Romero made his debut withRacing Club in the Argentine Primera División in 2007 and then transferred to Dutch clubAZ Alkmaar at the end of the season. He won theEredivisie in 2009, and two years later joined Italian sideSampdoria. In 2013, Romero joinedMonaco on a season-long loan. He signed forManchester United in July 2015, largely serving as backup toDavid de Gea but playing in a series of important matches for the club. Romero was the starting goalkeeper through Manchester United's2016–17 UEFA Europa League run, playing in theFinal and keeping a clean sheet as the club defeatedAjax to win a fifth major European trophy in their history. He made 61 appearances for United across six seasons in total, later returning to Argentina with Boca Juniors in 2022, where he won the Argentine Primera División.
Romero is the most capped goalkeeper in the history of the Argentina national team,[6] playing over 90 times since his debut in 2009. He has represented Argentina at twoWorld Cups and at threeCopa América tournaments, finishing as runner-up in the2014 FIFA World Cup, as well as in the2015 and2016 Copa América tournaments. He also was part of the team that won gold at the2008 Olympics.
Romero passed from the youth to the first team of -Racing Club in 2006, making his debut in theArgentine Primera División.[8] Romero appeared in the substitute bench throughout the 2005 season.[7] Throughout the 2006 season, he continued to be in the substitute bench. Despite this, he signed his first professional contract with the club.[7]
In the 2007 season, Romero found himself competing the first-choice goalkeeper role withJosé Luis Martínez Gullotta.[9] Romero made his Racing Club debut of Matchday 1 ofTorneo Apertura, in a 1–1 draw againstNueva Chicago.[10] However, in the following match, Romero lost his first-choice goalkeeper role toGustavo Campagnuolo and spent two months on the sidelines.[11] Weeks after signing for AZ when he moved in the summer, Romero made his first appearance in two months on 14 April 2007 againstColón, in a 1–1 draw; followed up by another appearance on 22 April 2007, in a 3–3 draw againstBelgrano.[12][13] After Campagnuolo suffered an injury, Romero made his last appearance for the club on 17 June 2007, in a 4–2 win overGodoy Cruz.[14][15]
It was announced on 24 March 2007 that Romero signed forAZ Alkmaar, who were managed byLouis van Gaal when he joined the club on 1 July.[16] There, Romero was expected to fight for the first-choice goalkeeper role withBoy Waterman.[17]
After an injury to Waterman, Romero made hisEredivisie debut on 30 September 2007 againstHeracles Almelo, during which he conceded a penalty, and AZ lost 2–1.[18] In his second match of the season againstTwente on 23 February 2008 he kept his first clean sheet for the side, in a 0–0 draw.[19] From that moment on, Romero became a regular in the team, with AZ finishing 11th.
In2008–09, Romero established himself as first-choice goalkeeper at AZ following the departure of Waterman toDen Haag.[20] Romero kept a 950-minuteclean sheet for AZ from November 2008 to February 2009.[21][22] While keeping a clean sheet Romero signed a new contract with the club, keeping him there until 2012.[23] On 5 March 2009 in the quarterfinals of theKNVB Cup he made a mistake which allowedBreda'sNourdin Boukhari to score, as AZ were beaten 2–1. After the defeat, he broke the bones in his hand by punching the door and walls of his team's changing room in frustration, an injury which ruled him out of the team at a crucial stage of the season.[24] While on the side-lines, AZ won theEredivisie in the 2008–09 season.[25] He returned on 26 April 2009 afterJoey Didulica was injured in a clash withLuis Suárez, playing 16 minutes of a 1–1 draw againstAjax.[26] Romero ended the 2008–09 season having made 31 appearances in all competitions.
The 2009–10 season marked the departure of Van Gaal toBayern Munich. Romero was linked with a move away from AZ, withJuventus and Bayern Munich keen on signing him, but stayed at the club throughout the summer.[27][28] Romero started the season well in theJohan Cruyff Shield, when he helped AZ win 5–1 againstHeerenveen to win the title.[29] Continuing to be first-choice goalkeeper, Romero made hisUEFA Champions League debut on Matchday 1 of the Group Stage in a 0–1 loss againstOlympiacos.[30] However, a week later, he suffered a knee injury that side-lined him for a week.[31] A week later on 3 October 2009 he returned to the first team from injury in a 1–0 win over Breda.[32] Later in the season Romero suffered a further injury which caused him to be substituted in the first half of a 1–0 win overSparta Rotterdam on 21 March 2010.[33] It was announced that this injury would rule Romero out for the remainder of the season, putting his place in the 2010 World Cup in doubt.[34] Despite his injuries, by the end of the 2009–10 season Romero had made 36 appearances in all competitions.
