Romanian former footballer Cristi Chivu entered the history of Romanian and Italian football after the team he coaches, Inter Milan, won the Serie A title on Sunday, May 3.

Inter won 2-0 against Parma at the San Siro stadium, securing its champion status. The team coached by Chivu scored through Marcus Thuram and Henrikh Mkhitaryan, the latter after a decisive assist from Lautaro Martínez, who had returned after injury. During its long history, Inter won the Italian title 20 times.

The success sparked massive celebrations in the northern Italian city, but also in Romania.

Cristi Chivu was appointed as Inter's head coach in June 2025. He is now the first Romanian coach to win the title in one of Europe’s five major leagues (England, Spain, Italy, Germany, France) and the 17th foreign coach to win Serie A, according to G4Media.

Previously, Chivu won the Italian title as a player with Inter. In total, Chivu won three titles with the Milan club in 2008, 2009, and 2010 as a footballer. The Romanian becomes only the second person in the club’s history to win the title as a player and as a coach, after Armando Castellazzi. 

After the win against Parma, the players and fans went to Piazza del Duomo in central Italy, where they celebrated with Marius Cercel’s well-known track “Suntem made in Romania.” Although the song is Romanian, it has no connection to Chivu. The song was brought into the team’s locker room by Turkish player Hakan Calhanoglu.

The Romanian coach emphasized the merit of the players and his predecessors after a difficult season. “A season is a marathon: in the end, whoever collects the most points wins, and, fortunately, we succeeded, accepting defeats but being able to react. We did it. Between January and February, we won 14 out of 14 matches, and then we understood. We also got past the Champions League elimination and the derby defeat, but we remained standing with dignity,” he said.

The coach also said he is looking forward to the upcoming Italian Cup final with Lazio, scheduled for May 13. He also avoided taking the credit for the win. “Maybe in a month, I will be questioned. We must accept that with a smile and with the awareness that we are doing everything we can,” Chivu said.

For his role, Italian sports magazine Gazzetta dello Sport nicknamed the Romanian coach “Magical Chivu.” The same source said that Inter will soon extend Chivu’s contract. Chivu’s current contract with Inter is valid until the summer of 2027. It will be extended until 2028, with the possibility of extending it to 2029. He will also receive a salary reportedly doubled to EUR 5 million.

Cristian Chivu’s achievement was also marked by Romanian prime minister Ilie Bolojan, who congratulated the coach in a message on Facebook.

radu@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: Inter on Facebook)