"Thank you, thank you very much," Mitea begins when we congratulate him at the start of our conversation. "Time flies, doesn’t it? Yesterday, I arrived at Ajax as an 18-year-old, and today I’m already 40 years old." The Romanian lives in Bucharest and has an eight-year-old daughter. "I take it easy, live a relaxed life, and spend a lot of time with my daughter."
Life after football
Mitea has retired from professional football for more than ten years and has barely worked in the sport since. "I have been asked several times to coach children, but now, I don’t see myself doing that yet. Sometimes, I talk about football on Romanian television, but I’ve only been doing that for a few years. Especially in the beginning, I kept a very low profile after my career. I didn’t do interviews and wanted to stay out of the media."
"The media in Romania cannot be compared to the Netherlands," he continues in excellent English. "Here, they also talk about your private life, which went too far for me."
The winger joined Ajax from FC Dinamo in 2003, took the reverse path in 2008, and retired from football in early 2014. He admits that he misses professional football. "That time was great," he says calmly. "Now that I have stopped, I find it difficult to find something I enjoy just as much. Of course, talking about football is nice, but being on the field is the most beautiful thing there is. I find it hard to accept that."
Time in Amsterdam
When we ask him to reflect on his early period in Amsterdam, he is honest about the differences between his home country and the Netherlands. "Ajax cannot be compared to any other club I have played for: the club and the people were so good to me. I learned so much from the mentality there, which is completely different from Romania. But I love Romania, you know. I was born here, and it’s my country."
Under the leadership of Ronald Koeman, Ajax won the national title in Mitea’s first season. That season, the Romanian played 23 league matches, scored seven goals, and played a significant role in the team’s success. "Amazing," he says, his enthusiasm growing. "I played with fantastic players: Zlatan, Nigel de Jong, Rafael van der Vaart, Wesley Sneijder, Maarten Stekelenburg. It was an incredible period because I had expected a much more difficult start."
Assist to 'Raffie'
One moment that will always be associated with Mitea is his assist for Van der Vaart’s backheel goal in the Klassieker at the end of 2003. The Romanian starts smiling. "Yes, of course. I still see that moment often." Before we can ask him about another great moment, he brings it up himself. "But my goal against PSV later that season was much more important," he says, referring to his 2-1 goal against the team from Eindhoven. "I had just come on as a substitute, scored the winner, and that helped us become champions. It is by far my most important goal in an Ajax shirt."
Love for Ajax
"I'll be honest: I sometimes dream that I'm back in that time and on the field again," the sincere former Ajacied continues. "That happiness is really in my brain, I think. The club and the people are truly in my heart for the rest of my life. I miss my house in Ouderkerk and all my colleagues. That was such a wonderful time, and I only realise it now. People in Romania often remind me of that time, which I really appreciate and find flattering. Ajax changed my life, I dare to say."
As he pauses for a moment, seemingly reflecting on his time in Amsterdam, he asks about Krol. "Do you know anything about him? He was like a father to me." He is reassured when he hears about Krol’s appearance at the anniversary match against AZ. "That’s good. I am so grateful to him; he always ensured I was strong. He said, ‘Niki, you are a diamond, but take good care of yourself because diamonds are fragile. If they break, they are worth nothing.’ I loved him as I loved my family."
The conversation comes to an end. "I hope Ajax continues to do well, win against PSV on Sunday, and becomes champions. Besides that, I would love to come to Amsterdam in the future and see the people from my time again."
