Here we go!
This is the moment that you should be alert. A big transfer is about to be announced. The information usually gets out before the clubs themselves confirm it a few hours or days later, but Fabrizio Romano already knows it's done - the speculation has been confirmed by his sources, which are the agents, the clubs' representatives and sometimes the players themselves. These are contacts he has built up over 14 years of very attractive but hard work.
Here we go! It's a catchphrase that has become the trademark of a boy who fell for football and who started writing about it at the age of 16.
It wasn't until three years later that his story really took off, when he came into contact with the agent of Mauro Icardi, who was at the time a member of the La Masia academy in Barcelona. Then, as a teenager still getting to grips with Twitter, he sent the news to the world that the Argentine talent would be moving to Sampdoria. Six months later, the transfer is said to have happened thanks to his post.
Sources remain confidential
The first good contact had been made. When Icardi then transferred to Inter Milan two years later, Romano was the first to report it to the world. "I just reminded the agent that I had helped him some time ago and now it was his turn to help me," the Italian journalist recalled to the New York Times last year.
The Twitter account of the young man from Naples gradually began to fill up with all sorts of information, which often had the hallmark of exclusivity. This was mainly due to the fact that he was an assistant to the respected Sky Sports Italian reporter Gianluca Di Marzio. "He is an extraordinary journalist from whom I learned everything," admits Romano. He then began to build up a network of contacts himself.
But if you ask about who supplies him with information, you'll come up short. "Positive relationships with agents, sports directors of clubs and other sources are very important and I can't name them. Everything is based on mutual trust," the fresh-faced 30-year-old recounted. But he says family, especially his mother Susanna, has been equally important in building his career. "She always gave me the freedom to follow my dreams, even though it was often a crazy risk."
Although it may seem that Romano is now the fearless ruler of football Twitter, even he is aware that some hot news is like something from another galaxy. "When I announced two years ago that Zidane was leaving Real Madrid, it was a total exclusive and I really stopped and started calling my friends. Damn, I'm the first in the world to report on Real and a legend like Zidane!" reads the tweet, which earned 150,000 likes, 25,000 retweets and 14,000 comments.
Then there are other strong messages. "I got the information that Lorenzo Insigne will leave for Toronto. You know, I'm from Naples and Insigne is a legend in that city. He was an idol for me too. And suddenly I was announcing his transfer with a video, which Toronto then shared on their account," he confessed.
Romano has been able to build his media sports brand, producing his own content on social media platforms. It's not just Twitter, where nearly 16 million people follow him, he also has his YouTube channel, where his podcast is subscribed to by nearly two million fans, and an 18 million-strong Instagram following.
Thanks to his reputation and expertise, he has been approached by prestigious media organisations. In addition to his native Italian, he also speaks Portuguese, English and Spanish. He is a correspondent for the British Guardian and a contributor to the American CBS Sports.
When he received the award for best sports journalist from iconic coach Fabio Capello in Dubai last year, he understood that he truly has the respect of everyone around the world. At the same time, he also apologized to his loved ones for often being somewhere else in spirit than he should be. "Hopefully all of my amazing friends understand my perspective on the phone 24/7, even if we are maybe having dinner. Because every message, every call, it's not just football or work, it's my life..."
He also knows himself that, such is the fast-paced nature of the industry, he has gone into a gear that he can't afford to get out of. "Whatever message you put out and you gush over, in five minutes it doesn't exist for you anymore. Whoever stops is lost in the transfer market."
Look out for an exclusive interview with Fabrizio Romano on Flashscore News on Monday!