By Adegboyega Adeleye
Cristian Romero has fired back at former England defender Gary Neville after helping Argentina book their place in the 2026 FIFA World Cup final, saying he hopes he never becomes “that stupid” when he retires from football.
The Tottenham centre-back was responding to Neville’s pre-match criticism of Argentina’s central defensive pairing of Romero and Lisandro Martinez, whom the former Manchester United full-back had described as “the best, worst centre-half pairing in the world.”
Speaking after Argentina’s dramatic 2-1 comeback victory over England in Wednesday’s World Cup semi-final, Romero dismissed the comments, insisting performances on the pitch remain the best response to criticism.
“The only thing I hope for when I retire is not to be that stupid,” Romero said, according to BBC Sport. “Hopefully, I won’t criticise a player or anyone because, at the end of the day, we’re doing our best for our national team. Sometimes it goes well, sometimes it doesn’t.”
