Leandro Romagnoli


Leandro Atilio Romagnoli is an Argentine former professional footballer who played mainly as an attacking midfielder.
His thin build, short stature and playing style were reminiscent of compatriot Osvaldo Ardiles. What the player – nicknamed Pipi – lacked in physical strength, he made up for with dribbling ability.
Romagnoli started and finished his career with San Lorenzo, but also spent four seasons in Portugal with Sporting.

Club career

Born in Buenos Aires, Romagnoli made his professional debut on 13 December 1998 at the age of only 17, appearing for San Lorenzo de Almagro against Racing Club de Avellaneda. He went on to become an essential attacking player for the side, appearing in roughly 200 official games and winning three major titles.
In January 2005, Romagnoli signed with Mexico's Tiburones Rojos de Veracruz but, in the same month of the following year, he was on the move again, now to Sporting CP, first on loan. He initially found it difficult to adjust to his new team, but eventually came into his own in the 2006–07 campaign in a superb end-of-season run for both club and player, winning the Portuguese Cup; the move was made permanent in that summer.
After having appeared in only 16 matches in 2008–09, being out of favour with manager Paulo Bento, Romagnoli left the Estádio José Alvalade in early August 2009 to rejoin San Lorenzo. He contributed with ten appearances as they won their first Copa Libertadores in 2014.
On 24 June 2017, 36-year-old Romagnoli renewed his contract at the Estadio Pedro Bidegain for one more season. He announced his retirement one year later, remaining tied to the club as director of football.

International career

Romagnoli was part of the Argentina under-20 team that won the 2001 FIFA World Youth Championship. He made his debut with the full side against the United States on 8 February 2003, playing 12 minutes in a 1–0 friendly win.

Honours

Club

San Lorenzo
Sporting
Argentina U20