Romania's former national team coach, Gica Hagi, has undergone four surgeries due to a cyst, a true ordeal that nearly prevented him from participating in the 1994 World Cup. Widely considered one of the greatest Romanian footballers of all time, Hagi was on the brink of missing this prestigious tournament.

The 1994 World Cup

Romania's best performance in the World Cup was qualifying for the quarter-finals of the 1994 World Cup, held in the United States. Gica Hagi was one of the most valuable players on the national team throughout the competition, even shining in the crushing defeat against Switzerland, 1-4.

Medical Challenges

The team's doctor at the time, Pompiliu Popescu, revealed that Hagi was close to not only missing the World Cup but potentially ending his career due to a cyst. This cyst was an anserine bursa, which had been draining externally and could have caused an infection if left untreated.

Popescu explained, "It was a continuous struggle. We had to ensure the drainage didn't cause an infection. If it had, Hagi wouldn't have been able to play in the World Cup. We had to be extremely careful."

The cyst had a high potential for recurrence, leading to four surgeries. The first surgery was performed in Romania, and Popescu stated, "After leaving Real Madrid, the cyst recurred after a period without issues."

Popescu also mentioned that Hagi could have developed an infection at any time until the fourth surgery, which would have ended his career. The doctor was in the national team's service for 26 years until 2014, stepping down after Răzvan Burleanu became the president of the FRF.