Cristian Romero has admitted that it was a big honour to be named vice-captain of Tottenham, explaining that Ange Postecoglou’s decision caught him by surprise.
While Son Heung-min was always the obvious choice for the captaincy last summer following Harry Kane’s departure and Hugo Loris’ relegation to a bit-part role (and his eventual exit this month), Postecoglou had a difficult decision to make in selecting the South Korean deputies.
He opted to name Romero and new signing, James Maddison, as his two vice-captains and the decision has proven to be a masterstroke, with the centre-back and the attacking midfielder thriving with the additional leadership responsibility.
The Argentine, in particular, has led from the front on the pitch and marshalled what is now a young Tottenham backline impressively.
Cristian Romero was touched to be chosen as Spurs vice-captain
With Son still away at the Asian Cup, the World Cup winner will continue wearing the armband over the next couple of weeks and he has now opened up about the pride he feels about the role at Spurs.
When asked about being made vice-captain, Romero told the club’s official channel: “At the beginning, when I was told about it, it was a surprise to me at the time, I’m very happy that the club, the coach, gave me this responsibility.
“It’s very important to me. I take it with an incredible level of responsibility, I surely have a lot to learn and I have great examples of captains I’ve had throughout my short career. It was a beautiful moment for me, very emotional. I enjoy it every day.”
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Postecoglou’s decision to hand Romero the vice-captaincy was a masterstroke as it ensured that the Argentine as well as the entire Spanish clique at Spurs were fully behind the Australian methods from day one.
The 25-year-old is also evidently a natural leader and thrives on the additional responsibility, with his body language suggesting that he is now much more invested in the Tottenham project.