Cristian Eugen Chivu (Romanian pronunciation: [kristiˈan ˈkivu]) (born 26 October 1980 in Reșița) is a former Romanian footballer. He usually played left back, but preferred playing centre back.He began his career at his hometown club FCM Reșița before moving to Universitatea Craiova in 1998, leaving Romania to join Dutch club Ajax a season later. His performances as captain at Ajax inspired an €18 million transfer to Roma in 2003.