“Chiquito” Romero retires and plans move into coaching | OneFootball

“Chiquito” Romero has retired from football at 39. According to SuperDepor.com, he plans to move into coaching, and his goalkeeping coach would be Alejandro Santillán, a former colleague at Venezia and Boca.

He made his senior debut for Racing in 2007, days before turning 20, and played only four times for the Academia. That year he starred for Argentina at the Under-20 World Cup, helping win the title. The performances earned a move to AZ Alkmaar, where across four seasons he won the 2008/09 Eredivisie and the 2009 Dutch Super Cup.

Spells at Sampdoria and Monaco followed, then his longest stay came at Manchester United from 2015 to 2021. Although never first choice, he lifted the 2016 FA Cup and Community Shield, then the 2017 League Cup and Europa League.

After a season with Venezia, he returned to Argentina in 2023 with Boca. He excelled in three successive penalty shoot-outs to reach the Copa Libertadores final, where Boca lost 2-1 to Fluminense.

His final club was Argentinos Juniors, where he made only four appearances and struggled for form.

For the national team he earned 96 caps, the most by an Albiceleste goalkeeper. He played at two World Cups, exiting to Germany in the 2010 quarter-finals and starring in 2014, notably saving two penalties against the Netherlands in the semi-final shoot-out on the way to the final. At youth level he also won Olympic gold at Beijing 2008.

Source: SuperDepor.com