Cristian Chivu will return to the Stadio Olimpico on Saturday as a coach, carrying a history with Roma that has never been entirely ordinary. His second visit to the ground from the dugout comes after years in which admiration, resentment and eventual distance shaped his relationship with the Giallorossi public.
Chivu’s return to an old Roman story
SEO Title: Cristian Chivu returns to Roma’s Olimpico with a complicated past
SEO Description: Cristian Chivu returns to the Stadio Olimpico as a coach, revisiting the long and difficult history that followed his departure from Roma for Inter in 2007.
Chivu returns to the Olimpico as coach
Roma gave Chivu four important seasons under Fabio Capello and Luciano Spalletti, years that helped establish the Romanian defender before his Inter career brought the 2010 Treble. Yet his 2007 departure for the Nerazzurri left a lasting wound among supporters in the capital.
When he was introduced as an Inter player at the Stadio Flaminio, he was met by hostile chants. At 27, Chivu took the field without responding despite the abuse directed at him. The tension had begun well before his move north.
In November 2005, following Roma’s 1-1 UEFA Cup group-stage draw with Strasbourg, Chivu had spoken warmly about Capello, who had already been Juventus coach for more than a year. The defender said Capello had brought him to Roma and would always have his gratitude, adding that he would welcome the chance to work with him again.
He also stressed that he still had two and a half years left on his Roma deal, while recognising that football decisions were not always made by players. The remarks were poorly received by sections of the Giallorossi support. A few weeks later, on his return to the starting side after missing the Fiorentina match, Chivu was whistled throughout the game at the Olimpico.
The experience affected him deeply enough that he sought help from a psychologist. Once he had joined Inter, his matches against Roma in the capital remained fraught, with Chivu arriving at the stadium under escort.
The 2010 cup final and an apology
The most difficult moment came on 5 May 2010, when Inter beat Roma in the Coppa Italia final. After a match in which he had been jeered and insulted, Chivu responded towards the stands with an obscene gesture, including a raised middle finger.
He was referred for disciplinary action and later accepted responsibility. Chivu said there were many reasons he could have offered to explain an instinctive reaction, but that making a mistake required an apology.
That season contained far more than the dispute with Roma. Earlier in the campaign, Chivu had suffered a serious collision with Sergio Pellissier, an incident that put his life at risk. He nevertheless returned to finish the year as an Italian and European champion with Inter, completing the Treble.
A different place in the championship
Saturday’s return will not erase the memories of the past, and some whistles may still greet him at the Olimpico. But Chivu now arrives in a different role and at a different stage of his career, with even the regret over that 2010 gesture part of a story that has gradually moved further into the background.
