Eighteen million followers on Instagram, 16 million on Twitter. That’s the current record of the most popular football journalist of today, Italian Fabrizio Romano (30). The insider who knows about every move in the transfer market and shares all the information with fans has gained huge popularity in the last few years. His “here we go!” line, which announces that a transfer has been agreed between clubs, has become hugely popular.
In an exclusive interview with Flashscore News, Fabrizio Romano shares some insight into his busy work life.
“I hope I don’t miss an important transfer during our chat,” is howFabrizio Romano begins our interview. “I take care of all my social media channels myself, so it might happen that I miss something during the interview. Hopefully, I’ll be lucky and nothing will happen,” he says.
Fabrizio, I’ve always wondered – how much time do you spend on your mobile phone every day?
“It varies from day to day. Sometimes it’s really crazy, on those hectic days I’m on my phone for maybe 18 hours. As soon as the transfer market opens, I spend the whole day on my mobile.
“On those days there’s no time for hobbies or family, I’m just working all the time. Fortunately, people around me already know that my job requires such dedication, so everyone respects that.”
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“Not much during the transfer period. Sometimes three hours, sometimes five. I never know in advance what will happen and what time I will get to bed. But during the transfer period, the average is about four hours a day.”
You are followed by millions of people on social media, and every post you make is addressed by all the fans of that club. Are you living your dream?
“I certainly never dreamed of how many followers I would have. After all, when I started, the word follower wasn’t even used in its current meaning.
“My dream was to write for a major newspaper or work in television. I always wanted to give people positive information and do useful work. I enjoy it most when I make the fans happy with my message, when they are happy about a new player or a contract extension. It’s an extraordinary privilege to make people feel that way.
“So honestly, I never dreamed my career would develop like this, but it has always been my dream to give people positive messages.”
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A lot of people are probably wondering where you go for all this information…
“I never think about how many resources I have or if I should get more. I just let it flow, one day at a time.
“That’s my secret: meeting new people, getting to know them, and keeping in touch with the people I’ve known for 15 years. The trick is to naturally expand your network, you can’t plan it.
“I certainly don’t tell myself that I have to meet someone from Real or Chelsea today. I just know someone already and they might move me on to someone else, it’s a bit of a domino.
“I try to maintain a good relationship with agents of lesser-known players and those who represent big stars. It’s the same for me, I call everybody, I talk to them. Honestly, the biggest news I’ve come up with has always been from smaller sources. That’s why I respect everyone in my network of contacts.”
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Let’s get to the football itself. Who do you think will be the most active in the transfer market this summer?
“I continue to expect a lot of activity from Chelsea, who have already sold a lot of players, which has been key for them. Now they can buy a lot of players.
“I think they will go for a new goalkeeper or a stopper, for example, although they might use Colwill there, who will come back from his loan spell. They need at least one, more likely two midfielders. So they’ll be very busy.
“Then of course Barcelona, who want a lot of new players, so it will be very busy there too.”
Which club do you expect the biggest jump in performance next season compared to the last one?
“I expect a lot from Liverpool. Last season their performances were disappointing, but they were also pretty unlucky. They’ve had injuries and overall they’ve just had an unlucky season, that happens sometimes and it’s part of football.
“Next season will be different, Mac Allister is a great buy for little money and will help them a lot. I think the whole team will exude a different energy and it will be a very important season for them.”
What advice would you give to people who dream of becoming a football insider like you?
“The only way is hard work. Nowadays there are a lot of opportunities thanks to social media. When I first started, only a few of us could make a name for ourselves in this field – now everyone has a lot of opportunities to reach out to people, write to them directly, and find out something. Everyone has a chance to show their talent.
“But like I said, you can’t underestimate the hard work. It’s like players, you must never slack off when you start to do well. You have to keep working hard and get the best out of yourself.
“Building a network of contacts is a long-term job but it’s definitely not something unattainable. I met some of my friends when they were in the Italian third division and now they are in charge of the biggest clubs in the world.
“So, yes, everything is within reach, you just have to not be afraid of hard work.”
