Cristian Romero has not been at his best for Tottenham this season, but the centre-back showed, while donning Argentina’s colours on Friday, why many consider him to be one of the best in the world.
Many have called for Tottenham to strip Romero of the captaincy, with the Argentine failing to step up at a time when the club desperately needs their star defender.
Not only has Romero been guilty of errors at the back, but he has also been suspended at crucial times of the season.
The Tottenham star was branded ‘lazy’ and a ‘disgrace’ for his performance against Nottingham Forest, and he has now responded to the criticism by delivering a masterclass.
Tottenham star Cristian Romero shines in Argentina’s win over Mauritania
Romero started alongside Bournemouth defender Marcos Senesi for Argentina as the World champions emerged 2-1 winners over Mauritania.
The Spurs star was only denied the clean sheet when Jordan Lefort scored deep into stoppage time after Enzo Fernandez and Nico Paz had put the South American side 2-0 up in the first-half.
Romero completed 84 of his 90 passes, finishing with a pass completion rate of 93 per cent against Mauritania.
The 27-year-old completed one successful dribble, five tackles, three interceptions and six ball recoveries. Romero also won 7 out of the 12 duels he competed for.
Fotmob gave the Spurs centre-back a 7.8/10 rating, the second highest in the Argentina team. The last time he played for Tottenham in the 3-0 defeat to Forest, Romero was given just a 6.7.
Romero has issued a promise to Spurs fans
Tottenham fans will be hoping that the same version of Romero turns up in a Spurs shirt when the Lilywhites take to the field at Sunderland on April 12, rather than the version we have seen for the last few months.
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The Spurs captain publicly accepted responsibility after the club’s 3-0 loss to Nottingham Forest, adding that the team will treat every remaining game as a ‘final’.
Romero promised Tottenham fans to put in 200 per cent in the remaining matches, and added that he and his teammates will stick together at this difficult time.