Argentine defender Cristian Romero says Gary Neville was “stupid” to criticize his central defense partnership with Lisandro Martinez.
Ahead of Argentina’s dramatic 2-1 World Cup semi-final win over England, former Manchester United defender Neville described Romero and Martinez as “the best and worst central midfield pairing in the world”.
Both were yellow-carded in a tense last-four tie in Atlanta on Wednesday but they also played a significant role for England, limiting themselves to just two shots on target as defending champions Argentina came from behind to win with late goals.
Romero and Martinez, both 28, started all but one World Cup game this summer, helping Lionel Scaloni’s side reach their second World Cup final in a row.
“The only thing I hope for is that when I retire, I won’t be so stupid. I hope I’m not criticizing the player or anyone else,” Tottenham defender Romero told DSports when asked about Neville’s expert comments.
“Because at the end of the day, we do everything possible for our team. Sometimes we do well, sometimes we do poorly, but we’re just happy to be in a World Cup final again.”
“I think we are making history, this is something really huge for us and we feel the meaning of this shirt like no one else.”
Manchester United defender Martinez put it in his own way: “We are used to people always talking about us. They seem to enjoy doing it and we respond on the field, that’s all, always with respect.”