Leenhan Romero

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Romero and the second or maternal family name is Pacheco.

Leenhan Schnneiderth D'Alessan Romero Pacheco (born 1 November 2006) is a Venezuelan footballer who plays as a midfielder for Chilean side Universidad Católica.

Leenhan Romero

Personal information
Full name	Leenhan Schnneiderth D'Alessan Romero Pacheco^[1]
Date of birth	(2006-11-01) 1 November 2006 (age 17)
Place of birth	Maracay, Venezuela
Height	1.69 m (5 ft 7 in)^[1]
Position(s)	Midfielder
Team information
Current team	Universidad Católica
Youth career
	Católica de Quilicura
2020–	Universidad Católica
International career^‡
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2023–	Venezuela U17	12	(2)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 12 November 2023

Club career

Born in Maracay in Venezuela, Romero's family migrated to Chile in 2018.^[2] In mid-2020, his performances with youth side Católica de Quilicura at a youth tournament in La Serena, Chile caught the attention of professional side Universidad Católica, and he signed with the club following a two-week trial.^[2] Having initially faced documentation issues, he was unable to play for the club's youth teams for six months.^[3]

Two years later, at the age of fifteen, he was invited by coach Rodrigo Astudillo to train with the first team squad.^[2] He impressed then-manager Ariel Holan, with Holan saying of Romero: "he has the qualities, he is dynamic and he has very good footwork".^[4] In May 2023, he signed his first professional contract with the club.^[3]

International career

Romero was first called up to the Venezuelan under-17 team in December 2022, ahead of a friendly tournament where the side would face Argentina and Bolivia.^[5] However, due to issues with his documentation, he was unable to travel.^[3]

Having represented Venezuela at the 2023 South American U-17 Championship, he was called up again for the 2023 FIFA U-17 World Cup, and in Venezuela's opening game against New Zealand he scored two late goals in a 3–1 win.^[6] Following the game he stated that it was "a dream to debut in a World Cup".^[6]

References

1. "FIFA U-17 World Cup Indonesia 2023™" (PDF). fdp.fifa.org. Retrieved 8 November 2023.
2. Huerta, Rodrigo (14 December 2022). "La joya venezolana que dio el salto a la selección: "En la UC me ven como aporte"" [The Venezuelan jewel who made the leap to the national team: "At UC they see me as a contribution"]. chile.as.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 12 November 2023.
3. "Leenhan Romero selló su primer contrato con la UC" [Leenhan Romero sealed his first contract with UC]. cruzados.cl (in Spanish). 9 May 2023. Retrieved 12 November 2023.
4. Moraga Aguirre, Nicolás (22 September 2022). "Ariel Holan está maravillado con su nueva 'joyita' en Universidad Católica: "Tiene condiciones, es dinámico y tiene muy bien pie"" [Ariel Holan is amazed by his new 'jewel' at Universidad Católica: "He has the qualities, he is dynamic and he has very good footwork"]. bolavip.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 12 November 2023.
5. Moraga Aguirre, Nicolás (11 December 2022). "La 'joya' de Universidad Católica que ha sido convocada para la Selección de Venezuela" [The 'jewel' of Universidad Católica that has been called up for the Venezuelan National Team]. bolavip.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 12 November 2023.
6. Castellano, Jesús David (12 November 2023). "Leenhan Romero: "Es un sueño debutar en un mundial"" [Leenhan Romero: "It is a dream to debut in a World Cup"]. liderendeportes.com (in Spanish).

External links

• Leenhan Romero at Soccerway
• Leenhan Romero at WorldFootball.net