Rubén Omar Romano

Lore & Background

Romano played in Argentina for Club Atlético Huracán before leaving for Mexico in 1980 to play for Club América. He played in seven other Mexican clubs: León, Necaxa, Puebla, Querétaro, Cruz Azul, Atlante, and Veracruz. He was a left footed player with a great talent for free kicks as well as an extraordinary playmaker. His best times were in León and Atlante. He retired as a player at Atlante after the 1994–1995 season and scored 2 goals in his last game (Atlante 6-6 Puebla). In total, Romano scored 102 goals in the Mexican Football League. He is listed among the 100 best scorers of all time in Mexico. The same year he became the assistant coach for Ricardo La Volpe of Club Atlas. He also worked as a coach for Celaya, Tecos, Morelia, Pachuca, and Cruz Azul. With Pachuca, he qualified for the Copa Libertadores. Cruz Azul qualified for the Mexican playoffs in Romano's first season with the team, but lost to rivals América. Romano has qualified for the playoffs on six occasions for different teams. Romano was kidnapped on July 19, 2005, near Xochimilco, in Mexico City by Omar Sandoval Orihuela. He was rescued on the night of September 21 of 2005, 65 days after the kidnapping, by agents of the Federal Investigation Agency. Replacing him in the interim was Isaac Mizrahi Smeke, who coached the first few weeks of Cruz Azul's season. Romano returned to work a few days after his release, while Orihuela received twenty-six years imprisonment for the kidnapping. He was relieved of his duties with the club on December 9, 2005, after coaching for eleven matches during which time Cruz Azul won two, drew three and lost five. Mizrahi was then named permanent head coach of the club. Afterwards, Romano was hired by Atlas. He ended the regular season in last place as he didn't win the last 11 matches. He was named head coach of Club América on February 18, 2008, due to president Guillermo Cañedo White's dismissal of Daniel Alberto Brailovsky after a run of disappointing results. On April 30, 2008, Romano finally announced his resignation from the team right after a 4–2 loss to Flamengo in the Copa Libertadores. Club América won the next three matches, including a 0–3 against Flamengo in the Maracanã Stadium. He was presented as the head coach of Santos Laguna on December 5, 2009. With the Santos Laguna, on his first tournament he got the team to the final, and on the second t

In Their Own Story

The Azteca was shaking. Ninety-third minute, Copa Interamericana, the score knifed thin. A Peñarol winger cut inside, the cross came in high and heavy, hanging in the humid Mexico City night like a question no one wanted answered. Romano didn't shout. He didn't need to. He stepped off his line, read the arc of the ball the way a reader sees the last line of a poem before the eye reaches it, and leapt. His fingers closed on the leather a hair's breadth from the crossbar. The net never moved. The crowd detonated. He landed, turned, and pointed at the corner flag with a single raised finger—*one more, one more, we're not done*. The winger from Montevideo walked back to the centre circle and did not look at him again. Romano wiped his gloves, reset his feet, and waited for the next kick-in. The wall held. It always held.

Reader's Guide

Rubén Omar Romano is an Argentine former footballer and manager. He played as a left-footed playmaker and free-kick specialist, scoring 102 goals in the Mexican League. He managed several Mexican clubs, including Cruz Azul, Club América, and Santos Laguna. He was kidnapped in 2005 and rescued after 65 days.

Did You Know?

• Romano scored 2 goals in his final game, a 6-6 draw between Atlante and Puebla.
• He was kidnapped for 65 days in 2005 before being rescued by the Federal Investigation Agency.
• Romano is listed among the 100 best scorers of all time in Mexico.