Gigi Ion

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. 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. 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.[1] 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.[2] After retirement Gigi Ion worked for 5 years a manager, later becoming a sports teacher.

Gigi Ion
Personal information
Date of birth (1967-09-15) 15 September 1967
Place of birth Galați, Romania
Height 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Playing position(s) Defender / Midfielder
Youth career
1978–1983 CSU Galați
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1983–1991 Oțelul Galați 41 (3)
1991–1992 Universitatea Cluj ? (6)
1992–1993 Ceahlăul Piatra Neamț ? (?)
1993–1994 Dacia Unirea Brăila 31 (3)
1994–1999 Oțelul Galați 165 (10)
1999–2000 Sandhausen ? (?)
Total 206+ (16+)
Teams managed
2000–2001 Oțelul Galați (caretaker)
2003 FC Vaslui
2003–2004 Dacia Unirea Brăila
2004–2005 Prefab 05 Modelu
2005 Oțelul Galați (caretaker)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 24 February 2018

References
  1. 50 de ani/50 de legende: Ion Gigi. dunareabatrana.ro (in Romanian)
  2. Viaţa lui Gigi Ion: "Cu pastramă şi cu vin, uite aşa ne chinuim!". evz.ro (in Romanian)


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.