Declared Coach of the Year, Cristi Chivu entered the Serie A mixer in February, miraculously saved Parma from relegation, then accepted the challenge of preparing Inter with whom, in 2010, he had won the “triple” championship – Italian Cup – Champions League. A route that gave him the chance to become the coach of the year in the Gazeta investigation, only the second name, after Gheorghe Hagi, who has a trophy in two distinct categories of the awards.
To “capture” Cristi Chivu for 20-30 minutes of the whirlwind at Inter is like proposing to organize an expedition to Mars overnight.
Phone calls, messages, emails, explanations, groping, arguments and counter-arguments, all are part of the arsenal put on the table on the millimeter organization circuit of a meeting with the Nerazzurri coach. You have to nimbly slalom between scheduled meetings with UEFA, the peninsular media and DAZN, the “Netflix” sports platform that broadcasts Serie A matches. With a helping hand from Chivu, the interview and a short friendly conversation over coffee are arranged at Appiano Gentile, Inter's training base, located about 40 km from Milan.
Access to the sports center is almost like NASA. Only retina scanning and fingerprint collection are missing! A security guy ticks step by step, breaking away only when we pass the training ground to return a dropped ball over the fence. Chivu's allure can be seen in the distance between the holes in the net, towards the end of the training session, when the Inter players practice some free kicks. “Inizia bianco!”, Cristi shouts in a baritone voice, “Begin the white!”, meaning the order to shoot at the goal.
Until Chivu turns up – a short guided tour of the base, some impressions exchanged with Marco Benetti, Inter's chief operating officer, right-hand man of president Beppe Marotta, and then the timing for the GSP trophy.
“Saving Parma seemed to many an impossible mission”
– Cristi, congratulations for winning the trophy dedicated to the coach of the year in Gazeta Sporturilor's investigation. It's your first time in this position, but you've won the player of the year award in 2002, 2009 and 2010. Which was the most difficult race of the four?
– It all depends on the group, the team you work with, the success you have or the good things done. Several factors go into winning an individual trophy. Now, as a coach, you depend on the results and the status you manage to have. I thank Gazeta Sporturilur for this award, but I also thank all the coaches who try to do this job as well as possible. It's a profession where the training you have matters, what you manage to convey, what the players manage to understand. That's the reason why I thank them all, because I know that it's not easy, I know how much preparation, how much nerves and how much passion each one puts in to be successful.
– A year ago, you were in an uncertain period of your career, you were looking for a challenge in the terms you wanted. In the meantime, things have moved on quickly, with an intense experience at Parma and now the big test called Inter. How did this whole tumultuous year 2025 unfold?
– I wasn't looking, I was waiting! I was waiting for the right opportunity for what I wanted to do. It was quite a long wait, and in February the possibility arose to go to Parma, in Serie A, where not many people thought I would succeed. However, I had the opportunity to experience 13 matches in three months, with a path that led to the fulfillment of the objective. This despite the fact that many people were skeptical because of the complicated schedule. It seemed impossible for Parma to save itself.
“I knew what the expectations were at Inter”
– But what mattered in that impossible route?
– We mobilized, we worked, we believed, we were optimistic. In the end, that's what it's all about: believing with all your heart that you will succeed. And I succeeded! I was going to stay at Parma, to extend my contract, I was in a period of renegotiation. But Inter intervened, because Simone Inzaghi had left and I was lucky enough to be appointed coach here.
Cristi Chivu succeeded Simone Inzaghi on Inter's bench / Photo: Imago
– But you came to a territory that you mastered after so many years spent at Inter as a player or coach at Primavera.
– It's different, although I knew most of the people here. For six years, I was present day by day, week by week at the sports center. I knew who I was dealing with, who I was working with. I knew the players, the value of the team, the team, the expectations that the world has, in general, from a team like Inter.
It is important to believe in what you are doing. To put some roots firmly in the ground to help you along the way, so that you get as close as possible to your and the club's goals
Cristian Chivu, Inter coach
Cristi Chivu is a volcanic coach on Inter's bench, where he lives the matches at 200 pulse / Photo: Imago
– I mean, no one has patience for results, right?
– The results are the most important. It's like a washing machine that runs all the time and you're banging your head against all the walls. You never have peace, you are always under the pressure of results. You play every three days, you don't even have time to train. I had such an experience as a player, now – as a coach. But it is about a different management strategy, a different methodology. But, with the help of the staff and the experience gained as a player, I manage to create my comfort and set some priorities towards the group, the team, the club, the supporters.
– How do you come to terms with this huge pressure around the club?
– I know what responsibility I have and what it means to represent Inter at this level. I'm not complaining. I also like responsibility, I also like criticism. I like a lot of things that keep me awake, help me stay grounded all the time, regardless of the results. At this level, you have to be aware that, after two defeats, there are question marks.
“It's important to believe in our chance at the draw with Turkey”
Calhanoglu is developing under Chivu's baton at Inter, but he will be the opponent of the “tricolors” in the play-off for the World Cup in March, Turkey – Romania in Istanbul / Photo: Imago Images
– Turkey – Romania in the semi-final of the World Cup, in March. Was there an opponent to avoid in the draw?
– It is not easy to play in Turkey, with the supporters behind, who will frantically encourage their favorites. But we have to take advantage of this additional chance for qualification, do our best to go further, in the play-off final. However, Turkey has players of high quality, individually and collectively. Hakan Calhanoglu is here at Inter, Yildiz at Juve, Arda Guler – Real Madrid, all at a very high level. Plus an Italian coach, Montella, whom I know very well. He knows how things are going in Turkey, because he has been working there for many years.
A lot can happen until March, when the dam in Turkey is scheduled. There could also be injuries on both sides, so it's premature to talk about how the match will look like. But it is important to believe in our chance for the World Cup, because it has been many years since Romania has not been to the final tournament
Cristian Chivu, Inter coach
– You have Calhanoglu in your team, one of the future opponents of the “tricolors”. He is also the author of the famous locker room dances to the song “Made in Romania”. Did he start teasing on the sidelines?
– We haven't talked about the match until now. Of course, we both knew this dam was possible, we smiled and waited for the draw. It happened just like that! They are ready for this play-off, we have to be too. But we'll see in March what comes out.
13 matchesled Cristi Chivu to Parma at the end of last season, managing to save the club from relegation: he collected 3 wins, 7 draws and 3 defeats
2 yearsit's the period that Chivu signed with Inter, which he should guide at least until the summer of 2027
2.5 million eurosis Chivu's salary at Inter: Parma had proposed an income of 900,000 euros during the contract extension discussions
