Romero sets the pace at AZ

Monday 02 March 2009

Sergio Romero is living in a dream world, he says.

The Argentinean goal keeper isn't even 22 years old yet and his list of honors contains a World Championship title and Olympic gold.

And in reality Romero is well on the way to winning his first national title with AZ.

After every victory Latin rhythms are heard in the AZ locker room, coming from Romero's iPod.

"At the start of the season we beat PSV 1-0 and to celebrate I played some music of my favorite artist Elvis Crespo. That match was a new start for AZ and since then I play this music after every game," says the keeper who has not conceded in 18 of the 25 games AZ have played.

His older brother Diego, nowadays a professional basketball player in Argentina, was the reason little Sergio wanted to be a goal keeper.

"He used to be a goal keeper himself and I really looked up to him. When I saw him play I said to myself: I want to be a goal keeper."

Romero left his parent's house six years ago in Bernardo de Irigoyen to chase his dream of becoming a professional football player a couple of hundred kilometers away in the capitol Buenos Aires .

The only 16-years-old Romero signed a contract at Racing Club.

After four starts AZ knocked on the door.

"I looked up information about AZ on the internet and saw that Van Gaal was coach and that they almost won the league. Van Gaal was a big name in Argentina because he was coach of Barcelona when Juan Roman Riquelme played there."

The Argentinean had a dramatic debut in Alkmaar.

In all his juvenile enthusiasm he caused three penalties in a short period, but this season everything is different.

Romero reigns in his penalty area and so far only had to concede 14 goals.

His performance led to en clean sheets in a row and that series increased the gap with the competition at the top of the league.

Just like his idol Navarro Montoya Romero has this characteristic way of volleying the ball, kicking it from the hip.

In the game against Willem II Tilburg his kick directly led to a goal.

"But Montoya was much better at it," he says modestly.

"He wasn't very tall, but he was big on charisma and quality. I hope to be as good as he was and one day play for my country. But first want to win the league with AZ."

After two World Championships with the youngsters of Argentina he would be his third big prize.

"I hardly have time to enjoy it. On 23 August we won Olympic gold and two days later I was back in Alkmaar. I love to share beautiful moments with my family, but they are thousands of kilometers away. That is hard. But I can not complain. This is a great start to my career."