The Golden Generation vs. The Soul Generation by Edit Gyenge

Football is a game of passion, but performance is measured in numbers. This interactive analysis takes a data-driven approach to Romania’s national football team, tracing its historical achievements from its first official match over a century ago to the present day. Over the last 102 years, Romania has participated in seven World Cups and six European Championships, with varying degrees of success. While past generations have shaped the team’s legacy, EURO 2024 marks a new chapter—one that invites comparison between past and present.

This piece leverages historical data, performance metrics, and interactive visualizations to explore Romania’s journey on the international stage. How does the "Soul Generation" of EURO 2024 compare to the legendary "Golden Generation" of the 1990s? What trends emerge when we analyze goals, match outcomes, and tournament progress over time? By placing Romania’s latest performance in a broader statistical context, we can move beyond nostalgia and examine the team’s evolution through data.