If you were asked who is currently the best defender in the world, how long would it take for you to name Argentine and Tottenham Hotspur center back, Cristian Romero? A certain 8-time Balon d’Or winner thinks he’s the correct choice. Here, we will look at a few characteristics to see why he is so highly rated.
Lionel Messi: Romero Is the Best Defender in the World
Positioning
While Messi didn’t delve into specifics in a post-match interview when Argentina beat Ecuador in September, he made it emphatically clear about his thoughts on Romero. One standout attribute of the former Juventus defender has to be his positioning. Traditionally, positioning referred to how a defender would present himself in regard to his opposing attacker on the field.
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Cuti as he’s more affectionately known amongst his peers, excels in this aspect of defending. This has been on display this season as Spurs aim for a more possession-based, attacking style of play, which forces the defensive line higher. Romero has rarely been caught out and is often two steps ahead of his opponents, as he has, more times than not, intercepted the pass and looked to turn this into an opportunity for his team.
Passing Ability
Essentially a pre-requisite for the modern centre back, Romero is no slouch when it comes to passing. This was most notably on display during a Premier League encounter with Crystal Palace where he notched up a whopping 141 passes in the match. This unprecedented number is the most by any Spurs play since 2003-2004 (when these stats started being collected).
Last season, when the team travelled to Anfield in the league, Romero played a line-breaking pass to Heung-min Son who went on to score. Cuti also possesses a characteristic which makes his passing more dangerous. He has the innate ability to draw opponents out of position, which opens the space for a forward pass, which usually results in some dangerous attacking opportunities for his team.
Tackling
Probably the characteristic the 25-year-old is most famous for, his fearless tackles. He averages 2.2 tackles and 1.6 interceptions per game. While the stats don’t tell the whole story, the way he lunges into challenges and isn’t afraid to put his body on the line for both club and country makes him a fan favourite amongst both supporters and teammates.
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Anyone who has watched either a Tottenham Hotspur or Argentina match will tell you how much authority Romero tackles with and he has started becoming less reckless with his challenges this season.
Leadership
At the start of the 23/24 Premier League campaign, Tottenham Hotspur manager, Ange Postecoglou named the defender as one of his two vice-captains. What seemed like a bizarre decision at first is looking like a master stroke currently. Most of the reservations came not from Romero’s playing ability, but his temperament. As mentioned, he often flies into tackles and not every one of these are the cleanest. Fierce tackling aside, he also had a reputation for not backing down from any confrontation on the pitch, often having to be held back by his teammates to avoid any punishment.
This all changed the minute the Argentine was handed his new leadership position. This season, he hasn’t provoked any on-pitch altercations but has been seen actually attempting to quell the tempers when things seem to be getting out of hand. This newfound maturity has led to him picking up only one yellow card in 10 appearances this season which is remarkable considering he managed 9 yellows and a red card in just 26 starts last term.
The season is still relatively young and so is Romero and while he may not be the finished article at 25 years old, there’s no doubt that he has the potential to be the best in the world.
