatasaray, of course. And there is also the battle for co-efficient points taking place between Scotland and Turkey that could have an influence on future European qualification places.
No matter which way you look at it, this is a massive game. One, in fact, for Hagi and all his team-mates to continue making their names at Ibrox.