Leandro Romagnoli

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Personal information
Leandro Romagnoli
Full name	Leandro Atilio Romagnoli
Date of birth	January 3, 1981 (1981-01-03) (age 27)
Place of birth	Buenos Aires, Argentina
Height	1.72 m (5 ft 7+¹⁄₂ in)
Playing position	Midfielder
Club information
Current club	Sporting CP
Number	30
Senior clubs¹
Years	Club	App (Gls)*
1998–2005 2005 2005–	San Lorenzo CD Veracruz Sporting	152 (22) 29 (1) 56 (6)
National team²
2003	Argentina	1 (0)
¹ Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 21 May 2008. ² National team caps and goals correct as of 21 May 2008. * Appearances (Goals)

Leandro Atilio Romagnoli (born on March 17, 1981 in Buenos Aires) is a football player from Argentina, who currently plays in Sporting and has also played in Argentina's San Lorenzo, and Mexico's Veracruz.

Romagnoli is a twinkle-toed Argentinian who plays as a central or left-sided midfielder. His wafer-thin build, lack of height and playing style are reminiscent of legendary compatriot Osvaldo Ardiles. What Romagnoli lacks in physical strength he makes up for with superb dribbling ability and a razor sharp football brain. He also possesses accurate passing and a striker's finishing ability.

Nicknamed Pipi, he debuted professionally on December 1998, and was part of the Argentina Under-20 team that won the 2001 FIFA World Youth Championship. He played for the senior team against USA in 2003. [1]

The player arrived at Sporting from Veracruz in January 2006, and initially found it difficult to adjust to the faster pace and more physical approach in Europe. However, Romagnoli came into his own in the 2006/07 season. A superb end-of-season run saw Sporting win ten matches and draw one with Romagnoli an ever-present.

While young Portuguese stars Nani, João Moutinho, Miguel Veloso, as well as the inevitable Liédson, grabbed most of the headlines, Romagnoli’s telling contributions were at least as important as the Lions lifted the Portuguese Cup and missed out on the title by just one point.