Alejandro Romero Gamarra
Alejandro Sebastián Romero Gamarra (born 11 January 1995), nicknamed Kaku, is a professional footballer who plays as a winger for Al-Taawoun in Saudi Professional League. Born and raised in Argentina, he is the son of Paraguayan parents and represents Paraguay at the international level.
Romero with Paraguay in 2018. | |||
Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | Alejandro Sebastián Romero Gamarra | ||
Date of birth | 11 January 1995 | ||
Place of birth | Ciudadela, Argentina | ||
Height | 1.71 m (5 ft 7 in) | ||
Position(s) | Attacking midfielder, Winger | ||
Club information | |||
Current team | Al-Taawoun | ||
Youth career | |||
Huracán | |||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
2013–2017 | Huracán | 94 | (9) |
2018–2021 | New York Red Bulls | 78 | (13) |
2021– | Al-Taawoun | 0 | (0) |
National team‡ | |||
2015 | Argentina U20 | 5 | (0) |
2018– | Paraguay | 6 | (3) |
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 13 November 2020 ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 17 November 2020 |
Club career
Huracán
Born in Ciudadela, Romero Gamarra began his career in the youth ranks of Huracán. In 2013, Romero Gamarra made his professional debut for Huracán in the Primera B Nacional. He scored his first goal for the club on 12 October 2013 in a 4–1 victory over Aldosivi.[1] On 14 December 2014, Romero Gamarra helped Huracán return to the top flight after three seasons in the Primera B Nacional, scoring the decisive second goal in a 4–1 victory over Atlético Tucumán.[2] With the promotion to the top flight, Huracán concluded a very successful season, having won the 2013–14 Copa Argentina a few weeks prior in a penalty shoot-out over Rosario Central with Romero Gamarra appearing as a second-half substitute.[3] This was the club's first official title in 41 years.
On 3 February 2015, he scored his first goal in the Copa Libertadores against Peruvian club Alianza Lima in a 4–0 victory.[4][5] On 1 March 2016, Romero Gamarra led Huracán to a historic victory in the Copa Libertadores over Peñarol at the Estadio Centenario, scoring the lone goal in the 1–0 triumph.[6] A few weeks later, on 24 March Romero Gamarra scored his first goal in the Argentine Primera División in a 2–0 victory over Aldosivi.[7] On 18 July 2016 he helped Huracán advance in the Copa Argentina scoring the opening goal in a 2–1 victory over Central Córdoba.[8]
On 27 May 2017, he scored an injury time equalizer from the penalty spot in a 1–1 draw with Boca Juniors.[9] On 1 June 2017, Romero Gamarra scored another important goal for his club, this time an injury time goal in a 4–0 victory over Deportivo Anzoátegui in the 2017 Copa Sudamericana. The goal helped Huracán advance to the next round by a 4–3 aggregate score after having lost the first leg by three goals.[10] On 16 June 2017, he scored the lone goal in a 1–0 victory over Unión de Santa Fe, helping his club to a crucial three points which helped Huracán avoid relegation.[11] On 28 October 2017, Romero Gamarra scored his club's second goal in a 4–0 victory over Lanús and celebrated the goal dedicating it to his recently deceased mother.[12]
New York Red Bulls
On 23 December 2017, it was announced by Huracán that they had agreed a deal to transfer Romero Gamarra to New York Red Bulls of Major League Soccer for a fee of $6.25 million.[13] After resolving various issues that held up the transfer, on 16 February 2018, it was announced that he had signed with New York.[14] Red Bulls also sent $50,000 of General Allocation Money to Atlanta United, who owned his discovery rights.[15] On 1 March 2018, Romero Gamarra made his debut for New York in a 2–0 victory over Olimpia in the CONCACAF Champions League.[16] On 10 March 2018, he assisted Ben Mines on the opening goal of the match on his Red Bulls league debut in a 4–0 victory over Portland Timbers.[17] On 13 March 2018, Romero Gamarra scored his first goal for New York in a 3–1 victory over Club Tijuana in the CONCACAF Champions League, helping the club advance to semifinals of the Champions League for the first time.