The transfer king

“Here we go!”

No three words in soccer carry as much weight as the catchphrase of Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano, whose tweets are the transfer world's digital equivalent of the Bat-Signal lighting up the night sky.

The phrase doesn't just indicate the completion of a transfer, but also serves as a beacon of hope for fans of ailing clubs and provides internet cretin like myself the confirmation that our hours of speculating and arguing with strangers on Reddit did not go to waste.

So who is the man behind the infamous three words and how did he become the world's leading transfer guru?

The most powerful man in soccer

Although he may be "merely" a journalist, Romano's influence is unparalleled in sport. When he tweets, his 19.4 million followers listen. Players follow him. Fervent supporters hang on his every word as if they're coming from God himself, with notifications set for every time the 30-year-old moves his fingers.

No deal is officially complete without Romano's stamp of approval, but the best way to capture the extent of his influence is by looking at the numbers:

• Romano has a combined 73 million followers across Instagram (26.1m), X (19.4m), Facebook (16m), TikTok (9m), Youtube (2m), and Twitch (525k). For reference, Inter Milan boast 57 million followers across the same platforms.

•  Romano estimates he makes 50 phone calls a day during the summer and winter transfer windows, with only five hours of sleep per night. 

• His screen time on deadline day last summer was 19 hours and 41 minutes – more than 600% of the global daily average!

Romano's influence and dedication to his craft is obvious, but building a rolodex of agent and club contacts that rival that of a Miami OnlyFans creator doesn't happen overnight.

His first scoop

Romano, who now submits news to Sky Sport, CBS Sports, and The Guardian, got his start at 18 years old while writing for Italian outlet TuttoMercatoWeb, where he'd submit stories as a freelancer. Out of the blue, an aspiring Italian agent hoping to represent both Gerard Deulofeu and Mauro Icardi – who were both with Barcelona at the time – asked Romano to write a profile of them.

 Romano wrote the profiles, the agent landed the clients, and the two stayed in touch. Six months later, the agent repaid his debt to Romano by sharing with him the news that Icardi was headed to Sampdoria, which Romano broke as his first scoop. Two years later, Icardi had become a household name, and the agent called Romano again to reveal his client was headed to Inter.  

Romano reported the news six months before the transfer was completed, and the rest is history. He left his hometown Naples for Milan, where he landed a gig writing for Sky Sport Italia. His approach to journalism – be accurate rather than be first – has paid off handsomely, as he recently was named to Forbes' 30 under 30 with a net worth estimated around $2 million.

What's next? The transfer window opened on Monday for most of Europe's top leagues, so Romano is surely testing the limits of his iPhone battery as he continues to be the go-to source for breaking news in the $6 billion transfer industry. His latest scoops include:

•  Sergio Reguilón has returned to Tottenham as Man United activated his loan break clause. 

• Talks are in advanced stages between Dortmund and Man United for the return of Jadon Sancho to Germany on a loan deal.

• The Colorado Rapids have signed USMNT goalkeeper Zak Steffen from Man City on a three-year permanent deal with an option for a fourth.

Just another day in the life for soccer's transfer king. 👑