Editing Gheorghe Hagi (section)

===Euro 2000===
After World Cup 1998, Hagi retired from the national team.<ref name=GSP9>{{cite web | url=https://www.gsp.ro/fotbal/nationala/video-remember-cea-mai-emotionanta-noapte-din-istoria-fotbalului-romanesc-394139.html| title=Video remember. Cea mai emoționantă noapte din istoria fotbalului românesc| publisher=Gsp.ro| language=ro |trans-title=Video remember. The most emotional night in the history of Romanian football| date=22 March 2013| access-date=11 February 2025}}</ref><ref name=GSP10>{{cite web | url=https://www.gsp.ro/fotbal/nationala/gsp-live-video-fiul-lui-adrian-paunescu-dezvaluiri-despre-emisiunea-eveniment-in-urma-careia-gica-hagi-a-revenit-la-nationala-a-fost-o-piesa-de-teatru-5-ore-de-emisie-si-oameni-pe-strazi-la-3-dimineata-580283.html| title=Fiul lui Adrian Păunescu, dezvăluiri despre emisiunea-eveniment în urma căreia Gică Hagi a revenit la națională: "A fost o piesă de teatru" 5 ore de emisie și oameni pe străzi la 3 dimineața| publisher=Gsp.ro| language=ro |trans-title=Adrian Păunescu's son, revelations about the show-event after which Gică Hagi returned to the national team: "It was a play" 5 hours of broadcast and people on the streets at 3 in the morning| date=16 October 2019| access-date=11 February 2025}}</ref><ref name=AS>{{cite web | url=https://as.ro/fotbal/echipa-nationala/cum-l-au-intors-tutu-condurateanu-si-paunescu-pe-hagi-la-echipa-nationala-pai-cine-sunt-eu-sa-refuz-106783.html| title=Cum l-au întors Țuțu Condurățeanu și Păunescu pe Hagi la echipa națională: "Păi cine sunt eu să refuz?"| publisher=As.ro| language=ro |trans-title=How Țuțu Condurățeanu and Păunescu returned Hagi to the national team: "Well, who am I to refuse?"| date=29 June 2021| access-date=11 February 2025}}</ref> Before a game with [[Hungary–Romania football rivalry|rivals]] [[Hungary national football team|Hungary]] at the [[UEFA Euro 2000 qualifying Group 7|Euro 2000 qualifiers]], Hagi was invited by [[Adrian Păunescu]] at his "Meciul Meciurilor" (The Match of Matches) TV show.<ref name=GSP9/><ref name=GSP10/><ref name=AS/> During the show, Păunescu and all his guests which were names from Romanian football but also from politics tried over the course of about five hours to convince Hagi to come back to the national team, also over 100 fans spontaneously came in front of the TV station's headquarters to cheer him even do it was past midnight.<ref name=GSP9/><ref name=GSP10/><ref name=AS/> Seeing all of this happening, Hagi recalls saying to himself in those moments:"Who are you, for an entire country to beg for you?!"<ref name=GSP9/> He played in the 2–0 victory with the Hungarians, having a praised evolution by the press even do coach [[Victor Pițurcă]] used him only in the first half as he injured his shoulder.<ref name=GSP9/><ref name=GSP10/><ref name=AS/> At the end of the game he was carried on the arms of his colleagues to tour the stadium, although his shoulder was immobilized in a splint.<ref name=GSP9/><ref name=GSP10/><ref name=AS/> In these qualifiers he would go on to score his last two goals for the national team in a win against Slovakia and a draw with Portugal.<ref name=EU/>

At the [[UEFA Euro 2000 Final|final tournament]], coach Emerich Jenei used him as a starter in the first two group stage matches, receiving a yellow card in each of them which got him suspended for the decisive game with [[England national football team|England]] but his teammates managed to win it without him and qualify to the quarter-finals.<ref name=EU/><ref name=GSP11>{{cite web | url=https://www.gsp.ro/fotbal/nationala/euro-2000-adio-generatia-de-aur-gica-hagi-eliminat-la-ultimul-meci-742516.html| title="The Last Dance" pentru Generația de Aur. 4 meciuri de foc, singura victorie la un European + Gică Hagi, eliminat în ultimul meci pentru națională| publisher=Gsp.ro| language=ro |trans-title="The Last Dance" for the Golden Generation. 4 hot matches, the only victory in a European + Gică Hagi, eliminated in the last match for the national team | date=9 June 2024| access-date=11 February 2025}}</ref> There they lost with 2–0 in front of eventual runners-up [[Italy national football team|Italy]] in which Hagi received a red card in the 59th minute.<ref name=EU/><ref name=GSP11/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www2.raisport.rai.it/news/eventi/euro2000/200006/24/3955184b02c4f/|title=Euro 2000: Italia-Romania (2–0)&nbsp;– Azzurri in semifinale|publisher=Rai Sport|language=it|date=24 June 2000|access-date=29 January 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181112223504/http://www2.raisport.rai.it/news/eventi/euro2000/200006/24/3955184b02c4f/|archive-date=12 November 2018|url-status=dead}}<br>{{cite web|url=http://walloffame.infostradasports.com/asp/index.asp?SortId=63|title=Wall of Fame: Gheorghe Hagi|publisher=Infostrada Sports|access-date=13 October 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090201112155/http://walloffame.infostradasports.com/asp/index.asp?SortId=63|archive-date=1 February 2009|url-status=dead}}</ref>