Cristian Eugen Chivu (pronounced [krisˈtjan ˈkivu]) (born 26 October 1980 in Reşiţa, Romania) is a Romanian footballer. He is the captain of the Romanian national team and currently plays with Inter Milan.

Club career

Chivus first professional club was CSM Reşiţa. After moving to Universitatea Craiova, his reputation began to rise and his performances sparked interest from some larger clubs outside of Romania. Dutch club Ajax Amsterdam was particularly impressed and recruited him in 1999.

At Ajax he developed a reputation as a reliable fullback. Then-manager Ronald Koeman appointed him as captain of the club. With Chivu as captain, Ajax dominated the Dutch Eredivisie with an exciting young squad. Playing alongside Chivu were future stars such as Rafael van der Vaart, Zlatan Ibrahimović, and Andy van der Meyde. Chivu played a pivotal role for Ajax in their Champions League run in the 2002/03 season, when they came to within a minute of the semi-finals.

Roma first expressed their interest in Chivu in 2003. At the time, Roma had an enormous debt and there were questions raised over Roma's ability to pay any proposed fee. Seeking to silence the increasing doubt over their financial situation, Roma sought a bank guarantee, which was subsequently denied. However, after much speculation Roma finally completed the purchase of Chivu, ending the long and protracted saga. The fee has been reported at €18m.

After almost two months of speculations, Chivu signed a 5-year contract with Inter Milan on July 27, 2007. The transfer fee is estimated to be €16 million. As part of the deal, defender Marco Andreolli moved to A.S. Roma in a co-ownership deal.^[1]

Chivu's skill from set-pieces has added another dimension to his already well-rounded game. He has scored a number of free-kicks for both Ajax and Roma and with his deft left-foot shots as he continues to enhance his reputation as one of the finest defenders in Italy.

International career

In 1999, Chivu was chosen to represent the Romanian Under-20 team.

Chivu has played for Romania more than 50 times, and he is currently captain of his country. He played for Romania in Euro 2000, but up until their qualification for Euro 2008 the eastern-European country had failed to qualify for any major tournaments.

Personal life

Chivu can speak Italian, Dutch and English as well as his native Romanian. He is currently in a relationship with Adelina Elisei (partner). According to the Calcio Italia magazine, Chivu has been involved in opening football schools around Romania for the past few years, as he says "I hope that he is proud when he looks down on me" in reference to his father who was a youth coach.^{[citation needed]}

Manager of the Romanian national football team, Victor Piturca, recently declared in a talk show that Chivu and his friend, goalkeeper Bogdan Lobont, are smokers despite the fact that they are professional football players.^{[citation needed]}

Honours

With Internazionale FC:

• Italian Serie A: 2007-08

With AS Roma:

• Coppa Italia: 2006-2007

With Ajax Amsterdam:

• Eredivisie champions: 2001-02
• KNVB Cup: 2001-02
• Johan Cruijff-schaal: 2002

Personal awards:

• Dutch Footballer of the Year: 2002
• Romanian Footballer of the Year: 2002
• UEFA Team of the Year: 2002
• Marco van Basten Trofee : 1999/2000

Club statistics

Notes