Sergio Romero has a perfect record with Argentina in major international competitions. The goalkeeper was on duty when La Albiceleste won the FIFA U-20 World Cup Canada 2007 and was between the posts again a year later when the South Americans claimed gold at the Men’s Olympic Football Tournament in Beijing.
Hailing from a family of basketball players, Romero uses his height to great effect, plucking corners and crosses out of the air with deceptive ease. He learned his trade as a youngster at Racing Club, where he went on to make only a handful of appearances before signing on the dotted line for Dutch outfit AZ Alkmaar. Despite his youthful age, he quickly claimed the No1 jersey and went a remarkable 18 games without conceding a goal during 2009.
Among his many admirers is Diego Maradona. “I gave him a try-out in the warm-up before the Olympic final and I could see that he was a fantastic keeper with bags of personality,” commented the national coach. Indeed, Maradona has such confidence in Romero that, in the wake of the 3-1 defeat to Brazil last September, he made him his first-choice keeper ahead of Juan Pablo Carrizo and Mariano Andujar.
With Argentina’s qualification hopes hanging by a thread, the youngster responded to the challenge, turning in solid performances in the decisive games against Peru and Uruguay. And having deservedly earned the No1 slot, Romero now has the chance to complete a hat-trick of international titles in South Africa.
