Bro, grab a coffee and sit down, because I've got news that'll make you realize football is just one part of the story between Romania and Georgia! On Tuesday, June 2, 2026, at 8:00 PM, at the Mikheil Meskhi Stadium in Tbilisi, our national team meets Georgia in a friendly broadcast on Antena 1 and AntenaPLAY. And here's the deal: both missed qualification for the 2026 World Cup, so now they're playing for the love of the game, to see what Hagi can get out of the boys.
Speaking of Hagi - the "King," who was appointed coach on April 20, is at his first action with the national team, and according to the agreement between the two federations, he can make up to 10 substitutions during the match, in at most three stoppages. So basically, all the called-up players will get minutes. Nine players stayed in Mogosoaia to train separately: Burcă, Rus, Mihai Popescu, Tănase, Olaru, Cârjan, Dragomir, Stanciu, and Drăguș. What can I say, bro, at their age I didn't even dream of playing for the national team, but now I'd even take a run on the field to see what it's like!
Hagi said this: "We play for the national team, and when you put on this jersey you have to be connected, have attitude, be focused, have determination, play with honor, love everything you do. We hope to see that on the field. We play to win." Bravo, boss, that's how you talk! Now, if the boys come in with the same attitude as me when I get in my BMW and blast the music, we're good!
Let's see who comes out on top: Romania won the first two friendlies (2-1 in 2008 and 5-1 in 2016, both in Bucharest), and Georgia won in 2021 in Ploiesti (2-1). So chances are there, but don't forget the Georgians are at home, with their supporters up to their necks.
Now, the coolest part: beyond football, Romania and Georgia have a huge historical bond. At the beginning of the 18th century, ruler Constantin Brâncoveanu sent printer Mihail Ștefan to Tbilisi, at the request of King Vakhtang VI, to set up a printing press with Georgian characters. Mihail Ștefan, a student of Antim Ivireanul (who was of Georgian origin, by the way!), arrived in 1707 with a printing press, tools, and paper, and in 1709 printed the Gospel in the Georgian language. By 1722, the press had produced 14 books, including the first secular books, like the epic poem "The Knight in the Panther's Skin." And, would you believe it, in Iraklı II Square in Tbilisi there's a monument honoring the Romanian contribution. Antim Ivireanul, besides being a diligent printer (over 50 books!), became Metropolitan of Ungrovalahia in 1708 and was canonized by the Romanian Orthodox Church in 1992. So when we meet Georgia, it's not just a match - it's a meeting between two peoples who have made history together. As for me, I watch the match with one eye on football and the other on history. Go on, Hagi, show them why you're the "King"!
