Sergio Germán "Chiquito" Romero (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈseɾxjo xeɾˈman roˈmeɾo]; born 22 February 1987)[3][4] is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Boca Juniors.

He signed for Manchester United in July 2015, largely serving as backup to David de Gea but playing in a series of important matches for the club.

Romero was the starting goalkeeper through Manchester United's 2016-17 UEFA Europa League run, playing in the Final and keeping a clean sheet as the club defeated Ajax to win a fifth major European trophy in their history.

He made 61 appearances for United across six seasons in total, later returning to Argentina with Boca Juniors in 2022, where he won the Argentine Primera División.

Born in Bernardo de Irigoyen, Romero began his youth career at Almirante Brown and CAI before joining Racing Club.

[13][14] It was announced on 24 March 2007 that Romero signed for AZ Alkmaar, who were managed by Louis van Gaal when he joined the club on 1 July.

[16] After an injury to Waterman, Romero made his Eredivisie debut on 30 September 2007 against Heracles Almelo, during which he conceded a penalty, and AZ lost 2–1.

[22] On 5 March 2009 in the quarterfinals of the KNVB Cup he made a mistake which allowed Breda's Nourdin Boukhari to score, as AZ were beaten 2–1.

[28] Continuing to be first-choice goalkeeper, Romero made his UEFA Champions League debut on Matchday 1 of the Group Stage in a 0–1 loss against Olympiacos.

[36] Eleven days later, on 30 September 2010, Romero made his UEFA Europa League debut in a 1–4 loss against BATE Borisov in the Group Stage.

At the start of the 2011–12 season Romero was criticised by manager Gertjan Verbeek for his unprofessional attitude, having failed to return to the club following the conclusion of 2011 Copa América.

[52][53] The season ended with Sampdoria in sixth place, and after victories over Sassuolo and Varese 1910 in the playoffs, which he played once, due to his own international commitment, they earned promotion to Serie A.

[64] Romero made his Monaco debut, in the third round of Coupe da La League, in a 0–1 loss against Stade de Reims on 30 October 2013.

"[77] With David de Gea withdrawn from the squad amidst transfer speculation, and Víctor Valdés out of favour with manager Van Gaal, Romero made his Premier League debut on 8 August 2015 as the season opened with a 1–0 victory against Tottenham Hotspur at Old Trafford.

[80] After de Gea failed to leave the club in the summer he returned to the first team, which resulted in Romero becoming the second choice goalkeeper.

[81] In his second season at Manchester United, Romero continued to be the first choice goalkeeper in cup competitions, including the club's Europa League campaign, which new manager José Mourinho explained that he deserved to play in.

[85][86] In the second leg of a match against Rostov, Romero made a crucial save from Christian Noboa's free-kick, which helped Manchester United progress to the next round.

[93] On 8 August 2022, Romero returned to Argentina after 15 years playing in Europe, and signed a two-and-a-half-year contract with Boca Juniors.

[103] He played in all five of Argentina's World Cup matches which ended in the quarter-final defeat, during which Romero found himself competing for the first choice goalkeeper role with Juan Pablo Carrizo.

[107] Romero was part of Sergio Batista's Copa América squad in which Argentina, the hosts, lost to eventual winners Uruguay on penalties in the quarter-finals.

Romero was Argentina's starting goalkeeper at the 2014 FIFA World Cup despite lack of first team opportunities whilst at Monaco.

[111][112] In the semi-final, he earned himself Man of the Match[113] by saving kicks from Ron Vlaar and Wesley Sneijder as Argentina defeated the Netherlands 4–2 in a penalty shoot-out to reach the 2014 FIFA World Cup Final on 13 July, where they lost 0–1 to Germany.

[114] On 11 July 2014, Romero was named on the three-man shortlist for FIFA's Golden Glove award for the tournament's best goalkeeper due to his performances that led his team to the final.

[116] On 21 May 2018, Romero was named in Argentina's squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia by manager Jorge Sampaoli, but was later ruled out of the tournament due to a knee injury suffered the day after the announcement.