[18] On 14 April 2018, Romero Gamarra scored his first league goal for New York in a 3–1 victory over the Montreal Impact.[19] On 28 April 2018, Romero Gamarra helped New York to a 3–2 victory over LA Galaxy, assisting on two goals and scoring the game winner with an 84th-minute penalty-kick goal.[20] The following week, 5 May 2018, Romero Gamarra opened the scoring for New York in a 4–0 derby victory over New York City FC, he also assisted on two other goals.[21] On December 6, 2018, Romero Gamarra was named the New York Red Bulls Newcomer of the Year for 2018 after leading the team in assists throughout the season.[22]
Al-Taawoun
On 1 February 2021, it was announced by Al-Taawoun of the Saudi Professional League that they had agreed to a transfer for Romero Gamarra,[23] but the New York Red Bulls deny that a transfer has been agreed to.[24]
International career
Romero Gamarra was born in Argentina to Paraguayan parents. Romero Gamarra was selected by Argentina's U-20 manager, Humberto Grondona to participate in the 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup in New Zealand.[25] On 16 May 2018, Romero Gamarra announced his desire to file a one-time switch request with FIFA to play for Paraguay.[26] The move was approved by FIFA on 23 May 2018, and he was immediately called up to the Paraguay national team for a friendly against Japan.[27] He made his competitive debut with Paraguay on 12 June as a substitute in the second half of the friendly match against Japan.
Career statistics
Club
- As of 21 November 2020
Club | Season | League | Domestic Cup [28] | League Cup | International [29] | Total | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
Huracán | 2013–14 | Primera B Nacional | 16 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 2 |
2014 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 3 | ||
2015 | Primera División | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 1 | 28 | 1 | |
2016 | 16 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 2 | 27 | 4 | ||
2016–17 | 27 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 31 | 3 | ||
2017–18 | 12 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 15 | 1 | ||
Total | 94 | 9 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 23 | 4 | 126 | 14 | ||
New York Red Bulls | 2018 | MLS | 30 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 38 | 7 |
2019 | 26 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 32 | 5 | ||
2020 | 16 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 2 | ||
Total | 72 | 13 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 87 | 14 | ||
Career total | 166 | 22 | 11 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 30 | 5 | 213 | 28 |
International
- As of 17 November 2020
National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
---|---|---|---|
Paraguay | 2018 | 2 | 0 |
2019 | 3 | 2 | |
2020 | 1 | 1 | |
Total | 6 | 3 |
International goals
- Scores and results list Paraguay's goal tally first.
No | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1. | 10 September 2019 | Amman International Stadium, Amman, Jordan | Jordan | 4–2 | 4–2 | Friendly | |||||
2. | 13 October 2019 | Tehelné pole, Bratislava, Slovakia | Slovakia | 1–1 | 1–1 | ||||||
3. | 17 November 2020 | Estadio Defensores del Chaco, Asunción, Paraguay | Bolivia | 2–2 | 2–2 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification | |||||
Correct as of 17 November 2020 |
Honors
Club
- Copa Argentina (1): 2013–14
- Supercopa Argentina (1): 2014
References
- "B Nacional: Huracán goleó al Aldosivi de Darío Franco". mundod.lavoz.com.ar (in Spanish). 12 October 2013. Retrieved 12 October 2013.
- "Huracán es pura fiesta: goleó a Atlético Tucumán y vuelve a Primera División". lanacion.com.ar (in Spanish). 14 December 2014. Retrieved 14 December 2014.
- "Huracán es campeón de la Copa Argentina, tras vencer a Rosario Central en una emotiva definición por penales". lanacion.com.ar (in Spanish). 26 November 2014. Retrieved 26 November 2014.
