Lionel Messi was totally enamored of his style of play and his character on the pitch with the both of them playing for Argentina at the recent Copa America. And now Cristian Romero has already begun to impress after signing for Tottenham during the summer transfer window and the excellent reviews are coming hot and fast.
Romero ambled off to a bit of a slow start to life in north London, but his excellent display against Aston Villa on Sunday helped put Tottenham back on a winning path.
Spurs had splashed around £13million on the centre-back in the summer and the highly-rated 23-year-old has already featured in three Premier League matches since, starting alongside Eric Dier for the Villa visit. However, the Argentine reportedly wound up in Nuno Espirito Santo’s bad books after choosing to join up with his national team during the first international break of the season, which subsequently led to a 10-day quarantine upon his return.
Former Tottenham goalkeeper Paul Robinson has been generously heaping praise on the defender, saying that he is what the club have been waiting for in earnest.
“Romero was brilliant at the weekend,” Robinson told Football Insider.
“Spurs have been crying out for a world-class centre-half for a long time now and he is one. [Davinson] Sanchez and [Eric] Dier started the season well but they are not a pairing that would get in any other top eight Premier League side.
“Romero has looked a class above when he’s played. His range of passing is phenomenal. Teams play a high press now and try to win the ball high up the field. With Romero’s range of passing and Tottenham’s pace in the final third, Tottenham can play evade that press with one ball.
“Son is going to benefit from that consistently because he makes great runs. That kind of pass will lead to a lot of goals once the two of them develop an understanding.”
Interestingly, Robinson isn’t the only one who holds such a high opinion of the centre-back as, after having made his debut for Argentina in the summer before playing a key role in his country’s recent Copa America triumph, Romero caught the eye of none other than Argentina’s skipper Lionel Messi.
Apparently the six-time Ballon d’Or winner was so taken up with Romero’s abilities that he wanted Barcelona to sign the defender, before he was forced to leave the Camp Nou in August.
Whether it’s fact or fabrication, the Catalan giants’ failure to sign Romero was even reportedly one of the reasons why Messi refused to sign a new contract at the club, before his deal lapsed and he saddle dup with Paris Saint-Germain.
“The fact that Messi would want me in his team, and that he wanted me to come to Barcelona is amazing,” Romero told MARCA after Messi’s move was confirmed.
“The team that PSG have built is crazy. I’m a bit sad about how Leo left Barcelona, I thought he would have stayed there forever.
“I wish him all the best, he’s a great person and hopefully he can win everything alongside the other Argentinians there. I’m thankful to Messi and for everything that I shared with him and the rest of the national team.”