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.”
Romero and Martinez both started in Atlanta as Argentina recovered from Anthony Gordon’s second-half opener, with late goals from Enzo Fernandez and Lautaro Martinez sending the defending champions into a second successive World Cup final.
Despite both defenders picking up yellow cards, Argentina restricted England to just two shots on target and held firm as Lionel Scaloni’s side continued their title defence.
“We’re delighted to be in another World Cup final,” Romero added. “We’re making history. For us, it’s something huge, and we feel the significance of this shirt like no one else.”
Martinez also brushed aside Neville’s remarks, saying criticism has become routine for the pair.
“We’re used to people always talking about us,” the Manchester United defender said. “They like to talk, and we answer on the pitch, always with respect.”
Neville had made the comments on The Overlap podcast before the semi-final, arguing that Romero and Martinez could be “unbelievable” one moment but equally prone to costly mistakes.
Argentina’s defensive duo, however, answered on the biggest stage, helping the South Americans reach Sunday’s World Cup final against Spain as they chase a fourth world title and back-to-back World Cup triumphs.
