Cristian Romero will not be present for Tottenham’s season-defining final match against Everton, with the club captain instead travelling to Argentina to watch his boyhood club Belgrano face River Plate in the Argentine Championship final.
The defender has been sidelined since April following a knee injury but had remained a visible presence in the stands as Spurs battled to avoid relegation. He was even spotted celebrating pitch-side when Mathys Tel netted against Leeds earlier this month, inadvertently colliding with a member of the coaching staff in his excitement.
His decision to be absent for Sunday’s match — which will determine whether Tottenham suffer their first Premier League relegation — has drawn sharp criticism. The tie holds deep personal significance for Romero, who came through Belgrano’s youth academy and made his senior debut for the club as a teenager.
talkSPORT host Paul Hawksbee was openly scathing. “Good club captain, then. Not at Tottenham’s biggest game since 1976 — fantastic,” he said. “True to the end, good old Cristian.”
South American football expert Tim Vickery offered some wider context. He explained that Belgrano have never won the Argentine Championship and that facing River Plate — the most decorated club in the competition’s history — makes this a genuinely historic occasion. He also noted that the two sides met 15 years ago in a play-off that sent River Plate down, a result he described as seismic even by the standards of Tottenham’s own potential relegation.
Hawksbee remained unmoved. He argued that a club captain whose side are fighting for survival should be alongside his teammates, injured or not, and suggested he had always sensed Romero viewed Spurs as a temporary stop rather than a long-term home.
The reaction among supporters has been equally fierce. One fan said Romero should never wear the shirt again, calling it a damning reflection of the culture at the club. Others who had long defended him said there was no way back from this, while further responses ranged from “absolutely disgraceful” to expressions of deep disappointment from those who had previously admired his contributions.
Tottenham, who have never been relegated in the Premier League era, currently sit two points above the bottom three going into the final day.
