Two years ago today the people of Clacton elected me as their MP. Since then I have held no constituency surgeries, hardly visited the place and earned more than twenty times as much as my MP salary in outside grifts.
Próxima fase, aqui vamos nós!
O que estamos a viver é indescritível. Um grupo unido, uma nação inteira a apoiar-nos e uma vontade imensa de mostrar ao mundo a força e a raça cabo-verdiana.
Seguimos juntos. Vamos com tudo! 🔥🇨🇻
BREAKING NEWS:
Lee Anderson is to be the subject of a House of Commons Standards Investigation after allegedly being given a gift of 5 million tons of bacon by a secret donor.😳
They called him the Maradona of the Carpathians.
On this day in 1994, he beat Maradona's Argentina. Maradona watched from the commentary box, banned, fuming.
The most famous Romanian who ever lived is not ethnically Romanian.
He is known for his rebellious and arrogant attitude, aggression, unsportsmanlike behaviour and lack of discipline. But also for scoring one of the ten most beautiful goals in World Cup history.
His own country called him The King.
This is Gheorghe Hagi.
He was born in Săcele, near Constanța on the Black Sea, the grandson of an Aromanian shepherd who had fled Greece with 40,000 others and resettled in Romania.
His grandfather introduced him to sport with a ball made of horse hair. "When my mother gave me my first proper ball it was like Christmas," he said years later.
In a country where ethnic background is a deeply divisive topic, this man of non-Romanian ethnic origin became the undisputed national hero, the most famous Romanian who ever lived.
He was notorious throughout his career for his temper, his confrontations with managers, officials and opponents. He demanded a coache to leave the dressing room so he could speak. He punched furniture for motivation.
He refused to be managed by anyone who didn't earn his respect, which narrowed the field considerably. And yet the talent was so overwhelming that he was still signed by the greatest clubs on earth.
He played for Real Madrid and Barcelona. Then Galatasaray, where Turkish fans called him Comandante, The Commander, and where he led them to the UEFA Cup in 2000, the first Turkish club ever to win it. In Romania they simply called him Regele. The King.
For the national team he was everything. 124 caps. 35 goals. Three World Cups.
But 1994 was the one that defined everything.
Romania vs Argentina. Round of 16. Rose Bowl, Pasadena. 90,469 people in 40-degree California heat.
Maradona was in the commentary box, banned after testing positive for ephedrine ten days earlier, watching the country he'd led to two World Cup finals being dismantled by a left foot from the Carpathians.
Ilie Dumitrescu scored twice. Hagi assisted one, then scored the third himself, a goal so fast after Dumitrescu recovered possession that the Argentina defence hadn't even reset. Eleven seconds from his own half to the back of the net.
Rivaldo said later that watching Hagi play such beautiful football was what made Argentina losing enjoyable for every Brazilian in the ground.
Maradona's verdict from the commentary box, barely containing himself: "Romania didn't beat us on the pitch. We were beaten off the pitch and that's what hurts."
Hagi's own verdict afterward: "It was a great performance. They couldn't deal with our football. But I do still have one regret: Maradona didn't play. We really wanted to beat Argentina with Maradona on the pitch."
He finished fourth in that year's Ballon d'Or. Behind Stoichkov, Baggio and Maldini.
When Hustler launched a Romanian edition, their cover didn't feature anything from inside the magazine. It featured an exclusive interview with Hagi. He was reportedly mortified, saying it would bring shame to his parents and insisting he hadn't been told who the interview was for.
That's how famous he was in Romania. The country's most notorious publication led with him because he was the only name that could move more copies than the content inside.
He founded his own club, built his own academy, coached Romania, and in April 2026, at 61 years old, was appointed national team head coach again after 25 years.
His son Ianis earned 54 caps for Romania. His daughter Kira is an actress. His brother-in-law is former Romania international Gheorghe Popescu.
He never won a World Cup. He never won a Ballon d'Or. He never played in a World Cup final.
Thirty-two years ago today, for ninety minutes in the Californian heat, he came closer than most people even remember.
The streets remember Gheorghe Hagi. 🇷🇴
Cape Verde played the football giants of Argentina, Spain and Uruguay and didn’t lose to any of them over 90 minutes. They will go back to Cape Verde as national heroes.
What happened to Maradona‘s shirt?
We are 40 years on from England’s last match in the Azteca. The game will always be remembered for the ‘Hand of God’ but, after the game, England’s Steve Hodge swapped shirts with the Argentinian superstar.
He held onto the shirt for over 30 years before selling it in 2022 for £7,142,500!
It remains one of the highest valued pieces of sporting memorabilia ever.