Tottenham star Cristian Romero steals the show against Brazil, 100% stats stand out
Tottenham supporters were reminded of the quality they will be missing against Aston Villa and Manchester City after Cristian Romero’s immense display for Argentina against Brazil on Tuesday 21 November.
For all of his discipline issues, Romero certainly makes up for it with his outstanding defensive qualities which can be matched by few players around the world.
Those qualities were on display once again as Argentina got back to winning ways, keeping a clean sheet during a 1-0 victory over Brazil in their 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying match.
With countless stars on display, including Romero’s club teammates Giovani Lo Celso and Emerson Royal who both made a strong account of themselves, it was the 25-year-old defender who stood out above them all.
Keeping a front four of Gabriel Jesus, Rodrygo, Raphinha and Gabriel Martinelli quiet is no easy task, but Romero certainly made it look that way, and he would have taken extra delight in the fact that he prevented Arsenal duo Jesus and Martinelli from finding the back of the net.
His match rating of 8.3 (Sofascore) was the highest of any player on the pitch, even beating out his defensive partner Nicolas Otamendi who got himself on the score sheet, which demonstrates just how strong his performance was.
Romero’s defensive numbers will come as no surprise, with those in north London becoming accustomed to his near-perfect displays at the back this season. He made four clearances, including one off the line, blocked a shot and made one tackle, while also winning four of his seven ground duels in addition to winning the only aerial duel he contested.
Incredibly, these weren’t even Romero’s most impressive stats on the evening, with his numbers on the ball far more noteworthy.
The Argentine completed 100 per cent of his passes, finding a teammate on all 46 occasions, as well as 100 per cent of the long balls he played forward, with all six attempts proving successful.
Finally, the centre-back completed the one dribble he attempted to cap off a flawless performance.
When taking the quality of the opposition and the importance of the match into account, supporters would be hard-pressed to find a better and more complete defensive performance this season, and it just reinforces how tough life against Villa and City is going to be for Spurs as Romero sits out the final two matches of his three-match suspension following his dismissal against Chelsea.
If he could just keep himself out of trouble, Romero certainly has the potential to blossom into one of the world’s finest central defenders.
In other Tottenham news, an injury expert has determined that one Spurs star is set to miss the rest of 2023 with a Grade 3 hamstring tear.