Sergio Romero facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Sergio Romero

Romero playing for Argentina in 2017
Personal information
Full name	Sergio Germán Romero
Date of birth	(1987-02-22) 22 February 1987 (age 38)
Place of birth	Bernardo de Irigoyen, Misiones, Argentina
Height	1.92 m
Playing position	Goalkeeper
Club information
Current club	Boca Juniors
Number	1
Youth career
1996–1997	Almirante Brown
1997–2003	CAI
2003–2006	Racing Club
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
2006–2007	Racing Club	4	(0)
2007–2011	AZ	90	(0)
2011–2015	Sampdoria	71	(0)
2013–2014	→ Monaco (loan)	3	(0)
2015–2021	Manchester United	7	(0)
2021–2022	Venezia	16	(0)
2022–	Boca Juniors	61	(0)
National team
2007–2008	Argentina U20	23	(0)
2008	Argentina Olympic	4	(0)
2008–2018	Argentina	96	(0)
Honours Men's Football Representing  Argentina FIFA U-20 World Cup Winner 2007 Canada Olympic Games Gold 2008 Beijing Team FIFA World Cup Runner-up 2014 Brazil Copa América Runner-up 2015 Chile Runner-up 2016 United States
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 18:50, 10 January 2025 (UTC). † Appearances (Goals).

Sergio Germán "Chiquito" Romero (born 22 February 1987) is an Argentine professional footballer. He plays as a goalkeeper for Boca Juniors.

Romero started his career at Racing Club in Argentina. He then moved to the Dutch club AZ Alkmaar in 2007. He helped AZ win the Eredivisie league title in 2009. Later, he played for Sampdoria in Italy and Monaco in France.

In 2015, Romero joined Manchester United. He was a key player in their 2016-17 UEFA Europa League win. He played in the final and kept a clean sheet. After six seasons, he returned to Argentina to play for Boca Juniors in 2022. There, he won the Argentine Primera División.

Romero is the goalkeeper with the most appearances for the Argentina national team. He has played over 90 times since 2009. He played in two World Cups and three Copa América tournaments. He was part of the team that won a gold medal at the 2008 Olympics.

Club Career

Starting at Racing Club

Romero was born in Bernardo de Irigoyen, Misiones. He began playing football in youth teams like Almirante Brown and CAI. Later, he joined Racing Club.

He moved from the youth team to the main team at Racing Club in 2006. He made his first appearance in the Argentine Primera División. He signed his first professional contract with the club.

In 2007, Romero competed for the main goalkeeper spot. He made his debut in a 1–1 draw against Nueva Chicago. He played a few more games before moving to Europe.

Playing for AZ Alkmaar

Joining AZ in 2007

Sergio Romero with AZ in 2007

Romero signed with AZ Alkmaar in the Netherlands on July 1, 2007. He joined the club when Louis van Gaal was the manager. He aimed to become the team's main goalkeeper.

He made his Eredivisie debut on September 30, 2007. AZ lost that game 2–1. In his second match, he kept his first clean sheet for the team. This was a 0–0 draw against Twente. After this, Romero became a regular player for AZ.

Winning the League in 2009

In the 2008–09 season, Romero became AZ's first-choice goalkeeper. He kept a clean sheet for 950 minutes straight. This was from November 2008 to February 2009. During this time, he signed a new contract until 2012.

In March 2009, he got injured during a cup match. He hurt his hand in frustration after a loss. This injury kept him out of the team for a while. Even without him, AZ won the Eredivisie title that season. He returned to play in April 2009. He ended the season with 31 appearances.

Later Seasons at AZ

For the 2009–10 season, Louis van Gaal left AZ. Romero was linked with moves to other big clubs. However, he stayed at AZ. He helped AZ win the Johan Cruyff Shield 5–1.

He also made his UEFA Champions League debut that season. He suffered a knee injury in October 2009. Later, he had another injury in March 2010. Despite injuries, he played 36 games that season.

In 2010–11, Romero missed the start of the season due to international games and injury. He returned in September 2010. He also made his UEFA Europa League debut. He helped AZ finish 4th in the league.

Before the 2011–12 season, Romero was criticized by his manager. He didn't return to the club after the 2011 Copa América. Because of this, he was not part of the team. He then moved to Sampdoria in August 2011.

Time at Sampdoria

Joining Sampdoria in 2011

Romero pictured during his time at Sampdoria in 2012

On August 22, 2011, Romero joined Sampdoria for €2.1 million. Sampdoria had just been relegated to Serie B. Romero's goal was to help the team get promoted back to Serie A.

He made his debut four days later in a 2–2 draw. He was a regular player but missed some games due to international duties and injuries. Sampdoria finished sixth that season. They won their playoff games and earned promotion to Serie A. Romero played 30 games in his first season.

Playing in Serie A

In his second season, Romero remained the main goalkeeper. He made his Serie A debut with a clean sheet. This was a 1–0 win against A.C. Milan. In October 2012, he was sent off in a match against Parma.

He played 33 games that season. There were rumors he might leave the club. However, Romero said he wanted to stay at Sampdoria.

Loan to Monaco in 2013

Romero pictured before the Serie A match between Siena-Sampdoria on 20 January 2013

For the 2013–14 season, Romero was loaned to Monaco in France. He later said he did not regret this move. He made his Monaco debut in a cup game in October 2013.

