Only a handful of footballers have to carry the burden of expectation from the country with one Rangers player in particular knowing how this feels.
There are 11 Rangers players on international duty, but none are under more scrutiny than Ianis Hagi.
The reason is obvious, he is the son of Romania’s greatest ever player and one of the finest playmakers that Europe has seen.
It is a lot to live up to and, unfair or not, it is something that Hagi Jnr is used to.
The 26-year old might never reach the same level as Gheorghe Hagi, however, there is one thing Ianis Hagi will never do is hide, as shown against footballing giants San Marino.
Ianis Hagi shows Rangers leadership qualities for Romania
Since returning to the Rangers squad, Hagi has looked to play a leadership role.
Not only has he been at Ibrox longer than all but James Tavernier, but he has played in Serie A, La Liga and is approaching 50 international caps.
His opening goal in his first Old Firm derby for over two years perfectly demonstrated what he is all about.
Nobody more than Hagi would have been thankful for Jack Butland’s heroics against Fenerbahce after seeing his spot-kick saved, but he has already put it behind him.
It might not have been the same pressure, but scoring a penalty against San Marino shows his willingness to take responsibility.
Yes, there are flaws to his game, but he has the right mentality to play for the club, even if there are doubts about his future at Rangers.
What has Hagi said on World Cup dream?
Hagi wasn’t happy at his side’s 1-0 defeat to Bosnia in the first of Romania’s two games, however, his pre-match press conference, his leadership skills came to the fore once again:
“We aim to win the match, to score, to be more inspired than in Bucharest. We didn’t start as we wanted, but victory and defeat last only one day in football,” said Hagi via Sport.
“We felt prepared, tomorrow it matters to win. And at home we wanted to score many goals, we took the ball very well to the box and there we were no longer inspired.
“I hope we will be there tomorrow. We have to win, because we want to give ourselves a very good chance to go to a World Championship.
“The national team hasn’t been there for many years and we all want the team that enters the field tomorrow to be inspired. We are confident, because the performances and results of the last two years give us confidence .”
Hagi thrived on the big stage of the European Championships, seeing him play in a World Cup as his dad did 30 years ago would be a welcome retort to those who still don’t rate him or who think that failing to live up to his old man is seen as a failure.
