Gabriel Tamas is keen to help West Bromwich Albion find the next wave of Romanian talent.
His home city of Brasov now holds an annual tournament - the Brasov Cup - which involves 200 teams and this year included two junior Albion teams.
Tamas, who invited Albion and his former club Celta Vigo to the competition, admits it is a symbol of what he was denied as a youngster.
Tamas told the Sunday Mercury: "There were 200 teams in total. I was preparing for Chelsea so I missed it unfortunately but it was a great success.
"My father helped out and it was very successful.
"But the point is that I support it because it's important to give something back to the youngsters of Romania.
"When I was a youngster we didn't have tournaments like this. When I was growing up we were changing. We didn't have opportunities back then. The country was changing.
"These days it's better for kids. It was hard for me - as it was for all kids. You need support to become a footballer and it wasn't easy.
"I was inspired by the Golden Generation. That was the team of 1994. The country had come through the change and they were our inspiration. We were a good side.
"They were great players- Hagi, Petrescu, Popescu, Lacatus, Dimitrescu, Raducioiu, we had some amazing players.
"That 94 team was the first team I remember - it lifted a nation."
