Romaric (footballer) facts for kids
Romaric with Sevilla in 2010
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 4 June 1983 | ||
| Place of birth | Abidjan, Ivory Coast | ||
| Height | 1.87 m | ||
| Playing position | Midfielder | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | AFAD Djékanou (manager) | ||
| Youth career | |||
| ASEC Mimosas | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2001–2003 | ASEC Mimosas | ||
| 2003–2005 | Beveren | 44 | (18) |
| 2005–2008 | Le Mans | 89 | (7) |
| 2008–2012 | Sevilla | 81 | (3) |
| 2011–2012 | → Espanyol (loan) | 28 | (3) |
| 2012–2013 | Zaragoza | 12 | (0) |
| 2013–2015 | Bastia | 60 | (4) |
| 2015–2016 | Omonia | 30 | (0) |
| 2016 | NorthEast United | 12 | (2) |
| Total | 356 | (37) | |
| National team | |||
| 2005–2013 | Ivory Coast | 44 | (4) |
| Teams managed | |||
| 2022– | AFAD Djékanou | ||
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Koffi Christian Romaric N'Dri (born 4 June 1983), known as Romaric, is a former professional footballer from Ivory Coast. He played as a midfielder and could play in different positions in the middle of the field. Today, he is a football manager for the Ligue 1 club AFAD Djékanou.
Romaric played football in six different countries. He spent most of his career in France and Spain. In France, he played 149 games in Ligue 1 for Le Mans and Bastia. In Spain, he played 121 games in La Liga for Sevilla, Espanyol, and Zaragoza.
He also played for the Ivory Coast for eight years. During this time, he went to two World Cups and three Africa Cup of Nations tournaments. His team finished second in the 2008 tournament.
Contents
Romaric's Football Journey
Starting Out: Early Years
Romaric was born in Abidjan, a city in the Ivory Coast. He began his football journey at a famous youth academy called ASEC Mimosas in his hometown. In 2003, he moved to Europe to play for K.S.K. Beveren in Belgium.
In his second season in Belgium (2004–2005), he had a great year. He scored 13 goals in 32 games. Even though he scored many goals, his team barely avoided being moved down to a lower league.
Playing in France: Le Mans
In May 2005, Romaric joined the French club Le Mans UC72. Soon after, in August, he was in a serious car accident. He broke his collarbone and hit his head.
But Romaric recovered quickly from his injuries. He became a key player in the team's starting lineup. In the 2006–2007 season, he scored five goals in 35 matches. Le Mans stayed in Ligue 1 easily, finishing 12th. In his last season with Le Mans (2007–2008), he played alongside his friend Gervinho, who was also a former teammate at Beveren.
Playing in Spain: Sevilla
On 21 May 2008, Romaric signed a four-year contract with Sevilla FC in Spain. The transfer fee was about €8 to €10 million. He joined his countryman Arouna Koné at the club. He scored his first goal in La Liga on 7 December, helping Sevilla win 4–3 against Real Madrid. In his first season (2008–2009), he played 36 matches and helped Sevilla finish third in the league.
Later, another Ivorian midfielder, Didier Zokora, joined the team. This meant Romaric played less often. In January 2010, he scored a goal in a home game against Racing de Santander, but Sevilla lost 2–1.
At the end of the 2011 summer transfer window, Romaric went on loan to another Spanish team, RCD Espanyol. The agreement included an option for Espanyol to buy him permanently.
Later Career Clubs
On 26 July 2012, Romaric left Sevilla and signed a two-year deal with Real Zaragoza. His former manager, Manolo Jiménez, was also at Zaragoza. He played only 14 matches for Zaragoza. The team was moved down to a lower league at the end of the 2012–2013 season.
Romaric returned to France on 1 August 2013, joining SC Bastia for two years. He played in the first four matches of Bastia's 2014–15 Coupe de la Ligue campaign. However, he was a substitute and did not play in the final, which Bastia lost 4–0 to Paris Saint-Germain.
After leaving Bastia, he joined AC Omonia in Cyprus on 10 September 2015. His team reached the final of the Cypriot Cup but lost 2–1.
On 14 August 2016, Romaric moved to India. He joined NorthEast United FC for the upcoming season of the Indian Super League.
Playing for His Country: Ivory Coast
Romaric first played for the Ivory Coast on 17 August 2005. It was a friendly game against France, which Ivory Coast lost 3–0. He was chosen to be part of the squad for the 2006 FIFA World Cup. There, he played in a group stage game against the Netherlands, which Ivory Coast lost 2–1.
Romaric also played for the "Elephants" (the nickname for the Ivory Coast team) in the 2006 Africa Cup of Nations. His team finished second after losing to hosts Egypt in the final. He scored his first goal for his country on 29 March 2009. It was just 28 seconds into the game against Malawi, which Ivory Coast won 5–0. This game was part of the qualifiers for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Sadly, the celebration was overshadowed by a crowd incident where many people were hurt.
Romaric was also selected for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. He played in all the group stage games. He scored a goal against North Korea in a 3–0 win. However, he was not part of the squad for the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations, where Ivory Coast finished second again.
International Goals for Ivory Coast
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 29 March 2009 | Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso |  Malawi |
1–0 | 5–0 | 2010 World Cup qualification |
| 2. | 7 June 2009 | Conakry, Guinea |  Guinea |
2–1 | 2–1 | 2010 World Cup qualification |
| 3. | 25 June 2010 | Nelspruit, South Africa |  North Korea |
2–0 | 3–0 | 2010 FIFA World Cup |
| 4. | 9 October 2010 | Bujumbura, Burundi |  Burundi |
1–0 | 1–0 | 2012 Africa Cup of Nations qualification |
Romaric's Coaching Career
In November 2017, Romaric became an assistant coach at his old club, ASEC Mimosas. He was in charge of their reserve team until September 2020.
In 2021, Romaric became the manager for Zoman FC, a team in the Ivorian third division. In his first season, he helped them get promoted to the second division.
In March 2022, Romaric was appointed manager for AFAD Djekanou, a team in the top Ivorian league, Ligue 1.
Awards and Achievements
Sevilla
- Copa del Rey: 2009–10 (Winner)
- Supercopa de España runner-up: 2010 (Second Place)
Ivory Coast
- Africa Cup of Nations runner-up: 2006 (Second Place)
See also
In Spanish: Romaric para niños
