BarcelonaBefore signing for Chelsea at the age of 19, Oriol Romeu (Ulldecona, 24 September 1991) had shared a dressing room with midfielders such as Xavi, Iniesta and Busquets. In London, he matched a legend like Lampard. “I’ve had doubts about whether you’re up to it for a long time. At the beginning a lot more, because you haven’t accumulated enough time in the elite to feel like a player made and ready for these scenarios .I didn’t play more than 30 games in a season until after I was 23. I’ve felt impostor syndrome until very recently, I had it on tape. The last two years of my career is when I’ve been most confident same”, the current Girona anchor explained in an interview with ARA.
These were statements before changing Southampton for the Girona capital, where, with the help of Míchel Sánchez, he has been reunited with a football proposal different from the one he had been used to practicing in England in recent years. Before landing in Girona in the summer, Romeu had played the last seven seasons in the Premier League. “When we secured promotion, the sports director [Quique Cárcel] put him on a list as a priority signing. He told no one, because it seemed impossible that he would come [Romeu tenia contracte en vigor]. He made the first approaches, and informed very few people of his intentions. After several conversations with his representative, and with the player’s desire to return home, we managed to do it”, sources from the Girona team explain to this newspaper.
“He is a very top player, in many ways. He is experienced and it shows, on and off the pitch,” they continue. His first experience in England was with Chelsea (2012-15), where he went out on loan to Valencia (2013-14) and Stuttgart (2014-15). Finally, at Southampton (2015-2022), he experienced his best period as a footballer. Although the southern English side are now struggling to stay in the division, the team displayed more than good defending during the end of 2019-20 and the start of 2020-21, stages marked by the pandemic and with Ralph Hasenhüttl on the bench. Romeu was able to show that he was not only a recovering pivot, but also a footballer with a good touch, a virtue that he can now express again with Míchel’s proposal.
“When you leave Barça you soon realize how difficult it is to play with other styles. From the subsidiary I went to Chelsea, and the way of playing was much more direct and vertical: the ball went through the middle of the field only half the time than when I was playing in the subsidiary! I had to adapt, since I would rarely find myself again in teams with the way Barça play,” Romeu recalled to ARA about the bulk of his experience in English football.
Now, aged 31, the midfielder from Ulldecona is indisputable for Míchel. With 2,145 minutes, he is the fourth most used player, only behind Santi Bueno, Taty Castellanos and his countryman and friend Aleix Garcia (with whom he has padel related business). Romeu has started in all the matches in which he has been available except for two: one in the League, he was suspended due to suspension, and in the first round of the Cup.
Oriol Romeu, face to face with Sergio Busquets
Speaking to the Girona club’s media, Romeu has expressed his desire to play again at the Blaugrana stadium. “Any player is always excited to play at Camp Nou, one of the best arenas. It’s a source of pride and it’s also very nice because of my past there.” Romeu will meet Busquets. They are two pivots in two teams in which this position requires talent and a lot of responsibility. According to League data, the Blaugrana, with one game less than the Girona player, has served more passes (1,318 to 1,118) and they have won almost the same duels: 221 Romeu and 225 Busquets.
In the offensive part, the Ebrenc scored a goal, but Busquets distributed three assists for Romeu’s head. Defensively, Ulldecona has slightly better parameters than the Barcelona captain: he has blocked more shots (6 to 2), intercepted more balls (24 to 17), completed one more defensive rejection (25 to 24) and recovered more times the possession (142 to 135). Romeu, however, has done it with 400 more minutes. “He is the key piece of the team, Míchel’s extension on the pitch,” emphasized Girona.
Romeo, a different footballer: reading, philosophy and meditation
Ulldecona’s is also an example for his colleagues. Although he suffered three serious injuries to his right knee as a young man, he has always stood out for his physical strength. “He takes care of food, rest… He is very disciplined. He already acquired this during his time in England.” Romeu also breaks the mold of the conventional footballer. He is an avid reader and has published and self-published An unforgettable season: the inner journey of a footballer. In the book, he reflects on topics such as consumerism, philosophy or psychology in the world of football. “Cultivating yourself as a person and getting to know yourself makes you a better footballer,” he explained to this newspaper.