Sergio Romero announces his retirement from football

Romero began his career 20 years ago with Racing Avellaneda in Buenos Aires province, before embarking on several stints in Europe, most notably with AZ Alkmaar in the Netherlands, where he won the league title in 2009, followed by Sampdoria in Italy, and Manchester United in England after a brief loan spell at Monaco in France. With the English club, he won the Europa League title in 2017.

Romero won a gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, and the late Diego Maradona called him up to the national team for the first time. He went on to make 96 international appearances for Argentina, including two World Cup appearances in 2010 and 2014.

Potential coaching career

During the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, the goalkeeper shone in the semi-final penalty shootout against the Netherlands (4-2 after a 0-0 draw), before Argentina, led by Lionel Messi, lost the final to Germany (1-0 after extra time).

He was scheduled to participate in the 2018 World Cup after being called up by coach Jorge Sampaoli, but was forced to withdraw due to a knee injury.

Romero returned to his homeland in 2022 after a final stint in Europe with Venezia. He played for Boca Juniors for the last two seasons and then Argentinos Juniors last year.

The veteran goalkeeper hinted at the possibility of pursuing a career as a coach after retirement.