Vlad Chiriches has not had an easy time of things at club level with either Tottenham Hotspur or Napoli, but that has no bearing on his influence for Romania. He was a powerful presence throughout the Euro 2016 qualifiers and travels to France as one of the team’s undisputed leaders, aiming to cause a surprise with the national team while proving his critics wrong.
This first appearance at a major international tournament will be the biggest test of Chiriches’ career. We may finally find out if he is capable of fulfilling his immense potential at last. Those inside the camp are certain he can, as Romania look to achieve their goal of reaching the knock-out phase. “Chiriches’ role is fundamental,” believes the manager, Anghel Iordanescu, although the 26-year-old does not want to place too much pressure on his own shoulders. “The generation I’m part of has an asset – the unity inside the group,” he says. “I’m not one for making statements; I just need to stay focused. It would be a mistake to think of anything other than my game.”
His impact in the Premier League and, latterly, Serie A might not have been the most positive – Chiriches has started just 18 league games in the last two seasons – but he has retained his aura in the national team. Romania’s defence is their selling point; they conceded just twice during the qualifying campaign, fewer than anyone else, and the commanding centre-back was at the heart of that achievement.
Perhaps it helps that Chiriches is used to getting straight back up after being hit. He spent a season as a youth player at Benfica but was forced to return home after a series of bad injuries, at one point fearing that his career would not get off the ground.
“I was afraid football was over for me,” Chiriches says. “But I went down to the second division, put the effort in and gave my all to return to the level I was at before. God helped me with my every decision. I was training with Benfica’s first team and then two injuries ended everything for me – but that didn’t destroy me.”
He might not have managed it without the motivating presence of one family member. “My mother was very important – she helped me a lot and said I would come back,” he says. “And it was exactly as she said. I owe her a lot. She was the one who insisted I took my school studies seriously too, and I was very good in maths and history.”
Football was always the ambition though, even if it took time to settle into life as a central defender. “I was a left midfielder when I was a kid,” he explains. “I started when I was eight, then I left home for good at 14. That’s the sacrifice I had to make as a kid in order to become a professional. I had nothing guaranteed; I was only a child with a dream. I had to live away from my family and that hurt, but it was worth it.”
Chiriches’ fall from grace at Tottenham was sudden. He went from being man of the match in a 2-1 win at Old Trafford on 1 January 2014 to backup status in under six months. A back injury did not help; nor did a change of managers at his club and perhaps video footage of him falling over, seemingly drunk, in the snow back in his homeland did not count in his favour either. Whatever the cause, he fell out of favour and never hit the same heights again.
“I wasn’t playing, so I wasn’t happy,” he says. The defender’s subsequent move to the right side of the defence did not help and he made just three appearances for Tottenham in the second half of the 2014-15 season – although it did not harm his position in the Romania team.
“The national team gave me so much,” he says. “It is all about the pride and joy you feel when you play for your country. It’s always immense to be among those selected and I enjoy every minute of it. Being here helped me stay focused and our results gave great satisfaction.”
Chiriches can expect to wear the captain’s armband in Paris on 10 June when Romania open the tournament against host nation France. The Romania dressing room is abuzz with delight rather than fear.
“France will be tough and playing at home makes them even tougher,” he says. “I’m dreaming of making a historical performance, but I know how difficult this will be. We are fighting for our country and for our dreams, and nobody can take that away.”
Chiriches’ central defensive partnership with Dragos Grigore has been the bedrock of Iordanescu’s team throughout qualifying. When he arrived in the Premier League, Chiriches was known for his ability to come out of defence with the ball. He was forced to adapt his style in England and such forays were rarely seen; there are no such restrictions in the national team, though, and his offensive raids often launch dangerous attacks.
Despite Chiriches’ enthusiasm for marauding upfield, Romania’s current style of play rarely demonstrates a great appetite for attacking. They put on an encouraging performance in a 0-0 draw with Spain in March, though, and that served as a spectacular confidence boost for players and fans alike. Against the reigning European champions, Iordanescu’s men put on an electric display and would not have been flattered by a win.
