Romanian former footballer Cristian Chivu has extended his contract with Inter Milan until 2028 after winning the league title and the Italian Cup in his first full season as head coach.

Chivu, 45, took over the team last summer after Simone Inzaghi’s departure to Al-Hilal. The appointment of the Romanian sparked skepticism. His only previous experience as a senior team coach had been at Parma, in 13 Serie A matches.

However, Chivu exceeded all expectations. Inter won its 21st Serie A championship title. It then defeated Lazio to also win the Italian Cup. 

Chivu has also won three league titles with Inter as a player, along with his success as a coach, equaling that of Armando Castellazzi (1937/38), who had won a league title as a player as well (1929/30), while the legendary Virgilio Fossati won the first championship as player-coach.

Chivu also became the fifth coach in Inter’s history to win the Scudetto in his first season with the Nerazzurri. The Romanian is the second coach to have won the Scudetto both with the first team and with the Primavera squad (2022). He is the first to have won the Scudetto in every role he has had at Inter, as a player, youth coach, and senior team coach, being also the only one who has achieved the double both as a player and as a coach.

For his role, Italian sports magazine Gazzetta dello Sport nicknamed the Romanian coach “Magical Chivu.” 

“FC Internazionale Milano is pleased to confirm the contract extension of head coach Cristian Chivu. Coach Chivu will remain at the helm of the Nerazzurri team until 2028,” the club stated in a press release.

The contract comes with a salary increase. According to the Italian press, the coach will receive roughly EUR 3 million net per year. 

Chivu’s next apparent goal is to take the team to the next level in Europe. Last season, the team was embarrassingly eliminated from the Champions League by Bodo/Glimt, a lower-ranked Norwegian team.

radu@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: Inter on Instagram)