“Look at him, he's also a divine hand” » The touching stories of the people Cristi Chivu grew up next to

Irreparably linked to Reșita, the place where he was born and took his first steps in football and where his father, the late Mircea Chivu, is a local legend, the coach of the Serie A leader left a hard-to-miss mark in Valea Domanului.

The precocity he had developing as a small child for “Milan of Banat”, coupled with the dose of devotion displayed at the moment he chose to play a match when his father was on his deathbed, make up nothing more and nothing less than the legacy that the former great defender left in his hometown.

“Courage, a lot of discipline and common sense! The results speak for themselves”

Leontin Doană, captain and “veteran” at CSM Reșița when the Chivu kid made his way into the Banat locker room, told Gazeta Sporturilor how he perceived his younger teammate.

“He did the juniors with Ion Copocean, but he debuted in League 1 with Nelu Sdrobiș. I also heard that Ion Copocean was with her in the juniors, but it was also said that Dan Firițeanu, who said that he was the one who discovered him in the juniors.

I caught him at Reșita, naturally. I was then the captain of the team, and he was making his debut.

First of all, Cristi was an educated boy, with common sense, he prepared very well. His father, be forgiven, scolded him all the time, did not let him do anything… Always scolded him, did not let him do anything bad, demanded much more from him. And he listened…

Little by little, he established himself in our team, and his value spoke for itself. Courage, a lot of discipline, work and common sense!

He is also serious about coaching, as you can see. The results speak for themselves”, Leontin Doană, now 56 years old, told us.

“He had a difficult situation. It's also a divine hand that he ended up here”

And Dorel Mutica crossed paths with the rising young man Chivu at Reșita. Contacted today by Gazetă, the former footballer from Rapid and Steaua recalled that period:

“The year his father died he made his debut. At the time, I wasn't mature either… Cristi was a very serious child, he was kept in check by Mr. Mircea Chivu, but he was serious and hardworking. He started as a left back. Petre Pănescu was in that position, but they also gave Cristi Chivu a chance and he took advantage of it.

I don't know if you could see from then what he would be like, he wasn't Messi, but he promised that he could become a big team player. I don't know if he thought he would end up winning the Champions League or being that kind of coach. I am happy for him. I hope he takes the title, but I also hope he takes the Cup, although it's hard to bet.

I think something there helped him… He was in a difficult situation when Mircea died. His mother did not work and he has an older sister who was a student. They had a tough situation, and the fact that he was able to overcome and get to where he is is also a hand of God. It was a difficult situation, salaries were from day to day, they barely made it.

I went to Rapid in the second part, but until then I tried to man him up.

We beat Piatra Neamț at home 5-1 and let him bat (no penalty), missed one and scored from one. He was not the performer, but I left him to encourage him. I stayed for a while after his father died, but from what I caught he was a hard-working and serious boy”, Mutică told exclusively for Gazeta Sporturilor.

Leontin Doană / Photo source: Romanian Soccer

Father's exhortation on his deathbed: “Go back to the training camp and prepare for the match”

Torn by an incurable disease at only 44 years old, Mircea Chivu had a disturbing last dialogue with his son, then a teenager.

Cristi Chivu had the strength to leave his father's side, who was dying, and play with Reşita against Ceahlău in 1998.

In his last moments, Chivu Sr. conveyed to his son: “Go back to the training camp and prepare for the match. Beat Ceahlăul for Resita and for me!”.

Resita prevailed 5-1, Cristi Chivu adding his name to the list of scorers.

“I want to be at least half the man, husband and father that Mircea Chivu was”said Cristi Chivu in 2010, when he went home, in Caraș Severin, to unveil the marble bust of his father, a tribute from the municipality, 12 years after the disappearance of Mircea Chivu.

The event took place shortly after Chivu had achieved the ultimate triumph with Inter, the very year of his terrible head injury.

I think that Mircea would not have told him “Bravo” even now, but “You can do more”. He demanded a lot from Cristi, he never praised him for being a great footballer. And Cristi follows his father in everything he does.

Cristi never found a role model other than his father. He is and will forever remain his only example of life

– Mariana, Chivu's mother, after her son won the UCL with Inter in 2010

In the sixth grade, his father told me that he would become a great football player, but he asked me not to tell him. Mircea was tougher on him, he didn't bully him at all. Once Cristi came crying from outside, she had fought with a child, and my husband told her that he can't argue with the neighbors because of his problems, so he should do well to solve them himself.

– Mariana, Chivu's mother, for truthin 2011

The bust of Mircea Chivu was made in 2010, from white Simeria marble. He is 65 cm tall and weighs 120 kg. This year, the monument was restored by the authorities of Reșita, after it had deteriorated in recent years.

Ion Copocean, the man who is said to have discovered Chivu

Ion Copocean, who died in January 2013, was, according to multiple sources, the first coach in Cristi Chivu's careerpolish the former defender at Reșita, in the mid-90s. The future captain of the national team made his debut at the club from Valea Domanului, where he played between 1997 and 1998. After a short stop at the old University of Craiova, the current coach of Inter signed with Ajax Amsterdam, his launching pad on the international stage.

Ion Copocean

In the first team of Reșița, Chivu debuted under the command of teacher Ioan Sdrobiș, who passed away in December of last year.