'/%3e%3cdefs%3e%3clinearGradient%20id='prefix__paint0_linear_4737_37157'%20x1='3.018'%20y1='23.6'%20x2='44.925'%20y2='24.977'%20gradientUnits='userSpaceOnUse'%3e%3cstop%20stop-color='%231CB7FF'/%3e%3cstop%20offset='.502'%20stop-color='%232FF58B'/%3e%3c/linearGradient%3e%3c/defs%3e%3c/svg%3e)
Tottenham star Romero takes aim at 'stupid' Neville after Argentina beat England
Jul 16 2026 03:17 · By Ryan Taylor · 11 Reads
View 2 Images
Argentina centre-back Cristian Romero has indicated both he and Lisandro Martinez's used "stupid" Gary Neville's comments as fuel to eliminate England.
Neville recently labelled the pair the "best worst centre halves in the
world
.”
He later added that he expected England to score twice past
Argentina
, explaining on The Overlap:
“I don’t see how we won’t score at least two goals. Cristian Romero and Lisandro Martínez seem to give away a goal between them in every match.
"Then you see them again and suddenly they’re scoring goals, winning every header, and appearing everywhere.
“There's something that happens to them when they put on that shirt. It's incredible.
"I call them the best-worst centre-back pairing in the world because at times they are absolutely extraordinary, and the next instant they go from the sublime to the ridiculous."
Romero caught wind of those claims and has now taunted Neville, stating after beating England 2-1 in Atlanta: "Licha and I were fired up before the game [because of Garry Neville's comments]. In England, they love talking before the games.
“I hope that when I retire, I’m not as stupid as him [
Gary Neville
]. I won’t criticise players.”
Harry Kane
did not have much joy out of Romero or Martinez and he felt England were overly negative after taking the lead through Antony Gordon.
The England captain said: “Once we went 1-0 up, we seemed to just try to hold on, which at this level isn’t enough.
"After the goal, whether it was because they were pushing more men forward or because we couldn’t match them individually, it was wave after wave, and we were trying to hold on , our guys blocking. But in the end, it just wasn’t enough.
“The lads are always ready for any moment in the game, and when we took the lead, the message was to keep attacking and score another goal.
"Obviously, once they scored their two goals, the objective was to find something, but we could have regained control of the game."