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 like: 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 Bătrână publication in the top 50 legends 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 his 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 the retirement Gigi Ion worked for 5 years as a manager, later becoming a sports teacher.^[4]

Gigi Ion

Personal information
Date of birth	(1967-09-15) 15 September 1967 (age 57)
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 as of 24 February 2018

Honours

Oțelul Galați

• Divizia B: 1985–86, 1990–91^[1]

Universitatea Cluj

• Divizia B: 1991–92^[1]

Ceahlăul Piatra Neamț

• Divizia B: 1992–93^[1]

Sandhausen

• Oberliga Baden-Württemberg: 1999–2000^[1]

Notes

1. The statistics for the 1983–84, 1984–85, 1985–86, 1989–90 and 1990–91 Divizia B seasons are unavailable.^[1]