Gary Neville’s remarks about Argentina’s central defensive pairing ended up backfiring after the world champions punched their ticket to another World Cup final.
Ahead of England’s semi-final against Argentina, Neville had cast doubt on the consistency of Cristian Romero and Lisandro Martinez, even while acknowledging their talent.
Speaking on The Overlap, the former Manchester United man labelled the pair the “best, worst centre-half pairing in the world.”
He said they seemed to concede a goal between them in almost every match, but noted that for Argentina they looked like different players entirely — scoring goals, dominating in the air and covering every blade of grass. He described their play as swinging wildly between brilliant and baffling.
Word of Neville’s comments reached both defenders before kickoff, and it ended up fueling Argentina as they came from behind to knock out England and reach the final.
After the match, Romero didn’t hold back when asked about it in his interview with DSPORTS.
He said he and Martinez had been fired up going into the game because of Neville’s comments, joking that pundits in England love running their mouths before matches. He sent his regards back to Neville, adding that he hopes he never ends up like him, tearing down players once his own career is over — since everyone out there is giving their all for their country. He said results don’t always go your way, but reaching another final is something to be proud of, and that the team knows exactly what it means to represent Argentina.
Martinez similarly shrugged off the criticism, saying scrutiny from outsiders is nothing new for Argentina’s back line. He said people enjoy talking about them, but the response always comes on the pitch — delivered, in his words, with respect.
With England beaten, Romero and Martinez are now 90 minutes from helping Argentina defend their world title. A win would make them the first side since Brazil, 64 years ago, to retain the trophy. Standing in the way is a Spain team that reached the final in style, beating France 2-0.
Argentina face Spain in Sunday’s final at 8pm, with the World Cup up for grabs.
