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By Radu Timofte

BUCHAREST, June 26 (Reuters) - Gheorghe Hagi, former player with Steaua Bucharest, Real Madrid and Barcelona, was appointed on Tuesday as the new coach of Romania's national squad, the Romanian Soccer Federation (FRF) president said. "The FRF's board unanimously appointed Hagi as the new coach of Romania's national team," Mircea Sandu said. "His contract has immediate effect and is valid for the next three years." Hagi replaced Ladislau Boloni, who quit the post last week to sign a lucrative three-year contract with Portuguese club Sporting Lisbon. Sandu gave no financial details, but Hagi's agent said earlier this week that money was not a significant issue for the player.

Hagi, 36, signed the contract immediately after Sandu's announcement, just three weeks after he ended his playing career with Turkey's Galatasaray. "It's a happy day for me and I hope to preserve this mood over the next three years," a visibly touched Hagi said during the signing ceremony. "It's a great challenge...but, if you don't like the wolf, you don't enter the forest." Hagi promised to continue his predecessor's work with the national team, vowing to qualify for the 2002 World Cup finals.

"Boloni did good work and I'll continue to pump fresh blood into the national team," he said. "I'm assuming responsibility for the national team's results, its technical progress and also for the players' morality."

Romania currently lie in second place in European World Cup group eight with their next games coming away to Hungary on September 5 and at home to Georgia on October 6. Hagi played 125 matches for his country, captaining them 86 times and scoring 35 goals. He also helped Galatasaray to the 2000 UEFA Cup and, in 1987, he scored the winning goal for Steaua Bucharest to secure the European Super Cup. In other appointments on Tuesday, Emeric Ienei was named Romania's technical director and Gavrila Balint as deputy coach.