Cristian Chivu: Difference between revisions

At Ajax, Chivu developed a reputation as a reliable fullback and a free-kick specialist. Then-manager [[Ronald Koeman]] appointed him as captain of the club. With Chivu as captain, Ajax dominated the Dutch [[Eredivisie]] with an exciting young squad. Playing alongside Chivu were future stars such as [[Rafael van der Vaart]], [[Wesley Sneijder]], [[Johnny Heitinga]], [[Zlatan Ibrahimović]], [[Steven Pienaar]] and [[Maxwell (footballer, born 1981)|Maxwell]]. Chivu played a pivotal role for Ajax in their [[UEFA Champions League]] run in the [[2002–03 UEFA Champions League|2002–03 season]], when they came to within a minute of the semi-finals. That season, Chivu was in a quintet of Ajax players – himself, Zlatan Ibrahimović, Maxwell, Wesley Sneijder and [[Andy van der Meyde]] – who all went on to later join [[Inter Milan]].{{citation needed|date=December 2022}}