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Kristian KivuRomanian professional footballer, defender of the Italian Inter and the Romanian national team.
Date of Birth: 26.10.1980
Country:  Romania |
Biography of Cristian Chivu
Cristian Chivu is a Romanian professional football player who has played as a defender for Italian club Inter Milan and the Romanian national team. He made his professional debut for his hometown team Resita, before transferring to Universitatea Craiova. It was there that he caught the attention of one of the strongest Dutch clubs, Ajax Amsterdam, and signed a contract with them in 1999. In the same year, Chivu also played for the Romanian under-20 national team.
At Ajax, Cristian achieved significant success, playing as a left-back. In 2001, he was named the captain of the team by coach Ronald Koeman. Under Chivu's captaincy, Ajax dominated the Dutch league and reached the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League in 2002. That same year, Cristian was recognized as the best player in the Dutch league.
In 2003, Chivu caught the attention of AS Roma. After some unsuccessful attempts to acquire him due to the club's significant debt, Roma finally managed to sign a contract with the defender, paying Ajax 21 million euros.
On July 27, 2007, Chivu signed a five-year contract with Inter Milan. The transfer cost Inter 16 million euros, and Roma received young Italian defender Marco Andreolli in return.
Chivu made his debut for the Romanian national team in August 1999 in a match against Cyprus. Since then, he has been a key defender and one of the team's leaders. In 2000, he participated in the UEFA European Championship, where Romania caused a sensation by surpassing England and Germany in the group stage.
