Romero labels Gary Neville ‘stupid’ over criticism at World Cup

Cristian Romero, Argentina's central defender, has sharply responded to criticism from former England international Gary Neville, particularly Neville's assessment of Romero and his defensive partner Lisandro Martinez. Neville had controversially labeled the pair "the best, worst centre-half pairing in the world" prior to Argentina's World Cup semi-final clash with England.

“

The only thing I hope for when I retire is not to be that stupid.

Following Argentina's dramatic 2-1 comeback victory, which secured their place in the 2026 FIFA World Cup final, Romero expressed his strong disagreement with Neville's remarks. "The only thing I hope for when I retire is not to be that stupid," Romero stated, as reported by BBC Sport. He emphasized that players are doing their utmost for their national teams and that performances on the field are the ultimate response to external commentary.

“

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 played crucial roles in Argentina's victory, helping the team overcome an early deficit with late goals from Enzo Fernandez and Lautaro Martinez. Despite both defenders receiving yellow cards, Argentina's defense limited England to just two shots on target. Romero added, "We're delighted to be in another World Cup final. We're making history. For us, it's something huge, and we feel the significance of this shirt like no one else."

“

We’re delighted to be in another World Cup final. We’re making history. For us, it’s something huge, and we feel the significance of this shirt like no one else.

Lisandro Martinez echoed Romero's sentiments, noting that criticism has become a regular occurrence for them. "We're used to people always talking about us," Martinez said. "They like to talk, and we answer on the pitch, always with respect." The defensive duo's performance in the semi-final directly countered Neville's pre-match analysis, which suggested they could be both brilliant and error-prone.

“

We’re used to people always talking about us. They like to talk, and we answer on the pitch, always with respect.