Inter Milan coach Christian Chivu was an important player for his country during his professional career. The 40-year-old represented Romania for over a decade though his generation was unable to hit the heights reached by the Gheorghe Hagi generation. Hagi was the main player for Romania as they reached the quarterfinals at the FIFA World Cup tournament in the United States of America.
Christian Chivu and his generation of Romania players were not able to qualify for the FIFA World Cup tournament during his playing career with the national team. However, they were part of two European Championships. Christian Chivu was part of the team that represented Romania at the 2000 edition of the European Championships and at the 2008 edition of the European Championships.
Christian Chivu played 75 times for Romania between 1999 and 2010, scoring three times in the process. Christian Chivu was largely inexperienced when he made his tournament bow for the Romania senior team at the 2000 European Championships. He had played just four times before Euro 2000. Christian Chivuplayed all the four Romania games at the tournament and also scored his first goal for his nation during the same tournament. He impressed as an holding midfield player for Romania at the 2008 European Championships eventually won by the Spanish team. Spain saw off Germany in the final to end their wait for a major trophy. They had waited for over four decades.