Argentina defender Cristian Romero has aimed a direct retort at pundit Gary Neville after his national team eliminated England from the World Cup with a 2-1 victory in the semi-finals. The match, held in Atlanta, saw the South American champions secure their place in a second consecutive World Cup final, where they will face Spain.
Neville, a former England international, had previously offered a critical assessment of Romero and his defensive partner Lisandro Martinez. Ahead of the crucial semi-final clash, Neville described the pair as “the best, worst centre-half pairing in the world” on his show, The Overlap. He highlighted their perceived inconsistency in the Premier League for Tottenham and Manchester United respectively, despite acknowledging their quality for Argentina.
Despite both picking up yellow cards during the intense encounter, Romero and Martinez demonstrated a resolute defensive performance that helped Argentina edge out England. This victory adds another significant achievement to their time together with the Albiceleste, which also includes their Copa America final win against Colombia in 2024. The defensive duo has been central to almost all of Argentina's matches this summer, missing only the final group stage fixture against Jordan.
Speaking to DSports after the semi-final triumph, Romero did not hold back in his response to Neville's earlier remarks. He stated, “The only thing that I hope for is that when I retire, I am not that stupid. Hopefully I won’t criticise a player or anyone.” Romero emphasised the effort players put in for their national team, adding, “Because at the end of the day, we are doing our best for our national team. Sometimes it goes right for us, sometimes badly, but we are just happy to be in a World Cup final again.”
Argentina's progression to the final in New Jersey marks a historic moment for the team, with Romero highlighting the significance. “I think we are making history, for us it is something really huge, and we feel the significance of this shirt like no one else,” he concluded. Neville's initial criticism stemmed from what he perceived as a tendency for the pair to concede goals in club football, despite their dominant performances for their country.