Romero missed the start of the season the 2010–11 season, due to international commitment and injury,[35][36] eventually making his first appearance of the season on 19 September 2010 in a 1–0 win overNEC.[37] Eleven days later, on 30 September 2010, Romero made hisUEFA Europa League debut in a 1–4 loss againstBATE Borisov in the Group Stage.[38] By February, Romero was out of the first team for the second time that season, due to international commitment[39] and ankle injury.[40] After spending a month on the side-lines, Romero returned to the first team on 2 April 2011 in a 1–0 win overFeyenoord.[41] At the end of the 2010–11 season, Romero had made 31 appearances in all competitions, helping AZ to 4th place in theleague and qualification into theEuropa League.
At the start of the 2011–12 season Romero was criticised by managerGertjan Verbeek for his unprofessional attitude, having failed to return to the club following the conclusion of2011 Copa América.[42] As a result, Romero was dropped from the AZ squad until the transfer window finished.[43] He later joined Sampdoria on 22 August 2011.[44]
Romero pictured during his time atSampdoria in 2012
On 22 August 2011, Romero was signed for €2.1 million on a 4-year contract[45][44] bySampdoria, which had been relegated the previous season toSerie B. Upon joining the club, Romero said his aim is to help the club reach promotion toSerie A.[46]
Romero made his debut four days later at home againstPadova in the opening match of the season, in a 2–2 draw.[47] Despite being a first team regular, Romero missed several matches by the first half of the season due to international commitment[48][49][50] as well as injury and suspension.[51][52] Romero managed to regain his first choice goalkeeper role until he suffered injuries around April.[53][54] The season ended with Sampdoria in sixth place, and after victories overSassuolo andVarese 1910 in the playoffs, which he played once, due to his own international commitment, they earned promotion toSerie A.[55][56] In his first season at Sampdoria, Romero finished his first season, making 30 appearances in all competitions.
In his second season at Sampdoria, Romero continued to remain a first choice goalkeeper this season following the injury of second choice goalkeeper,Angelo da Costa Júnior.[57] Romero then made his Serie A debut, in the opening match of the season, where he kept a clean sheet, in a 1–0 win overA.C. Milan.[58] However, in a match againstParma on 21 October 2012, Romero was sent-off in the 34th minute for conceding a penalty, in a 1–2 loss.[59] At the end of the 2012–13 season, Romero went on to make 33 appearances in all competitions despite appearing on the substitute for the last three remaining league matches amid to rumors of leaving the club.[60] However, this was denied by Romero, who stated that he is committed to stay at the club.[61][62]
For the2013–14 season, Romero was loaned toMonaco ofLigue 1.[63][64] Romero later reflected his move to Monaco, stating that he doesn't regret his choices.[65] Romero made his Monaco debut, in the third round of Coupe da La League, in a 0–1 loss againstStade de Reims on 30 October 2013.[66] It wasn't until on 12 April 2014 when he made his league debut, in a 1–0 win overRennes.[67] Second choice behindDanijel Subašić, he played three league matches as the team finished as runners-up toParis Saint-Germain, but was first choice in the cup competitions, playing six times.[68]
After his return to Sampdoria, he was most often the backup toEmiliano Viviano.[69] But following Viviano's injury, Romero had an opportunity when he made his first appearance on 19 October 2014, in a 2–2 draw againstCagliari.[70][71] Romero had a handful of first team opportunities playing throughout 2014 until Viviano return in early 2015.[72] In the January transfer window, Romero's lack of first team opportunities, prompted him to leave the club in January, but this never happened.[73] From that moment on, Romero returned as a second choice goalkeeper and never played again, as he appeared on the substitute bench, as well as, injury.[74] At the end of the 2014–15 season, Romero went on to make eleven appearances in all competitions.
