FORMER Manchester United goalkeeper Sergio Romero had to be restrained by club officials after he lost his temper with a fan.
Romero confronted a Boca Juniors supporter in the aftermath of his side’s 1-0 defeat to bitter rivals River Plate in the Superclasico – Argentina‘s biggest domestic clash.
Former United keeper Sergio Romero had it out with a fan from his own team
The goalkeeper had to be restrained by officials and team-mates
The confrontation almost sparked a mass brawl inside the The Bombonera
Former West Ham star Manuel Lanzini scored the only goal of the game in 20th minute and it ended with nine yellow cards across both sides.
Boca’s 97th minute equaliser was cancelled out after VAR concluded the ball touched Milton Gimenez’s hand before crossing the line.
As a result of the disallowed goal, chaos ensued with defender Cristian Lema sent off for his protests towards referee Nicolas Ramirez.
But things really started to boil over after the full-time whistle blew.
One supporter in particular vented his frustrations toward Romero, who did not take the abuse lightly.
The fan put his left hand on Romero’s chest as the 37-year-old lent over the fence and squared up him with spectators pulling them apart.
And Romero had to be held back by a combination of Boca officials, fans and his fellow team-mates.
Team-mate Leandro Brey eventually managed to pull Romero away as fans continued to hurl abuse at the team and missiles in his direction.
Romero spent six years at United, winning four major trophies
Romero apologised after retiring to the dressing room, telling a local broadcaster: “When the fan insulted me, I couldn’t think anymore and I lost my composure.
“He cursed me so hard that I just snapped. I lost my cool and went back to confront him.
“I sincerely apologise to that fan for my reaction, as it is only fair.”
Romero was not the only United connection in the Boca Juniors side, with Edinson Cavani and Marcos Rojo also in the starting XI.
The loss was Boca’s fourth of the season and left them in 11th place in the Argentinian Primera Division.
Romero played the role of the back-up keeper behind David de Gea at United for six years between 2015-21, making 61 appearances.
But he left after growing tired with a lack of first-team opportunities.
He is the most capped goalkeeper in the history of the Argentina national team, playing over 90 times since his debut in 2009.
Romero played back-up to David de Gea at United