The Tottenham Hotspur skipper has been speaking after Argentina set up a huge World Cup semi-final clash with England
Tottenham defender Cristian Romero has made it clear that any fears over his fitness after coming off the pitch ahead of Argentina's World Cup semi-final clash with England are unfounded.
The 28-year-old missed the end of Spurs ' Premier League season with a knee ligament injury but recovered in time to feature for Argentina in the World Cup and has played in all but one match so far, with some big performances. Romero exited their 3-1 quarter-final victory against 10-man Switzerland during the break in extra-time in Kansas City prompting some worry back home.
However, he made it clear when speaking to Argentinean media after the game that he was simply running near empty.
"I hadn't played for more than three months. The heat and everything made it difficult. I finished a bit tired, and the coach put Otamendi in, who was fresher," he explained, as quoted by LM Neuqen.
On reaching the semi-finals with Lionel Messi and his team-mates, the Spurs captain, who has been linked with a move out of the north London club this summer, added: "It's incredible. That's just how we are; in Argentina, they say that if you don't suffer, it's not worth it. We truly don't fully grasp everything we've been doing over the last 10 years.
"I hope Argentinians can relate to us, because we truly give our all for the shirt. It was evident again today; we kept running, kept fighting, until the very last minute. Sometimes you play well, sometimes badly, but the important thing is always to get back up and keep going.
"In the previous match, down 2-0, we showed that we always try and push forward. I don't know how many teams have that. I'm proud of this team. Leo, Ota, Fide who's no longer with us... They showed that they have a DNA where they always get back up, and we have to do the same."
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Now Romero will face players he knows well in Tottenham full-back Djed Spence and former Spurs team-mate Harry Kane in Wednesday night's semi-final in Atlanta. Some have spoken about the previous historical issues between the two countries ahead of this clash, but the centre-back made it clear that this is simply a game.
"We must not confuse things, it's football," he said.
Argentina boss Lionel Scaloni said similar before adding: "It’s wonderful to be in a semi-final again. England is a team that plays very well and has a great coach (Thomas Tuchel). We’ll recover, which is the most important thing."