Lionel Messi has been named the best central defender in the world, from the mouth of the World Cup winner, who receives more praise than the rest.
And in an interview with Telemundo, Messi had no doubts and confirmed Cristian “Cuti” Romero as the best defender today, both at the level of the Argentine national team and at Tottenham.
“I think he is the best defender in the world right now. “He played very well, and in my opinion, he was the man of the match (against Ecuador in the qualifiers),” Messi said.
“Having him behind me is the best thing that could have happened to me. He always forces me to go forward because he always wants to play one-on-one against his opponent. “I’ve gotten used to not looking back, and that’s very good for an attacking player,” added La Pulga.
Messi was Argentina’s hero in the win over Ecuador with a magnificent free-kick goal, and Cuti Romero was voted player of the game for everything he did.
At Tottenham, it is also a wall and an important factor in Spurs’ good start to the new Premier League season.
Romero also spoke after the game against Ecuador and praised Messi: “Leo always appears in moments when things get complicated for us or we can’t open up. He has the things that only he has, and we are very lucky to continue to have him.” He seems very happy, and we had a lot of fun. “We are happy that he is doing so well.”
And on his analysis of Ecuador as a rival: “They took a backseat; they took advantage of our slightest mistake; they threw balls at our strikers and tried to win a free kick, a corner, or a stopped ball so that they could beat us.” But “luckily” Messi was there: “Luckily the greatest player in the world came, opened the game, and it became easier.” In addition, the defender expressed his feelings about what he experienced: “The truth is that it is exciting. These are things that last a lifetime.”
Romero added: “You will always take advantage of the opportunities that the coach and your teammates offer you, from the first day I arrived on the national team. They trusted me a lot, and I tried to give it back on the pitch, and I’m very happy with the applause from the people. We will enjoy this win for a good start and start preparing for a very tough game tomorrow. “I never played there (in Bolivia), but I saw it, and they told me that it is very hard and difficult at altitude, so we will try to rest to reach 100 and have another good game.”
On Tuesday, Argentina will face Bolivia in the second matchday of the Conmebol qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup in La Paz.
