Tottenham captain Cristian Romero has sparked concern after appearing to suffer a knee problem during Argentina’s World Cup clash with Austria, raising fresh questions over his fitness at a crucial stage of the tournament.
The 2026 World Cup finals are heating up as nations battle for a place in the round of 32 in the second round of fixtures.
Several sides have already booked their spot, including defending champions Argentina, France, Norway and the USA.
For Argentina, however, their progress has been clouded by an injury scare involving Tottenham captain Cristian Romero, who looked to hurt his knee during the game against Austria.
La Albiceleste were clinical in that clash, securing a 2-0 win thanks to a brace from Lionel Messi, but Romero’s knock has left lingering doubts over his condition.
Tottenham captain Cristian Romero suffers knee scare in Argentina win
The Tottenham captain, who endured fitness issues at the tail end of last season after picking up an knee injury against Sunderland, had returned to action during Argentina’s warm-up friendlies before the World Cup.
He started their opening match of the competition and completed eighty minutes, but against Austria he appeared to take a knock to the same knee that troubled him at Spurs and was subbed off before the 60 minute mark.
The incident came after an Austria forward stood on his foot, with Romero then clutching his knee and going down for a brief spell.
He attempted to continue but soon gave away a foul, again holding his knee, before being substituted for Nicolas Otamendi.
Argentina boss Lionel Scaloni addressed the situation after the match, keeping his comments cautious as he said to reporters: “Let us hope that the thing with Cuti is nothing.”
Romero expected to miss Argentina’s next fixture against Jordan
With Argentina already guaranteed qualification as group winners, Lionel Scaloni now has the option to rest key players, including the Tottenham star.
Argentine journalist Gaston Edul has confirmed that Romero will sit out the final group stage match against Jordan, explaining: “Cuti Romero felt discomfort in the same knee from the injury.
“He is going to rest for a couple of days and come back. He will not play vs Jordan. The good news is that this knock will not keep him out of the World Cup.”
Romero himself has played down fears of a serious setback, insisting that the issue is manageable and that he expects to return quickly.
The Tottenham captain’s comments were relayed by Fabrizio Romano: “I knew this could happen to me. I had a little issue there, I felt it again, but in three or four days I will be fine again, so that is that. It is nothing serious. Keep the head up and I will come back stronger than before.”
With Argentina already through, the decision to rest Romero appears sensible, allowing him to recover fully before the knockout stages.
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