Lionel Messi has praised Cristian Romero and admitted that the Tottenham man’s emergence has been a great boost for Argentina.
Romero has enjoyed a dramatic rise over the last couple of years, with the centre-back being voted the Serie A defender of the year in 2020-21 before making the switch to Spurs.
The 24-year-old has quickly established himself as one of Tottenham’s most important players and is now considered by many to be one of the best centre-backs in the Premier League.
Romero has had a similar rise on the international scene as well, playing a key role in Argentina’s historic Copa America triumph in 2021.
The Spurs man remains key to the nation’s hopes of progressing to the latter stages of the World Cup in Qatar next month, with Messi labelling his impact as ‘extraordinary’.
The Paris Saint-Germain star said in the Netflix documentary Sean Eternos: Campeones de America: “Cuti’s appearance was extraordinary for us, for the future of the team and for that moment.”
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Romero also credited Messi with making him feel at home in the national set-up and instilling belief in him.
The former Atalanta star said in the documentary: “During my first ever training with Argentina, Messi was the one who supported me most, he was telling me that I was right that I have to cheer myself.”
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It is clear that Romero is valued extremely highly by his Argentina and Tottenham teammates. However, the wider footballing world is perhaps still yet to fully appreciate how good he is.
The 24-year-old combines the old-school street smarts and tenacity that centre-backs previously had, with the aggression and ability on the ball that is expected of modern defenders.
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