If you’ve looked at some papers or scrolled through Twitter in the last few days, you’d think Cristian Romero had personally set fire to the FA headquarters. The “outrage” following his red card at Old Trafford has reached a fever pitch in the English media.
It’s predictable, it’s lazy, and frankly, it’s pathetic.
A Tired Trope
The English media loves a villain, especially one who doesn’t fit their vision of a “polite” modern captain. In Cristian Romero, they have a World Cup winner who plays with his heart on his sleeve and isn’t afraid to call out incompetence when he sees it. Naturally, they hate him for it.
With Thomas Frank getting sacked this morning, the media is already looking for a scapegoat.
Jay Harris of The Athletic posted a report today claiming that “privately, Thomas Frank held reservations about Romero’s leadership.” He even claimed Romero turned up late to training after the Arsenal loss.
Makes you wonder If Frank had such “reservations,” why did he name Romero his captain in the first place?
Rio Ferdinand was the latest to join the circus, labeling Romero as a “liability.” It’s a laughable claim from a man who should know better.
Just the Facts, Please
Let’s look at the “liability” in question: Cristian Romero has played in six major finals in his career and won five, often with Man of the Match worthy performances. One of those happens to be the greatest football game in history. He has played in seven semi-finals and won all seven. This is the first season Romero has received two red cards in the Premier League, and let’s not forget the first one against Liverpool wasn’t even for a foul.
If he’s such a liability, why does every world-class player who shares a pitch with him adore him? Lionel Messi, arguably the greatest to ever play the game, didn’t stutter when he labeled Romero “the best defender in the world right now.” Lisandro Martinez said the same. Julián Alvarez named him the toughest defender he’s ever faced, and Enzo Fernandez put him right at the top of the Premier League alongside Van Dijk.
The media was curiously silent over the last few months while Romero was single-handedly dragging this Spurs side through matches. He is quite literally the only reason the club isn’t sitting in the relegation zone right now. But the journalists and pundits came out yesterday like they were celebrating his red card. They’ve been waiting for a chance to tear him down because he’s a “character” they can’t control.
While the English press pack continues to whine, a man who actually knows what a winner looks like has spoken up in Romero’s defense. Paul Scholes, speaking on the Good, Bad and The Football podcast:
“Do you know what? I love him. He’s pissed off at Spurs, isn’t he? He doesn’t want to be there… I’d love him at Manchester United. I just love his character.”
Hell Yeah, Romero is Angry
Reports from Matt Law and Gaston Edul suggest Romero has been “annoyed” for months, and for good reason. He didn’t come to London to be a troublemaker, he came to win.
That’s why he renewed the contract this summer when it seemed that he was leaving, making him the highest paid player in the squad. But the club has broken its promises. Romero has been vocal about the obstacles that exist at the club, even praising Ange Postecoglou for succeeding “despite the many obstacles that always existed and always will exist.”
He’s called out the board for their “disgraceful” lack of depth and “shameful” injury management, even accusing certain figures of spreading lies and only showing up when things are going well. He even thanked the Argentina national team medical staff for helping him recover for the injury he suffered at Tottenham.
With this recent noise we can almost take for granted that this seems Cristian Romero’s last season at Tottenham. Reports came out from Argentina that Real Madrid has Romero firmly on their radar for the June window.
