Cristian Romero had plenty to say about his decision to stay at Tottenham this summer, former chairman Daniel Levy and why he had to undergo a forfeit in training on Friday.
Ahead of Tottenham's return to the Champions League and their clash with Villarreal, the Argentine centre-back undertook his first press conference since arriving at Spurs in 2021. Romero was made captain and signed a new four-year deal this summer after a transfer window in which he was heavily linked with a move to Atletico Madrid before committing his long-term future to Tottenham.
It is the tradition that the captain does the first European press conference of the season and the World Cup winner spoke at length about a range of topics, including his own comments about the club's decisions over the years and the changes at the top in recent weeks.
Our Tottenham correspondent Alasdair Gold was among those putting the questions to Romero ahead of the Champions League match against the La Liga side on Tuesday night. Here's the full transcript from Monday's press conference at Hotspur Way.
Are you looking forward to facing Juan Foyth?
Yeah, Juan, I know him really well. We played together in the under-20s and under-23s as well. We managed to spend time together in the national team as well. He's a great guy. He's a top player as well. A good person. He was here as well. It's going to be a special game for him as well, having played here. We wish him all the best. But we hope to prevail tomorrow.
Pepe has won the La Liga player of the month, beating Mbappe and Nico Williams, how will you deal with him?
We always focus on our jobs, our own work. We have a great manager at the moment. We have a defensive coach who works well with us. We've been three years with him (Matty Wells). We always want to try and improve. We started well. If you take Bournemouth out of the equation, we've done well.
It was unfortunate that we couldn't quite hold on for the last seven minutes in the final against Paris. But we always work hard preparing for the next game. We do our best, no matter who we're playing against.
It's all about trying to increase our performances, improve. As I say, we've known each other for quite a long time, the defence. We've played together, so we're experienced with each other. It's all about improving whenever we can and working hard.
We thought you were going to leave this summer - what changed?
Like I've said before, I spoke in an interview… sometimes in football, stuff comes out on social media and in the press in general. I never said I wanted to leave the club. Nothing ever came through me to that effect.
The most important thing is that what people say here at the club and what I say. People like the manager and the president here. It's important what they say, not anyone else. I'm very happy here. Tottenham for me is a family, one big family. The first day that I arrived here, they gave everything to me.
I'm really happy since Thomas has arrived. He took his decision to lengthen my contract, to extend my contract. I was happy at the club. I like the manager that has arrived. I like the way that we're working, the way that we train together. Of course, always things can improve.
That's what we always try and do. That's what we have to do, day to day. But I think everyone is taking the right decisions here at the club, at all levels, to make sure we're going in the right direction to achieve success. I'm very happy here and that's the key.
We saw you having to do press-ups in training with the manager, why was that?
(Laughs) We always have fun in the training sessions, irrespective of what game we've got coming up. I had to do some press-ups because I lost the ball in the rondo. It was a punishment for losing the ball too often in the passing exercise.
The important thing is tomorrow we're playing Champions League for the first time for two seasons and that makes everyone happy, doesn't it? Everyone in the group gives you that bit of excitement. The staff, the technical team. We really want to start off on the right foot tomorrow. That's the main thing.
Lionel Messi - will he play in the World Cup, do you know? It could be a huge year for you personally with the Champions League and World Cup?
I can answer about Leo, I think he’s fit, I think he could easily take part. It’s his decision. We all enjoy playing with him, we all enjoy watching him play. For me, and for people who know about football, I think he’s the biggest player in history.
I love having him as a team-mate in the dressing room and sharing moments with him. We've had some very happy times together. Of course, I think he's going to be right for the World Cup. Of course he is.
As for the rest and the season, I think I go by day-to-day. Tomorrow we have a massive game, a very key game for us. My head's focused on that game.
When I'm with the national team, it's still a long time before we start thinking about the World Cup. Lots of months ahead before that comes into the frame. It's all about concentrating on Tottenham and the game tomorrow. We've really got to get a win tomorrow night. That's very key.
You're a family but have you had any arguments yet as a family?
We've not had any up to now, to be fair. We've had a great start to the season. There's a lot where we can improve upon still. Of course, there are things to work on.
We've created a lovely group to work with. The previous manager, Ange, put this group together to start with and now Thomas has arrived. He's brought in new players as well and we're all fitting in nicely. Lots of young guys here now. Lots to learn and grow, but I think it's knitting together nicely.
