Gigi Ion (born 15 September 1967), also known as Ion Gigi, is a Romanian former professional footballer and manager. Ion played as a defender or midfielder and mostly for Oțelul Galați, but he also played for other teams as: Universitatea Cluj, Ceahlăul Piatra Neamț, Dacia Unirea Brăila and German side Sandhausen.[1][2] Gigi Ion is considered a symbol of Oțelul, being introduced in 2014 by the Dunărea Bătrâna publication in the top 50 symbols of the club from Galați.[3][4] Ion always shown his attachment for Oțelul and even refused an important offer from FC Steaua București, years later he stated: I wanted to play for Oțelul, not anywhere else. It really matters for me to feel something for the team I play, in this way I was raised. Despite its loyalty, he is considered one of the most unlucky footballers, in his career Gigi suffered two double tibia and fibula fractures, first in 1987 after which he, with much sacrifice spirit, returned to the pitch, having a metal rod in his leg and the second one in 2000, injury that ended his career.[5] After retirement Gigi Ion worked for 5 years as a manager, later becoming a sports teacher.[4]
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 15 September 1967 | ||
| Place of birth | Galați, Romania | ||
| Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Defender / Midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1978–1983 | CSU Galați | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1983–1991 | Oțelul Galați[a] | 41 | (3) |
| 1991–1992 | Universitatea Cluj | 30 | (6) |
| 1992–1993 | Ceahlăul Piatra Neamț | ||
| 1993–1994 | Dacia Unirea Brăila | 31 | (3) |
| 1994–1999 | Oțelul Galați | 134 | (7) |
| 1999–2000 | Sandhausen | ||
| Total | 236+ | (19+) | |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2000–2001 | Oțelul Galați (caretaker) | ||
| 2003 | FC Vaslui | ||
| 2003–2004 | Dacia Unirea Brăila | ||
| 2004–2005 | Prefab 05 Modelu | ||
| 2005 | Oțelul Galați (caretaker) | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 24 February 2018 | |||
Honours edit
Oțelul Galați
Universitatea Cluj
Ceahlăul Piatra Neamț
Sandhausen
- Oberliga Baden-Württemberg: 1999–2000[1]
Notes edit
References edit
- ^ a b c d e f Gigi Ion at RomanianSoccer.ro (in Romanian)
- ^ "Gigi Ion profile" (in Romanian). 4everucluj.ro.
- ^ "FC Oţelul Galaţi îşi premiază legendele şi suporterii. Marele premiu pentru fani: un cantonament cu echipa" [FC Oţelul Galaţi awards its legends and supporters. The big prize for fans: a training camp with the team] (in Romanian). Adevarul.ro. 3 December 2014. Retrieved 16 September 2021.
- ^ a b "50 de ani/50 de legende: Ion Gigi" [50 years/50 legends: Ion Gigi] (in Romanian). Dunareabatrana.ro. 28 September 2014. Archived from the original on 21 February 2019. Retrieved 16 September 2021.
- ^ Viaţa lui Gigi Ion: "Cu pastramă şi cu vin, uite aşa ne chinuim!". evz.ro (in Romanian)
External links edit
- Gigi Ion at WorldFootball.net
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