Official: Chivu signs new Inter contract until 2028

Inter have officially announced that head coach Cristian Chivu has put pen to paper on a new contract extension, which will tie the Romanian to the club until the summer of 2028.

Chivu’s contract extension comes as a reward after a remarkable first season in charge, guiding the Nerazzurri to a Serie A and Coppa Italia double in what was the 45-year-old’s first full season as a head coach.

Chivu spent the final seven years of his playing career in San Siro and held coaching roles with Inter’s U14s, U17s, U18s and the Primavera side before taking charge of Parma in the second half of the 2024-25 campaign.

Chivu was then brought back to Inter following the departure of Simone Inzaghi at the end of the 2024-25 season and ended up guiding the Nerazzurri to both the Coppa Italia trophy and the Scudetto in 2025-26.

Chivu’s previous contract had been due to expire next year, in the summer of 2027.

“FC Internazionale Milano is delighted to confirm the contract extension of head coach Cristian Chivu. Thanks to the contract renewal, Coach Chivu will stay in charge of the Nerazzurri until 2028,” read a statement on the club website.

“Cristian Chivu’s story is truly unique: it’s a story defined by passion and sacrifice, it’s a tale of memorable and defining moments. It’s a story entrenched in Nerazzurri colours, with the Club there at every stage of the coach’s life, as was the case when Chivu was appointed Inter head coach on 9 June 2025.

“Since then, Cristian has been on the touchlines for Inter for 58 matches in an intense and demanding season that proved unforgettable as the months went by. The coach won a historic double featuring Inter’s 21st Scudetto, the Club’s tenth Coppa Italia. These were victories from a special team built under the Romanian coach, who was also recognised as Serie A Coach of the Season for 2025/26.

“Pride, loyalty, and passion for Inter: these were Chivu’s words to introduce himself to the Nerazzurri family at the start of his third stint with Inter. Words that served as a mantra, guiding his daily work with the squad and building the foundations for a triumphant season.

“They are also values he recognised in his players, the core of a special team that went on to achieve remarkable success. Chivu has always allowed his team to be recognised for their merits, stepping back to let them have their moments to shine, even in the most celebratory moments.

“These include the Coppa Italia ceremony in Rome, when he left the stage to the players, and at San Siro during the Serie A trophy celebration, when his players had to encourage him to lift the trophy with captain Lautaro Martinez. Perhaps the most special recognition of all: a group that truly views Chivu as their leader and guide.

“He’s a coach who can read every moment, a master who has passed on the values of Inter passion, a tradition long carried forward by a group that has consistently raised the profile of the Nerazzurri colours over the years.

“This has been a key part of Inter’s journey, a factor that has given the players self-belief and allowed them to pick themselves back up after they were knocked down, a driving force ready to propel the team towards new challenges and new goals: from the Champions League to the league title, via the Coppa Italia and the Italian Super Cup.

“This season has also seen the Romanian coach set several records: Chivu won the Scudetto as a coach after winning three league titles as a player, a feat achieved only by Armando Castellazzi in 1937/38, after winning in midfield for Inter’s 1929/30 Scudetto, while the legendary Virgilio Fossati had won as player-manager of the first championship in Nerazzurri history.

“That’s not all, Chivu is also the fifth Inter coach in history to win Serie A in his first season, after Árpad Weisz (1929/30), Alfredo Foni (1952/53), Giovanni Invernizzi (1970/71), and Jose Mourinho (2008/09). Chivu’s records extent to more than this as he is the second coach to win Serie A with both the first team and the Primavera side, having previously won with Inter’s youth squad in 2022.

“Alongside him, only Invernizzi had accomplished this, who, as well as the 1971 title, also won three Primavera tournaments in 1964, 1966, and 1969. Chivu is therefore the first to win the Scudetto across all three of his Nerazzurri ‘lives’. With the addition of the Coppa Italia, he has once again rewritten the record books, becoming the only figure in Inter history to win both competitions in the same season as both player and coach.