I hope I’ll never be that stupid: Romero criticizes Gary Neville as Argentina had the last laugh
Argentina defender Cristian Romero hit out at Gary Neville after the defending champions beat England 2-1 to reach the World Cup final, saying he hoped he would never be “so stupid” to walk out after the former England international criticized him ahead of the semi-final.
Neville has questioned the partnership of Romero and Lisandro Martinez ahead of Wednesday’s clash in Atlanta, calling them “the best and worst centre-half pairing in the world” on The Overlap.
Argentina had the last laugh as they came from behind to beat England as Enzo Fernandez and Lautaro Martinez scored after Anthony Gordon’s opener to book their second successive World Cup finals.
When asked about Neville’s post-match comments, Romero responded forcefully.
“The only thing I hope for is that when I retire, I won’t be so stupid,” Romero told DSports, as quoted by The Athletic.
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“I hope I’m not criticizing the players or anybody. Because at the end of the day we’re doing our best for our national team. Sometimes it goes well, sometimes it goes wrong, but we’re just happy to be in the World Cup final again.”
Romero said the Argentine players were more focused on representing their country respond to external criticism.
“I think we’re making history. It’s something really huge for us and we feel the meaning of this shirt like no one else,” he said.
WHAT DID NEVILLE SAY?
Neville, who has played 85 times for England, acknowledged the quality of Romero and Martinez but questioned their consistency.
“They seem to score a goal between them every game,” Neville said.
“But you watch them for Argentina, they score goals, they aim the ball, they are literally everywhere. It’s unbelievable. Cristian Romero and Lisandro Martinez were a big part of Argentina’s success at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. (Image: Reuters)
“I call them the best and worst couple in the world. Because sometimes they can be incredible, but other times it’s sublime to the point of being ridiculous.”
ARGENTINA ABOVE THE OUTSIDE NOISE
Martinez also dismissed the criticism, saying the Argentina team had become accustomed to outside opinions.
“We’re used to people talking about us all the time,” said the Manchester United defender.
“They seem to like doing it and we respond on the field, that’s it, always with respect.
Together, Romero and Martinez started all but one of Argentina’s matches at the tournament, leaving only for the final group stage match against Jordan after qualification had already been secured.
Argentina’s win over England sent Lionel Scaloni’s side into Sunday’s World Cup final against Spain, where they will attempt to become the first nation since Brazil in 1962 to successfully defend their World Cup title.
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– The end
Issued by:
Amar Panicker
Published on:
Jul 16, 2026 08:18 IST