Argentine national team stars Lionel Messi and Rodrigo De Paul have, on Friday, singled a headline member of Lionel Scaloni’s defensive ranks out for special praise.
The player in question? Cristian Romero.
Romero, for those not aware, was afforded his latest start on the international front in the early hours of Friday morning.
This came as Argentina welcomed Ecuador to Buenos Aires, for the country’s World Cup 2024 qualifying opener.
When all was said and done, the reigning world champions battled their way to a hard-fought 1-0 win, courtesy of a trademark moment of Lionel Messi magic a little over ten minutes from time:
Lionel Messi’s free kick goal ⚽️pic.twitter.com/kDXaxzUAgs
— Roy Nemer (@RoyNemer) September 8, 2023
At the other end of the pitch, though, the aforementioned Romero shone bright, too, alongside Nicolas Otamendi at the heart of the Albiceleste’s backline.
And, as alluded to above, such fine form on Romero’s part has not gone at all unnoticed amongst his teammates at international level.
Speaking on Friday, two key members of Lionel Scaloni’s squad lavished praised on the stopper, going as far as to label him the ‘best defender in the world’ at present.
First up came Albiceleste captain Lionel Messi, who gushed:
“For me, he is the best defender in the world right now. Amazing performance, man of the match.”
And this sentiment was echoed by midfield general Rodrigo De Paul, who went on to add:
“Cuti Romero is up to being the best central defender in the world. Having him behind is the best thing that can happen to me because he always forces me to go forward as he always wants to be one on one against the opponent. I got used to going out without looking back and that is a pleasure for a midfielder, because in the end you look at what that you have in front and allows you to get less tired.”
Lionel Messi on Cristian Romero: “For me, he is the best defender in the world right now. Amazing performance, man of the match.”
Argentina team mate Rodrigo de Paul on Romero: “Cuti Romero is up to being the best central defender in the world. Having him behind is the best… pic.twitter.com/sLYldvTlSP
— Chris Cowlin (@ChrisCowlin) September 8, 2023
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