Romanian player Andrei Ratiu’s blue hair is making headlines at Euro 2024: why the defender is not the first from his country to make headlines for wearing dyed hair

Romania have reached the knockout stages of a major tournament for the first time since 2000 after battling to reach the last 16 of Euro 2024.

Four points from three games sealed top spot in Group E, with Edward Iordanescu’s side drawn against the Netherlands in the first knockout phase.

An opening 3-0 win over Ukraine set the tone for Romania in the tournament and its players have caught the eye for a number of reasons.

Razvan Marin’s goals took Romania out of the group, but defender Andrei Ratiu’s bold blue hair has baffled neutral fans in Germany.

Who is the Romanian player Andrei Ratiu?

Ratiu plays for La Liga side Rayo Vallecano and the 26-year-old defender has spent most of his domestic career in Spain.

He began his career in Villarreal’s youth team after moving to the country at the age of six. His first first-team game was with Huesca before joining Rayo in 2023.

Ratiu is Iordanescu’s first-choice right-back for Romania and has completed the full 90 minutes in all three group stage games, with 20 caps to his name since 2021.

Why did Andrei Ratiu dye his hair blue for Euro 2024?

This is the key question for fans curious about Ratiu’s bold look. However, there doesn’t seem to be a specific reason for the full-back to have opted to dye his hair, with the most popular theory centred on a tribute to the Romanian national team that took part in the 1998 World Cup.

Ahead of their final group game against Tunisia in France ’98, the Romanian national team caused a stir when they lined up for the match with the entire squad sporting bleached blonde hair.

Despite initial confusion over why they had made the decision to change their appearance, with coach Anghel Iordanescu also shaving his head, star player Georghi Hagi offered an explanation years later.

Romania at the 1998 World Cup. image.twitter.com/I95waeovG4

— 90s Football (@90sfootball) October 24, 2020

“We made a bet with the coach. We said it was possible to get six points from our first two group games, and that was our way of saying we could do it,” Hagi said.

“We made the bet and won both games against Colombia and England, so we kept our word.

“The coach also had to shave his head and we had to dye our hair. It was Dan Petrescu’s fault, he made the bet!”

Romania drew 1-1 in their clash with Tunisia, but the blonds were eliminated in the round of 16 by their Balkan rivals, Croatia.

When is Romania vs. Netherlands in the Euro 2024 Round of 16?

This Euro 2024 match will kick off at the Allianz Arena on 2 July at 18:00 local time in Munich.

Here’s how that time translates to some of the world’s major territories:

Live broadcast and TV channel of the match Romania vs Netherlands

Here’s how to watch this Euro 2024 match in selected areas across major regions around the world:

USA: The match between Romania and the Netherlands from the Allianz Arena in Munich will be televised in the United States by Fox Sports, with Spanish broadcast via ViXThe game is also available to stream on Fubowhich is currently offering a FREE seven-day trial.

Radio coverage of the match can be followed on Sirius XM FC.

UNITED KINGDOM: The Romania-Netherlands Euro 2024 match will be broadcast in the UK on BBC1. The stream is available on BBC iPlayer.

Canada: Euro 2024 matches will be broadcast in Canada on TSN and live streaming services. TVA will also broadcast the match.

Australia: Australia’s only broadcaster for Euro 2024 is Optus Sport.

India: Euro 2024 matches are available to stream on JioTV and Sony LIV. Sony Ten 2 and 3 will broadcast this match on TV.

If you are unable to watch Romania vs. Netherlands live from your location or are travelling abroad, you can use a virtual private network (VPN). VPNs offer a secure and private online connection, allowing you to bypass geo-restrictions to access your favourite streaming services from any device anywhere in the world.

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