- "Huracán goleó a Alianza Lima 4-0". diariojornada.com.ar (in Spanish). 3 February 2015. Retrieved 3 February 2015.
- "Primera Fade Repechaje 1 Finalizado". Conmebol.com.
- "Huracán festejó en el Centenario una valiosa victoria frente a Peñarol". lanacion.com.ar (in Spanish). 1 March 2016. Retrieved 1 March 2016.
- "Vuela hacia la punta". ole.com (in Spanish). 24 March 2016. Retrieved 24 March 2016.
- "Huracán-Central Córdoba, Copa Argentina: el Globo ganó 2-1 y sigue adelante". lanacion.com.ar (in Spanish). 18 July 2016. Retrieved 18 July 2016.
- "Huracán Amarga a Boca en el último aliento con un penal polémico (1 a 1)". elpais.com (in Spanish). 27 May 2017. Retrieved 27 May 2017.
- "4-0. Romero Gamarra consuma milagro para Huracán en el último minuto". efe.com (in Spanish). 1 June 2017. Retrieved 1 June 2017.
- "Que Alívio, Globo!". ole.com (in Spanish). 16 June 2017. Retrieved 16 June 2017.
- "Sólo pensé en llorar y mirar al cielo". codigoquemero.com.ar (in Spanish). 29 October 2017. Retrieved 29 October 2017.
- "Huracán acordó la venta de Romero Gamarra". cahuracan.com (in Spanish). 23 December 2017. Retrieved 23 December 2017.
- "New York Red Bulls Sign Alejandro 'Kaku' Romero Gamarra as Young Designated Player". newyorkredbulls.com. 16 February 2018. Retrieved 16 February 2018.
- "Atlanta United acquires $50K in GAM from New York Red Bulls". atlutd.com. 16 February 2018. Retrieved 16 February 2018.
- "Post-Match Notes: Red Bulls Defeat CD Olimpia, 2-0; Face Tijuana in CCL Quarterfinals". NewYorkRedBulls.com. 1 March 2018. Retrieved 1 March 2018.
- "New York Red Bulls 4, Portland Timbers 0 - 2018 MLS Match Recap". mlssoccer.com. 10 March 2018. Retrieved 10 March 2018.
- "Red Bulls Moving On to SCCL Semis, Defeat Tijuana, 3-1". newyorkredbulls.com. 13 March 2018. Retrieved 13 March 2018.
- "New York Red Bulls Bounce Montreal Impact, 3-1". newyorkredbulls.com. 14 April 2018. Retrieved 14 April 2018.
- "Red Bulls Win A 3-2 Thriller Over Galaxy". newyorkredbulls.com. 29 April 2018. Retrieved 29 April 2018.
- "Red Bulls Roll Past Rival NYCFC, 4-0". newyorkredbulls.com. 5 May 2018. Retrieved 5 May 2018.
- "New York Red Bulls Announce End of the Year Team Awards". 6 December 2018. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
- "Al-Taawoun presenta oficialmente al Kaku Romero". 2 February 2021. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
- Michael Lewis (2 February 2020). "HE'S STILL OUR PLAYER: Red Bulls say they have exercised Kaku's option and he is still under contract". Front Row Soccer.
- "Grondona ya definió a los 21 mundialistas". afa.org.ar (in Spanish). 13 May 2015. Retrieved 13 May 2015.
- "Kaku Considering One time Switch to play for Paraguay National Team". mlssoccer.com. 17 May 2018. Retrieved 17 May 2018.
- "New York Red Bulls Midfielder Kaku Makes One-Time Switch to Paraguay National Team".
- Includes: Copa Argentina, Supercopa Argentina, U.S. Open Cup
- Includes: Copa Libertadores, Copa Sudamericana, CONCACAF Champions League
External links
- Alejandro Romero Gamarra at Soccerway
- Profile on Fichajes.com