Kit Talk: Sergio Romero

The next Manchester United player to take part in our 'Kit Talk' feature is Sergio Romero, who explains how he was allocated his squad number...

Tell us about your kit and why you wear no.20...
With regard to colours, the club obviously makes the decisions on these things at the start of the season. Then you have to change, depending on what the other team are wearing; sometimes you wear black, other times green – and it’s even been yellow at times. Decisions on when you need to change can come from the referee or the opposing team. The day I arrived in Manchester, there was a misunderstanding between myself and the manager, Louis van Gaal. He asked me what squad number I wanted, and I said 22. But he must have thought I’d said 21 because he told me if I wanted that number, I would have to go and speak with Ander Herrera. Anyway, it turned out Nick Powell had recently changed to 22, so I just said that no.20 would do fine. I had that same number during my first season with Sampdoria, so it was no problem at all for me.

Do you change your kit at all during games?
No, I try not to touch anything – especially if things are going well.

How do you choose your gloves and how often do you change them?
I’ll wear the same gloves for around four or five games. So that’s four to five weeks with the same gloves. After that, the latex starts to go and they’re not the same, so I swap them for a fresh pair. I’ll then keep the old ones for training.

Do you wear any 'skins' or thermal tops?
Yes, when it’s cold I put the long-sleeve base-layer underneath my keeper top and, during the warm periods of the season, I switch to the short-sleeved version.

Do you customise your kit at all?
Yes, I’ve got a bit of an obsession with my shorts. I like my goalkeeper shorts to be the same length as basketball shorts. They need to be well below the knee. A lot of the time, what I do is take two pairs of shorts and then cut and sew them together. It’s a fixation I’ve got, and it's something I've done at each of my former clubs. I’ve always liked my shorts to be long and to completely cover my legs. Other than that, there’s nothing special.

Who sews the shorts together for you – the kit man?
No, my wife does it!

Do you have anything written on your gloves or boots?
Yes, on my boots I have the names of my wife and both my daughters. I also have the Argentinian flag there too. On my gloves, I have the initials of my wife and daughters.

Is there a kit you particularly liked as a youngster?
I never had the chance to have one, not even as a child. Despite supporting and going on to play for Racing [Club de Avellaneda], when I was about four my mum and dad took me shopping in Brazil, and the man in the shop gave me a Sao Paulo shirt. That shirt is still in my mum’s house today, with the number 10 on the back. But as far as having shirts of other teams, no.