BUCHAREST, May 30 (Reuters) - Ajax defender Cristian Chivu will captain Romania for two World Cup qualifiers next week and can stake his claim to be Gheorghe Hagi's long-term replacement, Romania's coach said on Wednesday.
'Chivu will be captain,' Ladislau Boloni said. 'I'm confident that this nomination will be for the long term.' Chivu, 20, is the fifth player named to lead the side since Hagi's international career ended last summer, and his attacking style has made him one of the young stars in a squad struggling to rebuild.
'It doesn't matter who is the captain,' Chivu said. 'The captain has to show his quality by building the group around him and pushing team mates towards victory.'
Chivu admits it will be impossible to match the influence of Hagi, who captained Romania 86 times and was the inspiration behind the team's successes in the 1990s.
'Hagi was unique,' Chivu said. 'I don't think another player could do the same for Romania's team as Hagi did.'
Romania face Hungary at home on June 2, then travel to Lithuania four days later.
They are second in group eight, seven points behind leaders Italy and one ahead of third placed Hungary.
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