Argentina defender Cristian Romero has strongly rebutted Gary Neville’s critique of his defensive partnership with Lisandro Martinez, calling the former pundit’s remarks “stupid” during an interview with DSports.
Following Argentina’s dramatic 2-1 World Cup semi-final victory over England, Neville had controversially described Romero and Martinez as “the best, worst centre-half pairing in the world,” a characterization that drew clear disagreement from the Tottenham defender.
Despite both players receiving yellow cards in the intense match, their defensive discipline and resilience were instrumental in restricting England to just two shots on target, contributing significantly to Argentina’s comeback triumph in Atlanta.
The 28-year-old pair have started every World Cup game except one for Argentina, forming the foundation of Lionel Scaloni’s side as they advance to their second consecutive World Cup final.
Romero emphasized the importance of staying focused: “I hope that when I retire, I won’t be in a position to criticize players or others. At the end of the day, we’re committed to our national team, and sometimes things go right, sometimes they don’t. We’re just proud to reach the World Cup final again.”
“We’re creating history, and it means everything to us. We understand the weight of this shirt like no one else does.”
Martinez echoed a similar sentiment, noting that public commentary is inevitable: “People always talk about us, and we respond on the pitch, always with respect.”