“The generation I’m part of made it to France thanks to a major collective effort,” says Chiriches. “It guided us throughout the qualifying campaign, and this unity is our main asset. I hope it helps us now, as it has done so far. Going to France for the final tournament cannot be compared to anything else, and we hope to do things the right way. A good performance could help provide a new perspective on Romania as a nation.”
At his best, Chiriches might just help make that happen. His £8.5m move to Tottenham from Steaua Bucharest in 2013 set a Romanian league transfer record with his skill, use of the ball and comfort in possession setting a new standard for centre-backs in the country. He scored spectacular goals against Ajax and Molde in the Europa League, while his elegance and creativity were such that Steaua changed their tactics to allow him the freedom his talent merited.
Now he goes to Euro 2016 with the aim of showing the world a new version of Romanian brilliance – perhaps not the same kind which the likes of Gheorghe Hagi, Adrian Ilie, Dan Petrescu or Adrian Mutu displayed, but one based on a collective strength that could be the envy of its peers.
“These are the occasions that make you fall in love with football,” he says. “I can’t wait for the tournament to begin. Down there, on the pitch, the joy of playing will be huge for all of us. We’ll have an entire nation behind us, we’ll all be Romania and if we stay together we are capable of doing big things – trust me.”
Emanuel Rosu writes for sport.ro.
For a tactical analysis of Romania click here.
The secrets behind the other squad members
Costel Pantilimon
The Watford goalkeeper’s parents, who worked at an aeroplane factory in the city of Bacau, are both deaf. They first took their son to play with the family’s football team when he was six. “At the age of eight or nine, my father told me I should be a goalkeeper, because I am pretty tall and it should be easier,” Pantililon remembers. He now stands at 6ft 8in. After becoming a professional, he always made sure to send money to his parents and still goes on holiday with them sometimes. Pantilimon’s father rarely attends his matches but brought good luck when he did, seeing Poli Timisoara beat Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League third qualifying round in 2009. “I thank my parents for all they did and still do for me,” he says. “The fact that they are deaf has never affected me at all. When I am away, we keep in touch by SMS and via the internet.”
Gabriel Torje
Born in Timisoara, Torje was brought into the local top-flight team by Gheorghe Hagi, the coach at the time, who saw big potential in the 16-year-old. He then signed for one of Timisoara’s big rivals, Dinamo Bucharest, who bragged at the time: “We got their heart.” A few years later he caused controversy when caught on camera at a party singing a song in support of Dinamo’s fierce city rivals, Steaua, which went: “Steaua is the only one, all the world should know this.” To confuse matters further he then cried when Dinamo lost a cup final to Steaua, causing the Steaua fans to devise a song along the lines of “Cry, Torje, cry.” He is not into electronic football games like Fifa, but does play a lot of Call of Duty on his computer.
Razvan Rat
Rat is an avid wine collector, a hobby he began while playing for Shakhtar Donetsk in Ukraine – where he met his wife, too. He grew up in a small Romanian town, Piatra-Olt, where he watched the country’s legendary 1994 World Cup campaign at his neighbours’ house because his family did not have a television. These days, he loves fast cars and owns two Ferraris.
Nicolae Stanciu
Stanciu is the national team’s newest star – but doesn’t like it if you call him “Nicusor”, which is a diminutive of Nicolae. When he returned home from his first ever game of football as a boy he was upset, complaining: “Nobody passes to me.” At home, he helped his parents work in agriculture. “We didn’t take him in order to work, but just so that he wasn’t left alone. He always ran off to play football, though,” remembers his mother. Indeed, sometimes Stanciu left home at 6am, took a 15km bus ride to the nearest city, and returned at 9pm. He asked for his bedroom to be painted in red and blue with the logo of his favourite team Steaua – for whom he now plays. In the past, he was passionate about fruit machines and sports betting.
Lucian Lipovan writes for sport.ro.
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