Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jul 30, 2026

Romerito

Julio César Romero Insfrán, also known as Romerito, is a Paraguayan former professional footballer who played as a midfielder, considered among the greatest players in Paraguayan football history. He is the only Paraguayan named by Pelé as one of the FIFA 100 in March 2004.

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Romerito
Romerito with Paraguay U20 in 1979
Personal information
Full name Julio César Romero Insfrán
Date of birth (1960-08-28) 28 August 1960
Place of birth Luque, Paraguay
Height 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)
Position Attacking midfielder
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1977–1979 Sportivo Luqueño 113 (33)
1980–1983 New York Cosmos 104 (37)
1983–1988 Fluminense 211 (59)
1989 Barcelona 7 (1)
1989–1990 Puebla 81 (16)
1990–1991 Sportivo Luqueño 35 (11)
1992 Olimpia Asunción 24 (9)
1993–1994 Sportivo Luqueño 43 (13)
1995 Deportes La Serena 3 (1)
1995 Club Cerro Corá 1 (0)
1996–1998 Sportivo Luqueño 66 (33)
Total 688 (213)
International career
1979–1989 Paraguay 34 (13)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals

Julio César Romero Insfrán (born 28 August 1960), also known as Romerito, is a Paraguayan former professional footballer who played as a midfielder, considered among the greatest players in Paraguayan football history. He is the only Paraguayan named by Pelé as one of the FIFA 100 in March 2004.12

Career

Born in Luque, Paraguay, Romerito 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 team that played in the FIFA World Youth Championship and was considered one of the best players of the tournament along with Diego Maradona. In the same year, Romerito played a key role in Paraguay's win in the Copa América, scoring three goals.

In 1980, he joined now defunct New York Cosmos where he played alongside such greats as the Brazilian and German World Cup winning captains of 1970 and 1974 Carlos Alberto and Franz Beckenbauer. In the 1980 Soccer Bowl he scored the game-winning goal of a 3–0 victory over Ft. Lauderdale.3

Romerito 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 Paraguay national team return to the FIFA World Cup finals after a 28-year hiatus.45 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 Spain6 and a stint in Mexico with Puebla F.C. Romerito returned to South America where he played out his career with Olimpia, Club Cerro Corá and Sportivo Luqueño in Paraguay and Deportes La Serena in Chile.

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

International goals

Scores and results list Paraguay's goal tally first.

No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1. 31 October 1979 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil  Brazil 2–2 2–2 1979 Copa América
2. 28 November 1979 Asunción, Paraguay  Chile 1–0 3–0
3. 3–0
4. 31 May 1981  Ecuador 3–0 3–1 1982 FIFA World Cup qualification
5. 5 October 1983 Lima, Peru  Peru 1–0 2–0 Friendly
6. 7 October 1983 Asunción, Paraguay  Peru 2–0 4–1
7. 4–1
8. 9 June 1985 Asunción, Paraguay  Bolivia 3–0 3–0 1986 FIFA World Cup qualification
9. 23 June 1985 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil  Brazil 1–1 1–1
10. 27 October 1985 Asunción, Paraguay  Colombia 2–0 3–0
11. 17 November 1985 Santiago, Chile  Chile 2–1 2–2
12. 4 June 1986 Toluca, Mexico  Iraq 1–0 1–0 1986 FIFA World Cup
13. 7 June 1986 Mexico City, Mexico  Mexico 1–1 1–1

Honours

New York Cosmos

Fluminense

Barcelona

Puebla

Olimpia Asunción

Paraguay

Individual

Facts

  • Romerito is the joint-fourth highest scorer 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.11
  • 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 40,000.12
References

References

  1. "25 años del fichaje poco exitoso de Romerito por el Barça". 30 March 2014.
  2. ""Yendo al Barcelona sabía que me metía en la boca del lobo"". 21 March 2015.
  3. "The Cosmos soared in Washington's steamy Soccer Bowl as - 09.29.80 - SI Vault". sportsillustrated.cnn.com. Archived from the original on 25 October 2012.
  4. World Cup 1986 qualifications by Karel Stokkermans, Sergio Henrique Jarreta and Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation
  5. World Cup 1986 finals by Karel Stokkermans, Sergio Henrique Jarreta and Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation
  6. "Hemeroteca - El Mundo Deportivo - Home". hemeroteca.mundodeportivo.com. Retrieved 27 February 2025.
  7. Romerito at BDFutbol
  8. "South American Player of the Year 1985". RSSSF. Retrieved 19 December 2021.
  9. "South American Player of the Year 1979". RSSSF. Retrieved 19 December 2021.
  10. "South American Team of the Year". 16 January 2009. Retrieved 10 December 2015.
  11. "Infoluque article". Archived from the original on 4 July 2008. Retrieved 25 July 2008.
  12. Marca article
External links