Following this, Romero was released by the club at the end of the 2014–15 season when his contract came to an end, which he confirmed his release on 6 June 2015.[75] It came after when the club allowed Romero to leave the club at the end of the season.[76]
On 27 July 2015,Manchester United completed the signing of Romero on a free transfer. He penned a three-year contract, with the option to extend for a further year, and reunited with his former AZ manager Louis van Gaal.[77] Upon joining the club, Romero was given the number 20 shirt, saying: "There was a misunderstanding between myself and the manager, Van Gaal. He asked me what squad number I wanted, and I said 22. But he must have thought I'd said 21 because he told me if I wanted that number, I would have to go and speak withAnder Herrera. Anyway, it turned outNick Powell had recently changed to 22, so I just said that no.20 would do fine."[78]
WithDavid de Gea withdrawn from the squad amidst transfer speculation, andVíctor Valdés out of favour with manager Van Gaal, Romero made hisPremier League debut on 8 August 2015 as the season opened with a 1–0 victory againstTottenham Hotspur atOld Trafford.[79] His distribution was described as "nervy" but produced two crucial saves that helped United win the match.[80] He did not concede in his first three league matches for United.[81] After de Gea failed to leave the club in the summer he returned to the first team, which resulted in Romero becoming the second choice goalkeeper. Despite this, Romero was first choice in cup competitions.[82]
In his second season at Manchester United, Romero continued to be the first choice goalkeeper in cup competitions, including the club's Europa League campaign, which new managerJosé Mourinho explained that he deserved to play in.[83] Romero kept his first clean sheet of the season on 29 September 2016, in a 1–0 win overZorya Luhansk.[84] Romero's performance in a 4–0 win over Feyenoord was praised by pundits.[85] Following this, Romero kept three more clean sheets in the UEFA Europa League matches, in which he kept two in both legs againstSaint-Étienne.[86][87] In the second leg of a match againstRostov, Romero made a crucial save fromChristian Noboa's free-kick, which helped Manchester United progress to the next round.[88] Romero rejected a move back to his homeland withBoca Juniors in the January transfer window.[89] Romero played in the2017 Europa League final in which he kept a clean sheet in a 2–0 victory over Ajax.[90]
On 12 December 2019, during his 50th appearance for the club, he kept a clean sheet in a 4–0 victory over his former club AZ during a Europa League group stage match, bringing his total number of clean sheets to 31 in 50 matches, equating to 62% of his games for the club.[92]
After not featuring for the whole of the2020–21 season, on 4 June 2021, Romero was set to become a free agent due to the expiration of his contract, after Manchester United releasing a list of players who were being released at the end of June.[93] Throughout his 6 seasons with the club, mostly playing as the second fiddle to De Gea, and mainly as the goalkeeper for the cup matches, he played 61 matches in all competitions and kept 39 clean sheets.
On 8 August 2022, Romero returned to Argentina after 15 years playing in Europe, and signed a two-and-a-half-year contract withBoca Juniors.[95] On 6 June 2024, he extended his contract with the club until December 2025.[96]
Romero in action againstPortugal on 9 February 2011
Romero was called up to the full senior side by then coachDiego Maradona debuting on 9 September 2009 in a 0–12010 FIFA World Cup qualifying loss againstParaguay[103][104] and playing in the win againstUruguay in Montevideo that saw Argentina qualify for the2010 FIFA World Cup.[105] He played in all five of Argentina's World Cup matches which ended in the quarter-final defeat, during which Romero found himself competing for the first choice goalkeeper role withJuan Pablo Carrizo.[106]
Prior to the2010 FIFA World Cup, Romero's place in the World Cup was in doubt as result of suffering an injury, whilst at AZ.[34] But Romero managed recover from injury and was included in the squad.[107] Romero played his first World Cup match in the Group Stage againstNigeria, where he kept a clean sheet, in a 1–0 victory.[108] Romero continued to remain the first choice goalkeeper throughout the World Cup campaign until their elimination in a 0–4 loss againstGermany.[109]
Romero was Argentina's starting goalkeeper at the2014 FIFA World Cup despite lack of first team opportunities whilst at Monaco.[113][114] In thesemi-final, he earned himself Man of the Match[115] by saving kicks fromRon Vlaar andWesley Sneijder as Argentina defeated theNetherlands 4–2 in apenalty shoot-out to reach the2014 FIFA World Cup Final on 13 July, where they lost 0–1 to Germany.[116] On 11 July 2014, Romero was named on the three-man shortlist for FIFA'sGolden Glove award for the tournament's best goalkeeper due to his performances that led his team to the final.[117]
At the2015 Copa América, Romero saved fromJuan Camilo Zúñiga in the penalty shoot-out at the end of Argentina's goalless quarter-final againstColombia inViña del Mar; although three takers did not score their penalties, this was the only save.[118]
On 21 May 2018, Romero was named in Argentina's squad for the2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia by managerJorge Sampaoli, but was later ruled out of the tournament due to a knee injury suffered the day after the announcement.[119]
Despite being 6 feet 4 inches (1.93 m) tall, Romero is nicknamed "Chiquito" as he is relatively short compared to his brothers, in particular his professional basketball-playing brother Diego, who is 6 feet 9 inches (2.06 m) tall.[120]
He is married to fellow Argentine Eliana Guercio, they have four children together.
^"Germany 1–0 Argentina".FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. Archived fromthe original on 9 June 2014. Retrieved26 April 2019.
.jpg)
.JPG)
.jpg)