I think when you are a family, like this off the field, it's much easier to achieve things on the field when there's that harmony off it.
You made a statement when Thomas arrived about obstacles that will always exist in Tottenham. Do you think that the obstacles from before don't exist now?
Yes, I did a lot of interviews right which seemed like I was talking badly about people inside the club but in the end I'm a person who sometimes makes mistakes and that’s it. I always want the best for the club.
Sometimes, things have been said that aren't true as well, but always everything I said is because I want there to be a structure of a club that can be at the top level, part of the big clubs. That's why I was sometimes so angry before, but today I see a very, very organised club with a clear idea and a coach who is organising things and everyone is seeing that in a short space of time we are with him and that’s it.
Absolutely everyone inside is looking in the same direction and that is the important thing. We hope obviously to continue like this. There are objectives for the season but as I said before our heads are in tomorrow’s game. We are going to enjoy that we’re back in the Champions League, that’s the most important thing. I see a fantastic group, a coach, who leaves us with a clear idea. The group is very happy and we have to go game by game but I believe we can achieve great things. We hope and we are going to fight to lift another trophy.
What does success mean to Tottenham? Are you happy to be fifth in the league or do you want to win another trophy?
Sure, yeah. You always compete at the highest level to try and win. It would be easy to sit here and say 'yeah, we're prepared to try and win everything that's ahead of us', but you need to be realistic too.
It's all about competing, taking each game as it comes, fighting hard, have that spirit, that real winning mentality. The last thing that you ever lose is hope. We've got a fantastic group, we've got a manager, as I said before, he's got clear plans and clear ideas.
The group's very happy and at ease with itself. I think we feel within ourselves that we can achieve big things. It would be amazing if we could lift another trophy, of course, for all of us and the fans too.
What kind of captain are you, Cuti? Ange once said that when Sonny was at the Asian Cup, you stepped up and brought all the different groups together in the squad.
I think that I try and bring everyone together, of course. It's the first time in my career that I'm an official captain, it's something new. I've got a lot to learn about the role, but I'm fortunate enough to have shared a dressing room with people in my national team, some top leaders in the club and in the national team as well, so I can take bits from those examples. It's always a lot easier when everyone is moving in the same direction.
When you are like a family from the inside, it makes things a lot easier. It's hard to keep everyone happy, because obviously everyone wants to play and there are some players, according to the situation, playing more minutes than others, but the group, as I say, is fantastic. It's a lovely atmosphere in the place. I think it's going to be a lot easier for things to turn out well with that family spirit that we're creating.
What are your thoughts on Daniel Levy's departure from the club for 25 years?
I don't know what's happened, but it's not something I've had the chance to speak with him personally, but he's a person who's been at the club for a good many years. We need to thank him, because he's the person who brought me here to Spurs.
Fortunately, we could crown his reign with a trophy, which would have made everyone happy, including him. I just desire the very best for him, and it's his decision, and we wish him all the best.
You spoke about 'the people responsible' in December, do you think the new CEO will change the club's ambition?
As I said before it’s a bit of everything, it’s about the group of players, the coaching staff, the people that work for us, the executives obviously, in the end it depends on everyone that we pull in the same direction. I think that since Thomas arrived here, they have started to take all those decisions to go in the same direction. And then when it’s like that, everything runs a lot more easily right? The players know what the objectives are for the season and we continue like this. We started to improve and we want another title this season. We hope to carry on like this, improving, working all together to achieve the objectives.
As a captain, with your aggressive style pf play, do you have to have more control in your game?
No, no. I think I get a bad rep, but my way of playing is something that I learned as a child. They taught me to defend like this when I was a kid in Argentina and I have it inside me, that love of playing this sport. When I step onto the pitch, for me I don't have friends, I don't have absolutely anything. It's just defending what I wear, my shirt, my badge. It happened last year when I had a run-in with Enzo Fernandez at Chelsea. Then I showed a little bit that I always defend my own, that I always just want to win, and unfortunately I had a run-in with him, but it’s nothing, it's just my way of playing. It's something that’s in my blood, that’s it. I've got to where I’ve got to today because of it so why would I change? So I have to keep going like this, improving, learning a lot and with a calm head know I’m doing things right.
