Gary Neville has responded sharply to Cristian Romero’s “stupid” jibe, insisting the Argentina defender and his partner Lisandro Martinez owe their World Cup success entirely to Lionel Messi.
The row began when Neville described Romero and Martinez as the “best worst centre-back pairing in the world” ahead of Argentina’s semi-final against England, predicting the duo would concede at least twice. Argentina won 2-1 with a late comeback orchestrated by Messi, after which Romero hit back. “The only thing I hope is that when I retire, I am not that stupid,” the Tottenham defender said. “We are just happy to be in a World Cup final again.”
Neville was unmoved. Speaking on Sky Sports after the match, he said: “Those two should go and hug Messi every single minute of every single day because he has had to pull them out of the mire.” He pointed to Argentina’s defensive record across four knockout matches, in which they conceded six goals: two against Egypt, two against Cape Verde, one against Switzerland and one against England.
The pundit also referenced Romero’s recent club form, noting that Tottenham came within touching distance of relegation last season while shipping 65 goals. “I think I know what I am talking about when I watch a player,” Neville said.
He was careful, however, to acknowledge the positive qualities both defenders bring. “They are a force of nature. They have incredible personalities, they win headers, they have elite mentality. But they go from the sublime to the ridiculous, and without Messi in these last two tournaments, we would be talking about them very differently.”
Neville reserved his highest praise for the Argentine captain. “What we saw last night was absolute genius,” he said.
