Football transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has revealed that his world-famous “Here we go” catchphrase was never part of a branding strategy but emerged accidentally while covering a lengthy Manchester United transfer saga nearly a decade ago.
Speaking during Trevor Noah’s World Cup Watch Party on Friday, Romano said the phrase first appeared after weeks of reporting on a transfer that had dragged on before finally being completed.
“Many people think maybe I had a plan for that, like, ‘Let’s find a catchphrase to make sure people remember my news.’ But that was not the case,” he said.
According to Romano, he had been posting repeated updates on the same Manchester United transfer when the deal was eventually finalised.
“I was just tweeting and tweeting on the same story. I don’t even remember the story. It was like eight or nine years ago. I remember it was a very long transfer, but I don’t even remember which one. Then one day it was over, finally done, and I said, ‘OK, here we go.’ Like, finally, the story is over.”
“I saw that people started reacting, saying, ‘Can you say “Here we go” also for Arsenal, for Manchester United, for Barcelona?’ I said, ‘OK, why not? Let’s do that.,” he added.
The Italian journalist explained that the phrase gradually became his way of confirming that a transfer had been fully agreed rather than merely being close.
“I saw the excitement and maybe people needed that. Before the ‘Here we go,’ you were reading stories or watching TV saying your team was buying a player. But when it’s done, when I can make sure that he’s actually coming, I thought it was a good way to make sure people understand when the deal is really fixed and done.”
Romano’s trademark “Here we go” has since become one of football’s most recognisable transfer confirmations, widely associated with completed deals involving clubs and players across the world.
