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Currently with InterMilan, the deep defender is the captain of the Romanian national team. In 1999,
he was chosen to represent the Romanian Under-20 team. His first professional club
was CSM Resita. 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. Ronald Koeman, the manager,
appointed him as captain of the club.
With Chivu as captain, and with an exciting young squad Ajax dominated the Dutch Eredivisie.
Playing alongside Chivu were future stars such as Rafael van der Vaart, Zlatan Ibrahimovic,
Ahmed Hossam Mido, and Andy van der Meyde. Chivu played a pivotal role for Ajax in their
Champions League run in the 2002/03 season, when they almost made it to the semi-finals.
Roma first expressed their interest in Chivu in 2003. 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.
Chivu has played for Romania more than 50 times. He played for Romania in Euro 2000,
but until their qualification for EURO 2008 the eastern-European country had failed
to qualify for any major tournaments. 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.
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