Argentina defender, Cristian Romero, has hit back at Gary Neville after the former England international criticised his centre-back partnership with Lisandro Martinez before the World Cup semi-final against England.
Romero’s response came after Argentina’s dramatic 2-1 victory over England in Atlanta on Wednesday, a result that secured Lionel Scaloni’s side a second consecutive FIFA World Cup final.
Before the match, former Manchester United defender Neville described Romero and Martinez as “the best, worst centre-half pairing in the world” during an appearance on the Overlap Podcast.
Background
Neville, who earned 85 caps for England and now works as a television pundit for ITV and Sky Sports, questioned the consistency of Argentina’s central defensive pairing before the semi-final.
“They seem to give a goal away between them every single game,” Neville said.
“But you watch them, they are scoring goals, heading the ball, they’re literally everywhere – it’s incredible.
“I call them the best, worst centre-half pairing in the world. Because they absolutely at times can be unbelievable, but the next, it’s the sublime to the ridiculous.”
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Argentina will face Spain in Sunday’s World Cup final as they bid to win a fourth FIFA World Cup title, while England will take on France in Saturday’s third-place play-off.
Romero responds
Romero, who plays for Tottenham Hotspur, dismissed Neville’s comments after helping Argentina limit England to just two shots on target.
“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 told DSports.
“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.
“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.”
Martinez also reacts
Manchester United defender Martinez also responded to the criticism, saying the players prefer to answer their critics on the pitch.
“We’re used to people always talking about us. It seems like they like doing it, and we respond on the pitch, that’s it, always with respect.”
Romero and Martinez, both 28, have started all but one of Argentina’s World Cup matches during the tournament. Together, they have helped the defending champions keep two clean sheets in six games while conceding six goals.
