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For other uses, see Romerito (disambiguation).
In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Romero and the second or maternal family name is Insfrán.

Julio César Romero Insfrán (born 28 August 1960), also known as Romerito, is a Paraguayan former professional footballer who played as a midfielder, considered among the greatest players in Paraguayan football history. He is the only Paraguayan named by Pelé as one of the FIFA 100 in March 2004.[1][2]

Career

Born in Luque, Paraguay, Romero started his career at local club Sportivo Luqueño in 1977, by 1979 Romero's consistent performances had earned him a place in the Paraguay national team that played in the FIFA World Youth Championship and was considered one of the best players of the tournament along with Diego Maradona. In the same year, Romero played a key role in Paraguay's win in the Copa América, scoring three goals.

In 1980, he joined now defunct New York Cosmos where he played alongside such greats as the Brazilian and German World Cup winning captains of 1970 and 1974 Carlos Alberto and Franz Beckenbauer. In the 1980 Soccer Bowl he scored the game-winning goal of a 3–0 victory over Ft. Lauderdale.[3]

Romero moved to Brazil to play for Fluminense where he was selected as the South American Footballer of the Year in 1985. He became a fan favorite after leading the team to a Campeonato Brasileiro.

In 1986, he was a key player in helping the Paraguay national team return to the FIFA World Cup finals after a 28-year hiatus.[4][5] At the finals in Mexico, he scored against Iraq and the host nation in the first round.

After a short spell with FC Barcelona in Spain[6] and a stint in Mexico with Puebla F.C. Romero returned to South America where he played out his career with Olimpia, Club Cerro Corá and Sportivo Luqueño in Paraguay and Deportes La Serena in Chile.

During his career, he scored a little more than 400 goals.

Honours

New York Cosmos

Fluminense

Barcelona

Puebla

Olimpia Asunción

Paraguay

Individual

Facts

  • Romero is the equal 3rd highest goalscorer in the history of the Paraguay national team with 13 goals.
  • Romero is a politician for the Colorado Party in his native city of Luque and works as a city counselor.[10]
  • In September 2006 Romero made his debut as a rock singer in the Paraguayan music festival called "Pilsen Rock". He took the stage as a guest of the popular local band Revolber and sang the opening words of the song "Siete hermanos, 1 misil" in front of a crowd of 40,000.[11]

References

  1. ^ "25 años del fichaje poco exitoso de Romerito por el Barça". 30 March 2014.
  2. ^ ""Yendo al Barcelona sabía que me metía en la boca del lobo"". 21 March 2015.
  3. ^ "The Cosmos soared in Washington's steamy Soccer Bowl as - 09.29.80 - SI Vault". sportsillustrated.cnn.com. Archived from the original on 25 October 2012.
  4. ^ World Cup 1986 qualifications by Karel Stokkermans, Sergio Henrique Jarreta and Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation
  5. ^ World Cup 1986 finals by Karel Stokkermans, Sergio Henrique Jarreta and Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation
  6. ^ http://hemeroteca.mundodeportivo.com/edition.html?bd=31&bm=03&by=1989&x=22&y=18 [bare URL]
  7. ^ Romerito at BDFutbol
  8. ^ "South American Player of the Year 1985". RSSSF. Retrieved 19 December 2021.
  9. ^ "South American Player of the Year 1979". RSSSF. Retrieved 19 December 2021.
  10. ^ "Infoluque article". Archived from the original on 4 July 2008. Retrieved 25 July 2008.
  11. ^ Marca article

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