Cristian Romero fails as captain, faces backlash after Tottenham's defeat

Cristian Romero (27, Tottenham Hotspur) was unqualified to wear the captain's armband instead of Son Heung-min (33). Not only did he ruin the game with a ridiculous mistake, but he also failed to greet the fans after the match.

British 'Give Me Sport' reported on the 14th (Korean time) that "Romero, who was the captain in the match against Wolverhampton, was seen going straight down the tunnel right after the final whistle. He was classified as 'filled with disgrace.'"

Tottenham Hotspur lost 2-4 in the away match against Wolverhampton in the 32nd round of the 2024-2025 Premier League (PL) held at Molineux Stadium in Wolverhampton, England, on the 13th.

With this defeat, Tottenham remained at 15th place in the league with 37 points (11 wins, 4 draws, and 17 losses). The gap with 17th place West Ham United (35 points) is now only 2 points.

On the other hand, Wolverhampton, who had a four-game winning streak, recorded 35 points (10 wins, 5 draws, and 17 losses) and surpassed West Ham in goal difference to move up to 16th place. There is a strong possibility that they could pull Tottenham down in the next round.

On this day, Tottenham had entrusted the captain's armband to Romero because regular captain Son Heung-min was excluded from the roster due to an ankle injury. Therefore, the vice-captain Romero led the team as captain in place of Son Heung-min.

However, Tottenham shook from the start. In the 2nd minute of the first half, Ryan Ait-Nouri scored the opening goal amidst a free-kick scramble. Then, in the 38th minute, goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario's attempt to clear a header from Martial Munetsi deflected off Jed Spence, leading to an own goal. Nevertheless, Tottenham managed to pull one back in the 14th minute of the second half with a goal from Mattias Tell.

Romero dampened the comeback momentum. He gave away a scoring opportunity in the 19th minute of the second half due to an inexplicable mistake. He lost possession of a normal ball near the box, which directly led to a follow-up goal by Jürgen Strand Larsen.

In the end, Tottenham could not avoid defeat. Although they scored a header goal through Richarlison in the 40th minute of the second half, a minute later Lucas Beribal lost the ball with an reckless dribble in midfield, resulting in another goal against them. Ultimately, Tottenham bowed down once more, managing only 1 win in their last 6 league matches.

It was a worst day for Romero. British 'Football London' noted that "when a deflected cross entered the box leading to the second goal, Romero was nowhere to be found. He was also completely out of sorts for the third goal. He was another leader who wasn’t adequate," giving him a rating of 3.

Moreover, Romero's behavior after the match came under scrutiny. Despite being the captain, he entered the locker room without greeting the fans who had come to support the away game. It was a scene that muted discussions about potentially stripping Son Heung-min of the captaincy amid doubts about his leadership. Son Heung-min has always approached the stands to express gratitude to the fans.

'Give Me Sport' highlighted that "Romero walked straight through the tunnel. He had no time to acknowledge the traveling fans." It noted that "despite being the captain in this match, Romero didn’t feel like thanking the fans as he walked around the stadium."

Tottenham fans also commented, "Sell him quickly," "lazy and arrogant," "disgraceful decision," and "no excuse" in criticism. Romero has lost considerable support among fans, as he has frequently been absent due to injuries throughout the season while appearing more committed to the Argentina national team.

Meanwhile, Romero seems to be detached from Tottenham. He recently created controversy by openly criticizing Tottenham's medical team. He further drew backlash with irresponsible behavior by leaving his teammates and entering the locker room alone.

Romero is being linked to Atlético Madrid, which has many of his Argentina national team colleagues. Atlético is eyeing Romero as a potential starting center-back next week, and he is reportedly wishing to leave Tottenham to join Atlético.

Tottenham does not intend to forcibly keep Romero either. 'Give Me Sport' stated that "Romero could be sold this summer. Tottenham is willing to sell him if a suitable offer comes in," explaining that "Tottenham once valued Romero at 60 million pounds (about 112.1 billion won), but has now softened its stance to 45 million pounds (about 84.1 billion won)."

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