Cristian Romero has slammed Gary Neville for questioning Argentina defender and international teammate Lisandro Martinez ahead of the match against England.
Cuti Romero, who helped Argentina reach the World Cup final, targets Gary Neville
Argentina centre-back Cristian Romero has suggested that both he and Lisandro Martinez used Gary Neville’s “stupid” comments as fuel for England’s defeat.
Neville recently described the pair as “the best and worst centre-halves in the world”.
He then added that he expected England to score twice against Argentina, explaining in The Overlap:
“I don’t understand why we can’t score at least two goals. Cristian Romero and Lisandro Martinez seem to give goals between them in every game.”
“Then you look at them again and all of a sudden they’re scoring goals, winning every header and appearing everywhere.
“When they put that shirt on, something happens to them, and it’s incredible.
“I call them the combination of the best and worst centre-backs in the world, because at times they are absolutely extraordinary and the next moment they go from sublime to outrageous.”
“After the goal, whether it was because they were pushing more players forward or because we couldn’t deal with them individually, wave after wave came and we were trying to hold on, but the players were blocking. But in the end it wasn’t enough.”
“I hope I’m not as stupid as him (Gary Neville) when I retire. I’m not going to criticize players.”
ATLANTA, GA – JULY 15: Elliott Anderson of England and Lisandro Martinez of Argentina argue during the 2026 FIFA World Cup semi-final match between England and Argentina at Atlanta Stadium on July 15, 2026 in Atlanta, USA. (Photo Credit: Richard Sellers/Sports Photo/All Star via Getty Images)
Harry Kane was less than pleased with Romero and Martinez’s performance and felt England were being overly negative after Anthony Gordon took the lead.
The England captain said: “Once we were up 1-0, it looked like we were just trying to hold on, but at this level it wasn’t enough.
“After the goal, whether it was because they were pushing more players forward or because we couldn’t deal with them individually, wave after wave came and we were trying to hold on, but our players were blocking. But in the end it wasn’t enough.”
“The players were ready at all times during the game and when we took the lead, the message was to keep attacking and get the extra points.
“Obviously, after they scored the two goals, the objective was to find something, but we could have regained control of the game.”
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