Enrique Romero

{{Infobox football biography

| name = Enrique Romero

| image = Quique Romero.jpg

| caption = Romero in 2009

| fullname = Enrique Fernández Romero{{cite news|url=https://www.elmundo.es/elmundodeporte/envivos/fichas/1/146/146.html|title=Enrique Fernández ROMERO|newspaper=El Mundo|language=es|access-date=18 February 2022}}

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1971|6|23|df=y}}

| birth_place = Jerez de la Frontera, Spain

| height = 1.83 m

| position = Left-back

| youthyears1 = | youthclubs1 = Flamenco Jerez

| years1 = 1989–1991 | clubs1 = Sanluqueño | caps1 = 32 | goals1 = 0

| years2 = 1991–1993 | clubs2 = Logroñés B | caps2 = 65 | goals2 = 6

| years3 = 1992–1994 | clubs3 = Logroñés | caps3 = 32 | goals3 = 4

| years4 = 1994–1997 | clubs4 = Valencia | caps4 = 91 | goals4 = 5

| years5 = 1997–1998 | clubs5 = Mallorca | caps5 = 38 | goals5 = 3

| years6 = 1998–2006 | clubs6 = Deportivo La Coruña | caps6 = 218 | goals6 = 2

| years7 = 2006–2007 | clubs7 = Betis | caps7 = 17 | goals7 = 0

| totalcaps = 493 | totalgoals = 20

| nationalyears1 = 2000–2004 | nationalteam1 = Spain | nationalcaps1 = 10 | nationalgoals1 = 0

}}

Enrique Fernández Romero (born 23 June 1971) is a Spanish retired professional footballer who played as a left-back.

He played for four clubs during his professional career over 16 seasons – notably Deportivo which he helped win four major titles, including its only La Liga championship – amassing top-division totals of 396 games and 14 goals.{{cite news|url=http://es.slideshare.net/jesustoledano91/entrevista-enrique-romero|title="Tuve una oferta del Real Madrid"|trans-title=I had an offer from Real Madrid|newspaper=Diario de Jerez|first=Jesús|last=Toledano|language=es|date=2 July 2015|access-date=19 May 2016}}

Romero represented Spain at the 2002 World Cup.

Club career

Born in Jerez de la Frontera, Province of Cádiz, Romero started his professional career with La Rioja's CD Logroñés. He totalled only three La Liga games in his first two seasons but was first-choice in 1993–94, with the team again managing to retain their division status.

After having represented Valencia CF and RCD Mallorca, never appearing in less than 30 league matches during his spell at both clubs, Romero joined Deportivo de La Coruña in 1998. There, he blossomed into an attacking left-back, notably playing 50 UEFA Champions League matches for the Galicians{{cite web|url=https://www.riazor.org/los-10-jugadores-con-mas-partidos-en-champions-en-la-historia-del-depor/|title=Los 10 jugadores con más partidos en Champions en la historia del Dépor|trans-title=The 10 players with more Champions League matches in the history of Dépor|publisher=Riazor|first=Pablo|last=Antelo|language=es|date=2 July 2016|access-date=18 February 2022}} and contributing 34 and one goal{{cite news|url=https://elpais.com/diario/1999/11/22/deportes/943225229_850215.html|title=Goles del Depor para la fiesta gallega|trans-title=Depor goals for Galician party|newspaper=El País|first=Xosé|last=Hermida|language=es|date=22 November 1999|access-date=17 June 2019}} in the 1999–2000 campaign as Depor won its first national championship.{{cite news|url=https://www.abc.es/deportes/futbol/abci-decadas-liga-deportivo-reino-espana-202005190145_noticia.html|title=Dos décadas de la Liga en la que el Deportivo reinó en España|trans-title=League where Deportivo ruled in Spain was two decades ago|newspaper=ABC|language=es|date=19 May 2020|access-date=18 February 2022}}

In summer 2006, after being ousted by younger Joan Capdevila – although he was a very reliable defensive unit, sometimes being deployed as central defender{{cite news|url=http://masdeporte.as.com/masdeporte/2003/05/06/polideportivo/1052194596_850215.html|title=Romero, otro lateral reconvertido|trans-title=Romero, another reconverted fullback|newspaper=Diario AS|language=es|date=7 May 2003|access-date=17 May 2016}}– Romero signed with Real Betis.{{cite news|url=https://sevilla.abc.es/hemeroteca/historico-08-07-2006/sevilla/Deportes/enrique-romero-ya-paso-el-reconocimiento-medico_1422364669919.html|title=Enrique Romero ya pasó el reconocimiento médico|trans-title=Enrique Romero has already passed medical|newspaper=ABC|first1=G.|last1=Torres|first2=E.|last2=García|language=es|date=8 July 2006|access-date=17 June 2019|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190617102725/https://sevilla.abc.es/hemeroteca/historico-08-07-2006/sevilla/Deportes/enrique-romero-ya-paso-el-reconocimiento-medico_1422364669919.html|archive-date=17 June 2019}} After a sole season, which coincided with the emergence of new signing Fernando Vega,{{cite news|url=http://www.diariosigloxxi.com/texto-diario/mostrar/22272/betis-villarreal-tres-puntos-destierro-cartuja-sab-1800|title=Betis y Villarreal, a por los tres puntos en el destierro de la Cartuja (Sáb, 18:00)|trans-title=Betis and Villarreal, out to get three points in Cartuja exile (Sat, 18:00)|newspaper=Diario Siglo XXI|first=Juan|last=Herrera|language=es|date=30 March 2007|access-date=18 February 2022}} he opted to retire from professional football at the age of 36, having appeared in more than 500 competitive matches (nearly 400 in the Spanish top division).

International career

Romero won ten caps for Spain, his first appearance coming on 23 February 2000 in a friendly with Croatia, in Split.{{cite news|url=http://hemeroteca.mundodeportivo.com/preview/2000/02/24/pagina-18/670973/pdf.html|title=Molina, héroe por un día|trans-title=Molina, heroe for a day|newspaper=Mundo Deportivo|first=Javier|last=Gascón|language=es|date=24 February 2000|access-date=13 March 2014}} He represented the nation at the 2002 FIFA World Cup in Japan and South Korea, playing three times for the eventual quarter-finalists.{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport3/worldcup2002/hi/matches_wallchart/spain_v_slovenia/default.stm|title=Spain see off Slovenia|publisher=BBC Sport|date=2 June 2002|access-date=18 February 2022}}{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport3/worldcup2002/hi/matches_wallchart/south_africa_v_spain/default.stm|title=Heartbreak for South Africa|publisher=BBC Sport|date=12 June 2002|access-date=18 February 2022}}{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport3/worldcup2002/hi/matches_wallchart/spain_v_south_korea/default.stm|title=Korean dream lives on|publisher=BBC Sport|date=22 June 2002|access-date=18 February 2022}}