Gary Neville Responds After Cristian Romero Brands Him “Stupid” Following Argentina’s Win Over England
Gary Neville has responded after Argentina defender Cristian Romero launched a fierce attack on the former Manchester United captain following Argentina’s dramatic 2-1 victory over England in the FIFA World Cup semi-final.
Argentina booked their place in a second consecutive World Cup final after producing another remarkable comeback. England looked to be in control after Anthony Gordon opened the scoring in the 55th minute, finishing off an excellent cross from Morgan Rogers.
However, Thomas Tuchel’s decision to switch to a more defensive approach allowed Argentina to seize momentum. Enzo Fernández equalized with a superb curling effort five minutes from time before Lautaro Martínez completed the comeback with a dramatic winner in the 92nd minute.
Romero and Lisandro Martínez were outstanding in Argentina’s defense throughout the contest, helping the reigning world champions withstand England’s attacks and inspiring their late fightback.
Before the match, Gary Neville had described Romero and Martínez as “the best, worst centre-half pairing in the world.” While he praised their passion and ability, he also argued that both defenders were capable of making costly mistakes.
Romero clearly took those comments personally.
After Argentina secured victory, the Tottenham defender admitted Neville’s remarks had motivated both him and Martínez ahead of the match.
“Lisandro and I were on fire before the game because of what Gary Neville said,” Romero explained.
He then criticized Neville directly, saying that people in England often speak before matches and adding that when he retires, he hopes he never becomes someone who spends time criticizing players.
Romero said he hopes he will “not be that stupid” after retirement and insisted that players are simply giving everything they have for their national team.
Neville has now responded to Romero’s criticism, insisting he stands by his original assessment.
Speaking to Sky Sports, the pundit explained that his comments were never intended as an attack on Romero’s quality. Instead, he argued that both Romero and Martínez combine world-class performances with moments of inconsistency.
Neville pointed out that Romero is an exceptionally talented defender but maintained that he still makes mistakes, referencing his club season in which his team conceded a significant number of goals.
He also praised the defender’s mentality, describing both Romero and Martínez as players who fight for every ball and possess tremendous personality on the pitch.
Despite Romero’s achievements with Argentina, Neville argued that Argentina’s victory over England was ultimately decided by Lionel Messi’s brilliance rather than the performances of the central defenders.
Neville described Messi’s display as “absolute genius” and suggested that without the legendary captain, the conversation surrounding Argentina’s success would be very different.
The exchange has sparked widespread debate among football fans, with many supporting Romero’s passionate defense of himself while others believe Neville’s original comments were fair criticism rather than disrespect.
Argentina will now turn their attention to the World Cup final, where Lionel Scaloni’s side will face Spain as they attempt to defend the trophy they won in Qatar four years ago.