He played his first league game in April 2014. He was the second-choice goalkeeper behind Danijel Subašić. Monaco finished second in the league. Romero played more in cup competitions.

Final Season at Sampdoria

After returning to Sampdoria, Romero was mostly a backup. He got a chance to play in October 2014 when the main goalkeeper was injured. He played a few games until the main goalkeeper returned.

He thought about leaving in January due to lack of playing time. But he stayed at the club. He made 11 appearances in his final season. His contract ended in June 2015, and he left the club.

Joining Manchester United

First Seasons at United

Romero and Paul Pogba ahead of a UEFA Europa League match against Feyenoord on 24 November 2016

On July 27, 2015, Romero joined Manchester United for free. He signed a three-year contract. He reunited with his former AZ manager, Louis van Gaal. He chose the number 20 shirt.

He made his Premier League debut on August 8, 2015. United won 1–0 against Tottenham Hotspur. He made important saves and kept clean sheets in his first three league games. When David de Gea returned, Romero became the second-choice goalkeeper. He mostly played in cup games.

Winning the Europa League in 2017

Romero during a Europa League match in March 2017

In his second season, Romero continued to be the main goalkeeper for cup games. Manager José Mourinho said Romero deserved to play in the Europa League. He kept his first clean sheet of the season in September 2016.

His performance against Feyenoord was highly praised. He kept three more clean sheets in the Europa League. He made a crucial save against Rostov. Romero turned down a move back to Argentina. He played in the 2017 Europa League final. He kept a clean sheet as United won 2–0 against Ajax.

Later Years at United

In July 2017, Romero extended his contract with Manchester United until 2021.

On December 12, 2019, he played his 50th game for the club. He kept a clean sheet in a 4–0 win against his old club AZ. This meant he had 31 clean sheets in 50 games.

He did not play any games in the 2020–21 season. On June 4, 2021, Romero left Manchester United. He played 61 games for the club over six seasons. He kept 39 clean sheets, mostly as a backup goalkeeper.

Playing for Venezia

On October 11, 2021, Venezia signed Romero for free. He played for them for one season.

Return to Boca Juniors

On August 8, 2022, Romero returned to Argentina. He signed a two-and-a-half-year contract with Boca Juniors. This was after 15 years of playing in Europe.

International Career

Youth Teams

Romero played for Argentina's youth teams. He was part of the team that won the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Canada.

He also played in the 2006 Toulon Tournament. Later, he joined the Argentina Olympic team. He replaced an injured player at the 2008 Summer Olympics. Argentina won the gold medal at these Olympics.

Senior National Team

Romero in action against Portugal on 9 February 2011

Romero was called up to the senior national team by coach Diego Maradona. He made his debut on September 9, 2009. This was in a World Cup qualifying loss against Paraguay. He then played in the win against Uruguay. This win helped Argentina qualify for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Before the 2010 FIFA World Cup, Romero's spot was uncertain due to an injury. But he recovered and was included in the squad. He played his first World Cup game against Nigeria, keeping a clean sheet. He remained the main goalkeeper until Argentina lost to Germany in the quarter-finals.

Romero was part of Argentina's Copa América squad. Argentina, the host nation, lost in the quarter-finals. Romero kept two clean sheets in that tournament. He continued to be the number one goalkeeper under new coach Alejandro Sabella.

Romero making a save during the 2014 FIFA World Cup Final

Romero was Argentina's starting goalkeeper at the 2014 FIFA World Cup. This was even though he didn't play much for Monaco. In the semi-final, he was named Man of the Match. He saved two penalties against the Netherlands. Argentina won 4–2 in a penalty shoot-out. This sent them to the 2014 FIFA World Cup Final. They lost 0–1 to Germany in the final. Romero was nominated for the Golden Glove award.

At the 2015 Copa América, Romero saved a penalty against Colombia. Argentina won the quarter-final penalty shoot-out.

In May 2018, Romero was chosen for Argentina's 2018 FIFA World Cup squad. However, he was later ruled out due to a knee injury.

Personal Life

Romero is 1.92 meters (6 feet 4 inches) tall. He is nicknamed "Chiquito," which means "little one." This is because he is shorter than his brothers. His brother Diego is a professional basketball player and is 2.06 meters (6 feet 9 inches) tall.

Sergio Romero is married to Eliana Guercio. They have four children together.

Career Statistics

Club

International

Honours

AZ

• Eredivisie: 2008–09
• Johan Cruyff Shield: 2009

Manchester United

• FA Cup: 2015–16; runner-up: 2017–18
• EFL Cup: 2016–17
• FA Community Shield: 2016
• UEFA Europa League: 2016–17; runner-up: 2020–21

Boca Juniors

• Argentine Primera División: 2022
• Supercopa Argentina: 2022
• Copa Libertadores runner-up: 2023

Argentina U20

• FIFA U-20 World Cup: 2007

Argentina Olympic

• Olympic Games Gold Medal: 2008

Argentina

• FIFA World Cup runner-up: 2014
• Copa América runner-up: 2015, 2016

Individual

• UEFA Europa League Squad of the Season: 2016–17
• Copa Libertadores Team of the Tournament: 2023

Images for kids

• 

  Romero (rear, centre) and other members of the team meet President of Argentina Cristina Fernández de Kirchner at the Casa Rosada after the 2014 FIFA World Cup Final.

See also

In Spanish: Sergio Germán Romero para niños