Julio César Romero

For the Brazilian footballer, see Romero Mendonça Sobrinho.

Romerito

Personal information
Full name	Julio César Romero Insfrán
Date of birth	28 August 1960 (1960-08-28)
Place of birth	Luque, Paraguay
Playing position	Midfielder
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1977–1979	Sportivo Luqueño	?	(?)
1980–1983	New York Cosmos	88	(28)
1983–1988	Fluminense	78	(19)
1988–1989	FC Barcelona	7	(1)
1989–1990	Puebla	17	(2)
1990–1991	Sportivo Luqueño	?	(?)
1992	Olimpia Asunción	?	(?)
1993–1994	Sportivo Luqueño	?	(?)
1995	Deportes La Serena	3	(1)
1995	Club Cerro Corá	?	(?)
1996	Sportivo Luqueño	?	(?)
National team
1979–1990	Paraguay	32	(13)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of July 2007. † Appearances (Goals).

Julio César Romero Insfrán, nicknamed Romerito (born 28 August 1960 in Luque, Paraguay) is a former football midfielder from Paraguay, considered among the best players in Paraguayan football history. He is the only Paraguayan named by Pelé as one of the top 125 greatest living footballers in March 2004.

Career

Romero started his career at local club Sportivo Luqueño in 1977, by 1979 Romerito's consistent performances had earned him a place in the Paraguay national football team that played in the FIFA World Youth Championship and was considered one of the best players of the tournament along with Maradona. In the same year, Romerito played the Copa América which was eventually won by Paraguay.

In 1980 he joined now defunct New York Cosmos where he played alongside such greats as Carlos Alberto and Franz Beckenbauer.

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 Paraguayan national team return to the FIFA World Cup finals after a 28-year hiatus. 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 [1] 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 La Serena in Chile.

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

Titles

Season	Team	Title
1979	Paraguay	Copa América
1980	New York Cosmos	NASL Champion
1982	New York Cosmos	NASL Champion
1984	Fluminense	Brazilian Championship
1984	Fluminense	Campeonato Carioca
1985	Fluminense	Campeonato Carioca
1989	FC Barcelona [2]	UEFA Cup Winners' Cup
1992	Olimpia	Torneo República

Awards

• South American Footballer of the Year in 1985
• Paraguayan 1st Division topscorer in 1990
• FIFA top 125 greatest living footballers
• Historial Spanish Soccer Database

Facts

• Romero is the equal 3rd highest goalscorer in the history of the Paraguay national team with 13 goals.
• Romerito is a politician for the Colorado Party in his native city of Luque and works as a city counselor.
• In September 2006 Romerito 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.

External links

• (Spanish) Futbol Factory profile (Archived)
• Romerito's debut as a rock singer (video)
• Midfield Dynamo's 10 Heroes of the Copa América Romerito listed in the top 10
• New York Cosmos stats